[9] Prior to urbanization, the area, much like other rural districts in Singapore at the time, was largely undeveloped, being mainly used for agricultural purposes, with uninhabited plots of land usually covered in dense secondary forest or swamps.

[10] Ang Mo Kio was subsequently redeveloped by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in 1973 as their seventh satellite town and the first to be built in metric dimensions,[2][10] being fully completed by 1980.

The concept eventually became adopted under the Town Council Act of 1988 which today, remains as the second-level of administration in Singapore.

[22] Yishun bounds Ang Mo Kio to the north, Sengkang to the northeast, Serangoon to the east, Bishan to the south and Central Water Catchment to the west.

In the old maps of Singapore, much of the area was labelled as the Ang Mo Kio Forest Reserve with many plantation estates.

The new town was planned to have a total of 45,000 flats, and be demarcated by Upper Thomson and Yio Chu Kang Roads, located adjacent to the Serangoon Gardens estate.

[29] To make way for the new town, 200 acres (81 ha) of land at Teck Ghee village was cleared, with the residents affected rehoused at the Sin Ming road estate.

In addition, the town was slated to have industrial areas, shopping amenities, schools, and a 110 acres (45 ha) garden.

[31] Ang Mo Kio was also planned as the focal point of Singapore's motor repair industry, housing the Registrar of Vehicles' headquarters,[28] and was the first town designed in metric dimensions.

[36] Construction work on a $13.3 million industrial area along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 commenced in June 1979.

The swimming complex at Avenue 1 also won the 1986 SIA Architectural Award for its unique "tetrahedral skylight" design.

[citation needed] With Ang Mo Kio becoming a matured estate, several plots of residential land have been cleared up and sold to private developers for redevelopment.

Mayflower MRT station is located along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, within the Kebun Baru subzone.

Both bus interchanges offer trunk bus services to connect the town with the rest of the island, including a rapid connection to the city centre in the Central Area, as well as other financial and commercial districts in the central region of Singapore, including Shenton Way, Orchard Road, Marina Centre and Marine Parade.

Administrative, legal, medical, religious, and social services catering towards the general public may also be found in the Ang Mo Kio area, with a major community hospital, Ang Mo Kio - Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, that offers rehabilitative care.

[46] Several shopping malls are also found in Ang Mo Kio Central: Among these malls, AMK Hub is directly connected to the Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange, and host a varieties of commercial including the Cathay Cineplex AMK Hub.

The former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, is a member of Ang Mo Kio Town Council and the constituency of the same name.

Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency have handled parts of Ang Mo Kio from 2006 to 2011, and later return into a SMC ahead of the 2020 elections.