Chon Buri or Mueang Chon in short has been a very prominent seaside town of the eastern coast since a fairly long period of time. It acquired the town status in 1935. This is also a vital agricultural site of economic plants like cassava, sugar cane and rubber trees. Chon Buri is a hub of industrial activity, second only to Bangkok in context to the output and is also the location of Eastern Seaboard Development Project.
If legends are to be believed, Mueang Chon Buri has been in existence ever since the Ayutthaya period. Initially it comprised only of the small tows like Mueang Bang Phra, Mueang Bang Sai, and Mueang Bang Pla Soi. It was only later that King Rama V amalgamated these small towns to form the Chon Buri Province. This capital of Chon Buri Province and the Mueang Chong Buri District in Thailand, lies 100 km south east of Bangkok towards the coastline of the Gulf of Thailand.
Going by the literal terms, Chon Buri means ‘city of water.’ This along with the other areas along the coast to Pattaya forms an urbane known as the Pattaya Chon buri Metropolitan Area with a total population exceeding 1,000,000.
