In  fact  only  40  years  ago  Pattaya  as  we  know  it  today,  didn't  even  exist.   On  the stretch of coast between Sriracha and Sattahip,  there  were  only  a small number of fishing villages and in Pattaya bay itself, there were just a few fishing families who had settled  here  because  of  the  calm waters and the safety of the bay, protected headlands to the North and South and by mountains behind.  Their  nearest  neighbors lived just around the headland to the north, where, in the old days salt used to be produced (Naa-Klua = salt fields)  but  where  there  were  now  mainly  fishing  families.  People  traveled  about by foot or by bullock carts because, except of the main road from Bangkok to Sattahip, only a few dirt roads and tracks existed.

     Nevertheless, the bay and nearby islands provided good, safe fishing and more and more families came here to settle down, Gradually a village developed. At first was know as Tupphraya the general name for the area which dated back to the time when Pharaya Taksin (Duke Taksin) camped near here with the followers he had gathered to help free Thailand from the Burmese (Tupphraya - the Pharaya' - army)

      As  the  village  grew, the villagers wanted to give it a separate identity,  so they adopted the name of Pattaya,which  was  the name  they used for the strong winds which came from  the South West at  the beginning of every rainy season.

     The pace of life was slow and it seemed as  if  Pattaya  would  remain  an out-of-the-way  place  forever.   Even up  to  30  years ago  there were  only  a few  buses serving the  100  or   more  families  who  lived  here and visitors from elsewhere were few and far between. But things were destined to change and as usual, it was a war (the Vietnam War) which changed them. The U.S.A. sent soldiers to build the air base at U Tapao and many of these took to spending their leisure time and money in Pattaya.