"Malaysia 1st Satellite cit ..." a Petaling Jaya Travel Page by daryll

The Petaling district is one of the nine that have made Selangor the most developed and prosperous of the Malaysian states. While Selangor itself has a long history, the birth of Petaling Jaya--fondly known as PJ among the locals--did not come until the early 1950s.

A satellite town was the solution of the British administration seeking answers to growing problems of squatting and the need for accommodation for workers in a bustling and congested Kuala Lumpur. The migration from Kuala Lumpur to the Petaling area started before the town was officially named in 1953 as Petaling Jaya. With the literal meaning of jaya being success, the new town was prophetically named. It started with low-cost wooden houses built by people whose livelihood was to be found in the capital. This little pekan, or town in Malay, was the predecessor of what was to be known as “PJ Old Town”. The name remains today and it now includes Seksyen 1, 2 and 3 of PJ.

The satellite town began to take shape by 1952 when 1,000 houses were under construction. Rubber and oil palm plantations made way for systematic infrastructure development. By the end of 1957, there were well over 3,200 houses in PJ, along with more than 100 shops and 28 factories. The year also saw the opening of the first phase of the Federal Highway (Lebuhraya Persekutuan) which divided PJ into two. Linking Kuala Lumpur, PJ and Port Klang, it enhanced PJ's reputation as a strategically located town, particularly in the eyes of industrialists and the affluent searching for prime residential land.

By 1964 the population had grown to 35,000. Relentless progress continued and by 1977 it had grown into an expansive town that included Seksyen 52, the Sungai Way-Subang (SS) area and the new township of Subang Jaya. Further expansion to the north later saw the rise of the vast Damansara area, which includes Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara, Damansara Perdana, Bandar Sri Damansara and Damansara Impian.

Seksyen 52, the “New Town” or “The State”, has remained the heart of PJ with the many public, financial and commercial services it offers. Petaling Jaya Hilton, the first international-class hotel in PJ, is found here. Subang Jaya, in turn, has gone on to establish itself as the satellite town of PJ.

Bandar Utama symbolises yet another achievement for PJ. Amid its peaceful environment filled largely with upper-to-middle-class houses, its centrepiece, One Utama, is ranked among the largest and most trendy shopping complexes in Malaysia. Together with the enclave of Damansara Utama, it is a popular area known for its nightlife activities. The area beyond Bandar Utama, notably Bandar Sri Damansara, has in turn become a prime spot for residential and commercial purposes.

So rapid is the progress made by PJ that it has become a viable alternative to Kuala Lumpur in practically every aspect, for both locals and tourists. Its most comforting achievement, however, may well lie in its ability to remain green and spacious.