Over the past few years, Chiang Mai has grown into a more and more modern city. Although it lacks the cosmopolitan nature of Bangkok, chiang Mai has many attractions for the thousands of foreign visitors who flock there each year. Chiang Mai boasts historic importance which is derived from its important location on the ancient trading route. Before the recent influx of foreign visitors, Chiang Mai city served as a major trading centre for handcrafted goods, umbrellas, jewellery (especially silver) and woodcarving.

While officially Chiang Mai only covers some of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 150,000, the way the city has spread out Chiang Mai City now extends into several neighboring districts. The Chiang Mai City Area has a population of around 1 million people, this is more than 50% of the people from Chiang Mai Province in total living in the city.

Chiang Mai City is subdivided into 4 main areas: Nakhon Ping, Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kavila. The first three are on the West Bank of the Ping River while Kavila is located on the Eastern Side. Nakhon Ping district spreads over the north side of the city, while Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kavila cover the Western, Southern, and Eastern parts of Chiang Mai City in that order. The central part of Chiang Mai City(the old walled town) is mainly covered by Srivijaya with the rest being covered by Nakhon Ping and Mengrai areas.