Paya Terubong is one of the lesser known and smaller districts in the state of Penang. It is located on the eastern side of the island, neighbouring Air Itam to its north and Bayan Baru to its south. The name ‘terubong' was derived from a type of grass, in which the ‘paya’ in the district’s name refers to the place where the terubong grass grows.

Paya Terubong is a beautiful township that is located on elevated land and is surrounded by mountain ranges. It is a very old and established township, although it was very much undeveloped until the mid-1970s. But due to the increasing lack of land on the island, development of the district began in the early 1980s.

A large portion of Paya Terubong is taken up by a Chinese cemetery that is managed by the United Hokkien Association. Hence, it is not unusual for some of the high rises here to overlook the cemetery. Many of the housing developments in this area are also backed by the mountains, which the Chinese believe to be good Feng Shui.

A good majority of the developments in Paya Terubong are dedicated to the middle working class group, and the homes here are rather more on the affordable side. There are however a small number of landed homes being developed here that is dedicated to the upmarket. The neighbourhood is on the smaller and quieter side, hence residents need to drive to neighbouring towns for a supermarket and schools.

Paya Terubong is only served by the main road of Jalan Paya Terubong which comprises of only two lanes in most of the sections. There is limited access to the district, and even those are through the hills and other townships. Traffic in Paya Terubong is hence always rather congested during peak hours.

Public transportation is available in this township, in form of public busses from the local service provider Rapid Penang. Busses number 201, 202, 203, 301 and 306 traverses through the town.

Being an ‘out-of-the-way’ town, Paya Terubong is situated approximately half an hour away from Georgetown. The Penang Bridge is however slightly nearer at 20 minutes away, and the Penang International Airport at approximately the same distance.