Many tin towns were established in the late 19th century, flourished in the 1900s, only to stagnate and decline after World War I, with the exception of an exhilarating boom in the 1920s.

Its vast surroundings as well as abandoned mining-ponds are suitable for fishing, which has become a major attraction for anglers around the country, especially from Kuala Lumpur.

Commerce in the old town area mainly consists of coffee shops, goldsmiths and local retailers.

The new town area mainly consists of new residential developments and some commerce servicing the burgeoning education industry in Kampar.

The 'new town' is just a residential estate with a few rows of shop-lots to cater for the growing number of university students.

Based on Datuk Hashim Bin Sam Abdul Latiff's article, early settlements in Kampar relate to the historic event of the murder of the British Resident in Perak, J.W.W Birch, as Ngah Jabor who was one of the early settlers in Kampar was amongst those connected to murder, together with the others who include Maharaja Lela, Datuk Sagor, Si Putum and others.

However, Ngah Jabor escaped sentence when Raja Idris Shah, who later became Sultan of Perak in 1887 presided over the case involving those accused of Birch's murder in 1876.

Aston Settlement was a planned community composed of wooden houses in the northern suburbs of Kampar town.

Tilapia, Pangasius, Kaloi, Betutu, Tongsan, Catfish and many kinds of freshwater fish flourish abundantly in these lakes.

Modern hypermarkets such as Lotus's and Econsave have emerged, offering a wider range of daily necessities and grocery items.

With an estimated combined capacity of more than 20,000 students, these two institutions are touted to be the two instruments that will restore the town to its former glory.

Long distance, intercity express buses serves Kampar and has routes to Butterworth, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) has introduced a shuttle train between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur Sentral that serves the Kampar railway station.

The Kampar Train Station is located at the south-eastern part of town, in the vicinity of a housing estate known as Taman Melayu Jaya.

The current Member of Parliament of Kampar is Chong Zhemin from Democratic Action Party (DAP) under Pakatan Harapan (PH).

For example, fish ball noodles, kai zai paeng (chicken biscuit), claypot chicken rice, apam balik, lai fun, char kuey teow, wan tan mee, lor mai fan (glutinous rice), and ham kok chai (salty vegetable dumpling).

In Kampar, it is frequently served with 2 types of tofu, along with assorted fish balls or pig skin in curry.

Chee cheong fun is commonly eaten for breakfast or supper where a couple of stores are set up at the local market.