Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya is a satellite town of the federal territory Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is located in the Petaling district. Petaling Jaya has an area of approximately 97.2 km², arguably the state of Selangor's largest town. As of 2000 it claimed 355,530 inhabitants within the area of 51.4 sq.km but has not gained official status as a city due to its close proximity to Kuala Lumpur. The municipality has not applied for city status as of 2004. However, the municipal council consists of populated appointed operatives of the federal government. Originally, the municipality was composed of directly elected representatives.
It was first developed by the British as an answer to the problem of overpopulation in Kuala Lumpur in 1952 and has since witnessed a dramatic growth in terms of population size and geographical importance. The development of Petaling Jaya centered around the area currently known as “Old Town” today. The first road built in Petaling Jaya was simply called "Jalan 1" or Road 1, and is now called Jalan Templer (named after the then British High Commissioner to Malaya, Lieutenant-General Sir Gerald Templer).
Until the end of 1954, the town was administered by the Kuala Lumpur District Officer and the Petaling Jaya Town Authority. On 1 January 1977, the Petaling Jaya Town Authority was upgraded to become Petaling Jaya Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya (MPPJ). Petaling Jaya progressed rapidly due to the massive rural-urban migration. As more people from rural areas immigrated, Sungai Way and Subang districts along with new areas such as Subang Jaya, Seksyen 52 (New Town or colloquially known as State; the name of the first, former cinema in the area) developed in areas under the jurisdiction of the municipality. Eventually in a boundary realignment exercise in early 1997, parts of Petaling Jaya such as Subang Jaya, Sunway, Puchong and USJ were placed under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Subang Jaya Municipal Council or MPSJ.
Fondly known as PJ among the locals, it also acts as one of the centre hubs of Klang Valley (comprising of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and surrounding areas) for industry. True to its name "Jaya" (Malay for success), Petaling Jaya quickly became the most prosperous municipality in Selangor.
Malaysia's oldest university, University of Malaya is situated in Petaling Jaya. Also in 1983, the first university in Malaysia with the word "international" in its name, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIU) was set up in Petaling Jaya. IIU has since relocated its main campus to Gombak.
A prominent landmark is the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Arch which symbolically marks the boundary between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. Originally this arch straddled Federal Highway (Lebuhraya Perseketuan) which was the only highway link between Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. However, many links now exist as alternatives to the congested Federal Highway.
Its ethnic population composition comprises of 55% Chinese, 30% Malay, 13% Indians whereas the remainder consists of other races. Transportation facilities and infrastructure are well developed in Petaling Jaya. Public transporation is provided by various bus companies as well as the Kuala Lumpur Putra Light Rail Transit system, which extends slightly into Petaling Jaya. Petaling Jaya has one access point to the national highway system North-South Expressway. Internally, highways such as the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong also exist.
External link
- PJNet (http://www.pjnet.com.my/) - Petaling Jaya Online Community Network
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