Kurseong

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Kurseong
Kurseong
State - District(s)	West Bengal - Darjeeling
Coordinates	26.88° N 88.28° E
Area - Elevation	5.05 km² - 1,500 m
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001) - Density	80,377 -
Codes - Postal - Telephone - Vehicle	- 734 203 - +0354 - WB-?

Kurseong is a hill station (and sub-divisional town) situated in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. Located at an altitude of 1458 metres (4864 ft), Kurseong is just 30 km from Darjeeling. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and the winters are not as severe as Darjeeling.

The local name of Kurseong is called "Kharsang" which in the Lepcha language means "Land of the White Orchids". Kurseong is 47 km from Siliguri and is connected to the city by road and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The nearest airport is at Bagdogra.The nearest major railway station is New Jalpaiguri [NJP], which is about 53 kilometers from Kurseong. The town is based mainly on schools and tourism. The best times to visit Kurseong are between March end and May and between the end of August and October.

Kurseong was ceded to the British Empire by the chogyal (monarch) of Sikkim in 1835. Later in 1880, the small hamlet became a tourist destination for the colonial authorities and was a preferred place for sanatoriums where the sick would recuperate.

1 Transport
2 Demographics
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Transport

Bagdogra Airport, Siliguri, is 60 km away. Taxis/buses are available at the airport for transit to Kurseong.

Siliguri, 50 km and New Jalpaiguri, 57 km are the nearest main stations. It is an important station on the toy train route from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. The Toy Train takes a little over 5 hrs from New Jalpaiguri to Kurseong.

Kurseong is also well connected by roads.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Kurseong had a population of 40,067. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kurseong has an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 88%, and female literacy is 80%. In Kurseong, 6% of the population is under 6 years of age.