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55-653: The Laos Mission (also, North Laos Mission, North Siam Mission) was founded in Chiang Mai , northern Thailand by the Rev. Daniel McGilvary and Mrs. Sophia McGilvary in April 1867. It was established as a mission of the Board of Foreign Missions, Presbyterian Church in the United States . The original vision for the mission came from Dr. Dan Beach Bradley , who himself once proposed starting

110-490: A "Smart City" (part of the "Thailand 4.0" vision). DEPA has also provided funding to Chiang Mai's Maejo University , to develop wireless sensor systems for better farmland irrigation techniques, to reduce use of water sprinklers and increase productivity. The university is also developing agricultural drones that can spray fertilizers and pesticides on crops which, if successful, will result in lower costs. The drones may also detect and monitor fires and smoke pollution. Under

165-402: A 90 rai plot of land as a community for tech start-ups, Internet of Things technology, software programmers and business process outsourcing services. It is aimed to both increase the size of Chiang Mai's digital workforce, as well as attract foreign digital talent to Chiang Mai. In January 2018, it was announced that Chiang Mai would be launching "Mobike In", a bike-sharing app that would see

220-559: A mission in the North . The Laos Mission included, at one time or another, six stations in Northern Siam : Chiang Mai (founded 1867); Lampang (founded in 1885 and originally known as the Lakawn Station); Lamphun (founded 1891 and made a sub-station of Chiang Mai in 1897); Phrae (1893): Nan (1895); and Chiang Rai (1896). In addition, the mission founded a station in 1903 to work with

275-539: A population of 127,000, already exceeded the municipal city limits, and has grown to over one million people in 2022. Chiang Mai Municipality has now become a small part of the current city-scape, making up only most parts of the capital district Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai in the inner city. To reflect the city's growth beyond the municipal borders, official government documents by the Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization and

330-708: A protracted, time-consuming territorial dispute with the American Baptists in Burma. For a brief period from 1911 to 1914, the mission's church grew rapidly in the wake of malaria and smallpox epidemics in various parts of northern Siam. With improvements in communications between northern and central Siam, the Laos Mission was united with the Siam Mission in 1920-21. Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (meaning "new city" in Thai)

385-504: A tourist attraction are its topography, climate, and cultural history. Chiang Mai is estimated to have 32,000–40,000 hotel rooms and Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) is Thailand's fourth largest airport, after Suvarnabhumi (BKK), Don Mueang (DMK), and Phuket (HKT). The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) aims to market Chiang Mai as a global MICE city as part of a five-year plan. The TCEB forecasts revenue from MICE to rise by 10 percent to 4.24 billion baht in 2013 and

440-768: Is Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital , run by the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University . The Ministry of Public Health does not operate any hospitals in Chiang Mai Municipality, with the closest one being Nakornping Hospital , a regional hospital in Mae Rim District and the MOPH's largest hospital in the province. A continuing environmental issue in Chiang Mai is the incidence of air pollution that primarily occurs every year between December and April. In 1996, speaking at

495-533: Is a district ( amphoe ) in the central part of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand . It is part of the Chiang Mai Urban Area , which has a population of 1.2 million people. Formerly the district was called Khwaeng Mae Rim. Khwaeng Mae Rim converted to full district ( amphoe ) in 1914. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Mae Taeng , San Sai , Mueang Chiang Mai , Hang Dong and Samoeng of Chiang Mai Province. The district

550-547: Is also home to 16 international schools, the second highest amount in the country after Bangkok. Chiang Mai University, the city's main and most important institution, was the first government university established outside of Bangkok in the year 1964. As of 2024, Chiang Mai University holds the rank of the third best university in Thailand behind Chulalongkorn and Mahidol University. The largest hospital in Chiang Mai City

605-484: Is lower costs of living. Quality services at low prices are a major selling point in mainstream healthcare, dental and ophthalmologic care as well as Thai traditional medicine. Its local university is also developing specializations in robotic surgery and geriatric medicine to accommodate a future aging population. DEPA also reported that it has developed a mobile app that uses augmented reality technology to showcase various historical attractions in Chiang Mai, in line with

