Taiping [Peace Town] is located in northern Perak, Malaysia, with a population of just under 200,000, and holds the rank as second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh. Its development has been slowed down after the replacement, but in recent years the town has begun developing rapidly again.

Taiping also receives some limelight for being the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia. The average annual rainfall is about 4,000mm in Taiping while the peninsula's average is 2,000mm - 2,500mm. Its unusual rainfall has also led to a fertile collection of flora and century-old rain trees in the Taiping Lake Gardens.

The area developed quickly in the 19th century when tin was discovered. The mines attracted large numbers of settlers, particularly Chinese. The capital of Perak was moved from Bandar Baru (New Town) to Taiping after Datok Maharaja Lela assassinated the first British Resident of Perak Mr. James Wheeler Woodford Birch at Pasir Salak in 1875. In 1937 the capital of Perak was moved from Taiping to Ipoh.

The town's mining industry continued to thrive and the country's first railway was built to transport tin from Taiping to Port Weld (now known as Kuala Sepetang) at the coast for export. The first train in Malaysia to take its schedule was on June 1 1885.

By 1900, an English language school, a newspaper, and the Perak Museum (the oldest in Malaysia) had been established. Although Taiping's economy declined with the dwindling tin deposits, the metal still remains an important industry in the area as do rubber and rice.

Taiping is also famous in Malaysia as having many firsts, including the following: Open tin mining activity in the peninsula (1844); Hill resort - Maxwell Hill (1844); Magistrate court (1874); Resident's house (1877); Port - Port Weld (1877); Police force (1879); Government offices (1879); Post and telegraph office (1880); Lake gardens - Taiping Lake Gardens (1880); General Hospital (1880); Railway station and warehouse (1881); Museum - Perak Museum (1883); Prison - Taiping Gaol (1885); Newspapers: Malay - Seri Perak (June 1893), English - Perak Pioneer (July 4, 1894), Tamil - Perak Verthamani (1894); Airfield - Tekah Airport (1930); Library - Perpustakaan Merdeka; and Fire brigade.

Text adapted from Wikipedia (retrieved, July 22nd 2009)

The name Ipoh derives from a local tree, pohon epu or now more commonly known as pokok ipoh. The sap of this plant is poisonous and was used by Orang Asli (indigenous people) to coat the tips of the darts of their blowpipes.

Ipoh city came into existence in the 1820s as a village on the banks of the Kinta River. It was less prominent at that time as compared to the early mining town of Gopeng, 20 km south of Ipoh. In 1890 Swettenham put forth the founding of Ipoh Sanitary Board which led to systematic planning of Ipoh, which is still seen today.

Its geographic location in the rich tin-bearing valley of the Kinta River made it a natural centre of growth. It grew rapidly as a mining town, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. It was invaded by the Japanese on 15 December 1941, and during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya, Ipoh was made the capital of Perak, in place of Taiping.

With the collapse of tin prices and the closure of the tin mines in the late 1970s, Ipoh's growth had stagnated which has resulted in the migration of many young talents to other parts of Malaysia (particularly metropolitan areas such as Kuala Lumpur) and Singapore. Ipoh has since been known colloquially as a dead city and earned a reputation as a good location for retirement. Various efforts have been made to redevelop Ipoh into a modern town. The city is still expanding in the suburbs.

Text adapted from Wikipedia (retrieved, July 22nd 2009)