[3] Pattaya City (Thai: เมืองพัทยา, RTGS: Mueang Phatthaya, pronounced [mɯ̄a̯ŋ pʰát.tʰā.jāː]) is a special local government organization area within Bang Lamung district and has a population of 119,532.

The name Pattaya evolved from the march of Phraya Tak (later King Taksin) and his army from Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi, which took place before the fall of the former capital to Burmese invaders in 1767.

When his army arrived in the vicinity of what is now Pattaya, Phraya Tak encountered the troops of a local leader named Nai Klom, who tried to intercept him.

[4] Thap Phraya was later changed to Phatthaya, which means 'the wind blowing from the southwest to the northeast at the beginning of the rainy season'.

[5] Following World War II, entrepreneur Parinya Chawalitthamrong saw the potenial of investing in Pattaya and donated some land to the governing administration.

One large group who arrived from a base in Korat on 29 June 1959 and rented houses from Phraya Sunthorn at the south end of the beach, on what is now known as the "Strip", are credited with recommending Pattaya, whose fame spread by word of mouth.

As mayor, Itthiphol approved construction on the Waterfront Suites and Residence condominium near the Bali Hai pier, which became controversial.

[18] However, a 2023 documentary by Deutsche Welle, which has been banned in Thailand, resurrected concerns around Pattaya's sex industry and its association with child prostitution.

As with the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, registered population figures issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) hardly capture the scope of the urban transformation that has occurred over time, especially with the economy being dependent on the large numbers of casual Thai workers who work in the city yet remain registered in their hometowns, the employment turnover from and to the capital, as well as seasonal farm migration.

Migrant workers from neighboring nations, and many long-term expatriates who reside in the city as retirees, self-employed, or contracted are traditionally not counted.

There has never been a reliably published figure for the total population in Pattaya, but its thought to be quite large (on the order of half a million people[citation needed]) given the ubiquity and sheer number of migrant workers.

Changes in population and area size are regularly revised by the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning and the Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization.

Pattaya, on the Gulf of Thailand, is approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) south of the city of Bangkok in Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.

In recent years, Phra Tamnak Hill has gained in popularity because of its more natural environment, nicer beaches, and its convenient location between Jomtien and Pattaya city.

[citation needed] In June 2016, the Regional Environmental Office reported that, "The sea water along the busy central Pattaya beaches is of poor quality and could endanger human and marine life.

[36] The sea water along central Pattaya beaches is of poor quality even in the absence of sewage spills and "could endanger human and marine life", the regional environmental office has said.

The city has considered expanding two water management plants to increase capacity for better treatment of wastewater prior to discharge into the ocean.

Investments totaling more than 1.5 trillion baht (US$45 billion) are flowing into EEC infrastructure projects: airports, deep-sea ports, high-speed railways, autoroutes.

Pattaya projects include developing a tram in the city and building a bigger cruise terminal, as well as new tourist attractions: a water park, an ice dome, cultural markets, Thai boxing gyms, theaters, and conference halls.

He said that the EEC would make Pattaya more competitive compared with other popular Thai beach destinations such as Phuket and Ko Samui, with cheaper transport costs.

The continuous growth in the sector, particularly driven by foreign interest in condos, contributes significantly to employment, from construction to property management.

Increased property transactions also generate substantial revenue through taxes and fees, further enhancing the city's fiscal health.

City and suburban services are mainly provided by songthaew, popularly nicknamed "baht buses" or "blue taxis".

[50] Pattaya has derived part of its reputation as a tourist destination due to the sex industry[59][60] and the resulting nightlife, and this notoriety has influenced the city's evolution in many ways.

[64] An article in the British tabloid the Daily Mirror[65] have described Pattaya as "the world's sex capital", a "modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah".

"[66] In June 2019, over twenty high ranking Police, Army and Local government officers toured Pattaya and reported the central streets safe and free from illegal activities.

When the checks were completed, police announced that all licenses were in order and there was no law breaking of any kind, including prostitution, taking place there.

], Pattaya has served as a hideaway for foreigners with connections to organized crime in their home countries, and dozens have been murdered in gang-related disputes.

[72] On 11 April 2009, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in the areas of Pattaya and Chonburi, in response to Red Shirt anti-government protesters breaking into the conference center of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort hotel complex, the site of an ASEAN Summit.

[citation needed] Its objectives are to promote education, protect human rights & relieve poverty for the people in Thailand.