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660-685: Is situated in a valley on a river basin in the Thai highlands and is on average at 300 m (1,000 ft) elevation. Chiang Mai's city centre sits west of the Ping River , a tributary to the Chao Phraya River , while the city's sprawl extends north-west, south-west, north-east and east of the river. To the west side of Chiang Mai lies the Thanon Thong Chai Mountain Range , with one major peak, Doi Suthep mountain , prominently rising above

715-527: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (Chiang Mai Office), together with local universities, public and private sectors. The project aims to promote non-motorised transportation and support eco-tourism. Speaking at the launch at the Lanna Folklife Museum, Deputy Governor Puttipong Sirimart stated that the introduction of such "smart transportation" was a positive move in Chiang Mai's transformation into

770-548: The Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning - published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette - regularly update and outline the current city boundaries. The first revision of such a updated urban area ( Thai : เขตเมือง ) was published in 1989, with the second one following in 1999. The third revision from 2012 expands the old municipal city border inside Muaeng Chiang Mai district to Mae Rim in

825-691: The Tai peoples of eastern Burma in Kengtung , which was closed in 1907; and it founded another station, the Chiang Rung Station, in Yunnan Province , southern China in 1917. The mission founded its first church, Chiang Mai Church, now known simply as First Church, Chiang Mai, in 1868. After a brief period of evangelistic success, the mission underwent a time of persecution in 1869, during which two converts were martyred. The mission did not fully recover until

880-636: The Thonburi Kingdom in 1774, by an agreement with Chao Kavila , after the Thonburi king Taksin helped drive out the Taungoo Bamar. Subsequent Taungoo counterattacks led to Chiang Mai's abandonment between 1776 and 1791; The modern municipality dates to a sanitary district ( sukhaphiban ) that was created in 1915; it was upgraded to a city municipality ( thesaban nakhon ) on 29 March 1935. First covering just 17.5 square kilometres (6.8 sq mi),

935-468: The Vesak at Doi Suthep mountain where thousands of Buddhists make the journey on foot after sunset, from the bottom of the mountain to the temple at the top Wat Doi Suthep. Makha Bucha Day is celebrated at large temples (Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, and Wat Sri Soda) with thousands of attendees. While most inhabitants speak Thai , there are many older inhabitants that also speak

990-520: The 2011 IBM "Smarter Cities Challenge", IBM experts recommended smarter food initiatives focused on creating agricultural data for farmers, including price modelling, farmer-focused weather forecasting tools, an e-portal to help farmers align crop production with demand, as well as branding of Chiang Mai produce. Longer-term recommendations included implementing traceability, enabling the tracking of produce from farm to consumer, smarter irrigation as well as flood control and early warning systems. As part of

1045-529: The Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University, the team of experts aim to enhance the quality of medical care available to the community, both urban and rural, as well as develop Chiang Mai into a centre for medical tourism with the infrastructure for supporting international visitors seeking long-term medical care. As the largest city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai already receives some long stay healthcare visitors, largely Japanese. Its main advantage over Bangkok

1100-671: The Fourth International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement conference—held in Chiang Mai that year—the Governor Virachai Naewboonien invited guest speaker Dr. Jakapan Wongburanawatt, Dean of the Social Science Faculty of Chiang Mai University , to discuss air pollution efforts in the region. Dr. Wongburanawatt stated that, in 1994, an increasing number of city residents attended hospitals suffering from respiratory problems associated with

1155-477: The Internet of Things (IOT)), is viewed to be critical both for secondary cities with burgeoning urban population like Chiang Mai, as well as part of Thailand's move to be digital hub of ASEAN. The role of private sector investment, together with public sector partnership, is key to promote digital entrepreneurship. Prosoft Comtech, a Thai software company, has spent 300 million baht to build its own "Oon IT Valley" on

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1210-657: The University Medical Clinic a medical hub, as well as improving efficiency of hospitals for improved service delivery. For example, healthcare providers could use real-time location tracking of patients and hospital assets to increase efficiency and build an internationally recognised service identity. Electronic medical record technology can also be adopted to standardise information exchanges to link all medical service providers, even including traditional medicine and spas. Similar ideas include linking patient databases and healthcare asset information. In partnership with

1265-462: The acceptable level of PM10 is 50 μg/m³ and PM2.5 is 25 μg/m³. To address the increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector in Chiang Mai, the city government has advocated the use of non-motorised transport (NMT). In addition to its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the NMT initiative addresses other issues such as traffic congestion, air quality, income generation for

