Often known more for its food (white coffee, bean sprout chicken, beancurd), Ipoh's real roots lie in the tin-mining industry. From the 1870s, rich deposits of alluvial tin were discovered in the foothills of the Peninsular, specifically in the Kinta Valley. Initially run by a melange of Chinese miners, Malay sultans and various villagers, the chaotic situation was resolved by the British, who stepped in to create a more comprehensive infrastructure, building state roads and a railway that reached Port Weld. It could be said that tin was the first mover in developing Malaysia's economy in a more modern fashion. And Ipoh benefited from that, becoming a centre for banking and other accounting firms and estate agents from the turn of the 20th century.
In the 1930s, the town grew east of the Kinta River. Simply called New Town, Yau Tet-Shin, a wealthy Hakka businessman, began developing property and differentiating this part of the town from the colonial-style buildings across the river.
But from the 1970s, the tin industry began to fold, and Malaysia's tin exports fell drastically. Ipoh, like many other towns built on the tin mining boom, suffered an exodus and retreated into a sleepy, almost idyllic state.
In the last ten years or so, the town has been rejuvenated and numerous tourists have rediscovered Ipoh, particularly its colonial buildings, murals and the weekly flea market.
History
