The
name Pattaya
evolved from the march of Phraya Tak and his army from Ayutthaya
to Chanthaburi,
which took place before the fall of the former capital to the Burmese
invaders in 1767. When
his army arrived at the vicinity, Phraya Tak encountered the troops
of Nai Klom, who tried to intercept him. When the two leaders met ,
Nai Klom was awed by Phraya Tak's dignified manner and his army's
strict discipline. The place the two armies confronted each other was
called Thap Phraya, which means the Army of the Phraya. This was
later changed to Phatthaya, which means the wind blowing from the
southwest to the northeast at the beginning of the rainy season.
Today the city is internationally known as "Pattaya" while
the still correct and official transliteration "Phatthaya"
is seen on many roadsigns.
Pattaya
was a small fishing village. But a change occurred on April 26, 1961,
when the first group of about 100 American servicemen who were
fighting in the Vietnam
War
arrived in Pattaya for relaxation. From this beginning, Pattaya
became a popular beach resort which now attracts over 4 million
visitors a year.Fishermen's huts along the beach were replaced by
resort hotels and retail stores, including Asia's largest beachfront
shopping mall,
the
CentralFestival Pattaya Beach Mall and Hilton hotel .
Pattaya,
located off the Gulf of Thailand, is approximately 145 km south
of the city of Bangkok, surrounded by Bang Lamung District.
The
city of Pattaya is a special municipal area which covers the whole
tambon
Nong
Prue
and Na
Kluea
and parts of Huai
Yai
and Nong
Pla Lai.
Bang
Lamung township
which forms the northern border of Pattaya covers parts of the tambon
Bang Lamung, Nong
Pla Lai
and Takhian
Tia.
Bang Sali is on the southern border of Pattaya.
Pattaya
city has been administered under a special autonomous system since
1978. It has a status comparable to a municipality and is separately
administered by the mayor of Pattaya city who is responsible for
making policies, organizing public services and supervising all
employees of Pattaya city administration.