1320-427: The city area, ranging from very prominent landmarks to small remnants that have almost completely disappeared or are overgrown with vegetation. Chiang Mai has several museums regarding Art and Lanna culture within its city limits: The influx of tourists has put a strain on the city's natural resources. Faced with rampant unplanned development, air and water pollution, waste management problems, and traffic congestion,

1375-417: The city centre and has a population of 127,000. This census area dates back to 1983 when Chiang Mai's municipal area was enlarged for the first and last time since becoming the first City Municipality in Thailand (then under Siam ) in 1935. The city's sprawl has since extended into several neighboring districts, namely Hang Dong in the south, Mae Rim in the north, Suthep in the west and San Kamphaeng in

1430-476: The city has launched a non-motorised transport (NMT) system. The initiative, developed by a partnership of experts and with support from the Climate & Development Knowledge Network , aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create employment opportunities for the urban poor. The climate compatible development strategy has gained support from policy-makers and citizens alike. Tourism has also brought benefits for

1485-582: The city walls—is mostly within Sriwichai ward. Mangrai founded Chiang Mai in 1294 or 1296 on a site that the Lawa people called Wiang Nopburi. The city succeeded Chiang Rai as the capital of Lan Na . Pha Yu enlarged and fortified it and built Wat Phra Singh in honor of his father, Kham Fu. With the decline of Lan Na, Chiang Mai lost importance and was occupied by the Taungoo in 1556. It formally became part of

1540-582: The city was enlarged to 40.2 square kilometres (15.5 sq mi) on 5 April 1983. In May 2006 Chiang Mai was the site of the Chiang Mai Initiative , concluded between ASEAN and the "ASEAN+3" countries, (China, Japan, and South Korea). Chiang Mai was one of three Thai cities contending for Thailand's bid to host the World Expo 2020 . Ayutthaya was ultimately chosen by the Thai parliament to register for

1595-399: The city with an elevation of 1,676 metres (5,499 ft). There are several parks and green spaces inside the city. Buak Hat Public Park , located in the south west corner of the old city is the most frequented public park in Chiang Mai. Directly opposite, to the south-west, is Kanchanaphisek Park, a park with remnants of the old extended city walls. Bigger parks include Lanna Rama 9 Park to

1650-548: The city's air pollution. During the December–April period, air quality in Chiang Mai often remains below recommended standards, with fine-particle dust levels reaching twice the standard limits. It has been said that smoke pollution has made March "the worst month to visit Chiang Mai". The northern centre of the Meteorological Department has reported that low-pressure areas from China trap forest fire smoke in

1705-678: The dry season can be cool and much lower than daytime highs. The maximum temperature ever recorded was 42.5 °C (108.5 °F) in May 2016. Cold and hot weather effects occur immediately but cold effects last longer than hot effects and contribute to higher cold related mortality risk among old people aged more than 85 years. The Administration of Chiang Mai Municipality is responsible for an area that covers approximately 40.216 square kilometers and consists of 4 Municipal Districts, 14 sub-districts, 94 municipal communities, and 89,656 households. According to Municipal Act B.E. 2496 (1953, reviewed in 2003),

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1760-480: The duties of the Municipality cover a lot of areas which include clean water supply, waste and sewage disposal, communicable disease control, public training and education, public hospitals and electricity, etc. The mayor, or the highest executive, is directly elected by the eligible voters in the municipal area. The mayor serves a four-year term and is assisted by no more than four deputy mayors appointed directly by

1815-525: The east, forming the Chiang Mai urban area with over a million residents. The city municipality is subdivided into four khwaeng ( electoral wards ): Nakhon Ping, Sriwichai, Mengrai, and Kawila. The first three are on the west bank of the Ping River, and Kawila is on the east bank. Nakhon Ping District includes the northern part of the city. Sriwichai, Mengrai, and Kawila consist of the western, southern, and eastern parts, respectively. The city center—within

1870-424: The extended metropolitan area is. Chiang Mai Municipality covers an area of 40.2 square kilometres (15.52 sq mi), while the urban city covers an area of 405 square kilometres (156.371 sq mi). The city's sprawl reaches into six neighboring districts: Mae Rim , Doi Saket , San Kamphaeng , Hang Dong , Saraphi and Suthep . Chiang Mai is the only city outside Bangkok to reach into other districts. The city

1925-658: The former Lan Na Kingdom's unique language known as Northern Thai , Lanna or Kham Mueang . The script used to write this language, called the Tai Tham alphabet , is studied only by scholars, and the language is commonly written with the standard Thai alphabet . Khan tok is a century-old Lan Na Thai tradition. Chiang Mai has several universities, including Chiang Mai University , Chiang Mai Rajabhat University , Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna , Payap University , Far Eastern University, and Maejo University , as well as numerous technical and teacher colleges. The city

1980-838: The government's policy to promote Chiang Mai as a world heritage city. According to Thailand's Tourist Authority, in 2013 Chiang Mai had 14.1 million visitors: 4.6 million foreigners and 9.5 million Thais. In 2016, tourist arrivals were expected to grow by approximately 10 percent to 9.1 million, with Chinese tourists increasing by seven percent to 750,000 and international arrivals by 10 percent to 2.6 million. Tourism in Chiang Mai has been growing annually by 15 percent per year since 2011, mostly due to Chinese tourists who account for 30 percent of international arrivals. In 2015, 7.4 million tourists visited Chiang Mai. Out of these, 35 percent were foreign tourists. The number of tourists has increased with an average rate of 13.6 percent annually between 2009 and 2015. The major reasons that have made Chiang Mai

2035-455: The international competition. Chiang Mai was one of two tourist destinations in Thailand on TripAdvisor 's 2014 list of "25 Best Destinations in the World", where it stood at number 24. Chiang Mai is also the place where the new idol group CGM48 was founded. The city emblem shows the stupa at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in its center. Below it are clouds representing the moderate climate in

2090-497: The introduction of some 500 smart bikes on the streets. The smart bikes would be available for use for both locals and tourists. It is reported that as a start, the bikes would be placed at convenient locations including the Three Kings monument, Tha Pae Gate and Suan Buak Haad Park, as well as in the old town. The "Mobike In" project is sponsored by Advanced Info Service (Thailand's largest mobile phone operator), in collaboration with

2145-529: The last one attractions and environment. Agritoursim is a type of business that a farmer conducts for additional farm income. Farmers, through the promotions of agricultural products, provide enjoyment and educate the public about farming and agriculture. Since 2022, due to the increasingly harsh political environment in China, Chiang Mai attracts many Chinese to settle and live in the city due to its liberal climate and low cost of living. Buddhist celebrations include

2200-808: The late 1870s. In 1880, it founded three congregations including the Mae Dok Daeng Church, known today as the Suwanduangrit Church, Ban Dok Daeng . In 1885, the mission sponsored the founding of the Presbytery of North Laos, officially under the Synod of New York City , to give oversight to the churches. By the 1890s, the mission increasingly emphasized medical and educational institutional work, founding boarding schools, such as Prince Royal's College and Chiang Rai Witthayakhom School , American printing house (Wangsingkam), hospitals and dispensaries in each of

2255-464: The local community of Chiang Mai. It has played a role in promoting the arts and crafts market in Chiang Mai. Tourists have increased demand for traditional crafts and art forms that has resulted in the incentives for local artists to enhance their work thus adding to the sector. There are also opportunities for agritourism in Chiang Mai. The factor analysis illustrates three types of agri needs, activities and shopping, facilities, services and location and

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2310-436: The mayor. The mayor will thus be permitted to appoint deputies, secretaries and advisors including the mayor himself or herself totally no more than 10. The current mayor is Tussanai Burabupakorn, as of June 2018. The Municipal Council is the legislative body of the municipality. It has the power to issue ordinances by laws that do not contradict with the laws of the country. The municipal council applies to all people living in

2365-537: The mountains along the Thai- Myanmar border. Research conducted between 2005 and 2009 showed that average PM10 rates in Chiang Mai during February and March were considerably above the country's safety level of 120 μg/m³, peaking at 383 μg/m³ on 14 March 2007. PM2.5 rates (fine particles 75% smaller than PM10) reached 183 μg/m³ in Chiang Mai in 2018. According to the World Health Organization (WHO),

2420-406: The mountains of northern Thailand. There is a nāga , the mythical snake said to be the source of the Ping River , and rice stalks, which refer to the fertility of the land. Following the municipal city area's enlargement to 40,2 km² in 1983, no changes or updates have been made to it, even with the population increasing substantially in the years after. In 1983, Chiang Mai's urban area, with

2475-474: The municipal area. The Chiang Mai City Municipal Council is composed of 24 elected members from 4 municipal districts who each serves a 4-year term. In February 2017, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) (under Thailand's Digital Economy and Society Ministry) announced that 36.5 million baht would be invested into developing Chiang Mai into an innovation-driven "smart city". Chiang Mai

2530-538: The north in Chang Phueak district and Ang Keaw Reservoir, located near the northern entrance to Chiang Mai University . As of 2024, there are plans to reopen the Chiang Mai Railway Park opposite of the central train station. Chiang Mai has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen Aw ), tempered by the low latitude and moderate elevation, with warm to hot weather year-round, though nighttime conditions during

2585-413: The north, San Kamphaeng and Doi Saket in the east, Hang Dong and Saraphi in the south, and Suthep in the west. This new extent, with a size of 405 km², serves as Chiang Mai's principal city border and urban area. The urban area has a combined population of 1,198,000 residents, making Chiang Mai the second largest city in Thailand after Bangkok (10.7 million people) and twice as big as

2640-500: The number of MICE travellers to rise by five percent to 72,424. Chiang Mai has 117 Buddhist temples (" wat " in Thai) in the Mueang (capital) district. These include: In addition to the currently active temples there are several temple ruins scattered around the present-day city area. Typically only the main stupa remains as it is a brick and cement structure, with other temple buildings no longer there. There are 44 of such structures in

2695-575: The poor, and the long-term viability of the tourism industry. National Parks include Doi Inthanon National Park , which includes Doi Inthanon , the highest mountain in Thailand, and one of the most popular national parks in the country. It is famous for its waterfalls, few trails, remote villages, viewpoints, sunrise/sunset watching, bird watching, and the all year round cold weather on higher elevations. Mae Rim district Mae Rim ( Thai : แม่ริม , pronounced [mɛ̂ː rīm] ; Northern Thai : แม่ฮิม , pronounced [mɛ̂ː hīm] )

2750-516: The real population figure for Chiang Mai could be as high as 1.5 million. As of 2022, a fourth revision of Chiang Mai's urban area is under way and currently up for debate by the public. Proposals show the expansion of the current urban area into more adjacent subdistricts and large forest areas, especially around Doi Suthep . Since Thailand's outdated census methods prevent the determination of official metropolitan areas outside of Bangkok, presently there are no official sources indicating how large

2805-493: The smart city project supported by IBM, Chiang Mai is also looking to use technology to boost its presence as a medical tourism hub. In 2011, IBM launched its Smarter Cities Challenge, a three-year, 100 city, 1.6 billion baht (US$ 50 million) program where teams of experts study and make detailed recommendations to address local important urban issues. Chiang Mai won a grant of about US$ 400,000 in 2011. The IBM team focused on smarter healthcare initiatives, aimed at making Chiang Mai and

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2860-515: The stations. The churches, meanwhile, numbered 37 by 1920, the last year of the mission, and communicate membership numbered 6,649 that same year. The presbytery continued in existence until 1934, when it was incorporated into the Church of Christ in Thailand . Beginning in the 1890s, the majority of the mission's members campaigned for mission expansion into the Shan States of Burma, which brought it into

2915-478: The third largest city Nakhon Ratchasima (Estimate: 500,000 people). As neither the Department of Local Administration (DLA) nor the National Statistics Office (NSO) count expatriates, non-permanent residents, migrant workers (except ASEAN migrants for the year 2017) and citizens from other Thai provinces living and renting in Chiang Mai in their official population figures, it is estimated that

2970-472: Was founded in 1296 as the new capital of Lan Na , succeeding the former capital, Chiang Rai . The city's location on the Ping River (a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River ) and its proximity to major trading routes contributed to its historic importance. The city municipality of Chiang Mai ( thesaban nakhon ) officially only covers parts (40,2 km²) of the Mueang Chiang Mai district in

3025-527: Was the second city in Thailand, after Phuket and along with Khon Kaen, to be developed using the "smart city" model. The model aims to capture and populate multiple levels of information (including building, social, environmental, governmental, and economic data) from sources like sensors, real-time traffic information, and social forums for access by managers, governments, and citizens using mobile apps, tablets, and dashboards. The "Smart City" outlook (integrating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with

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