Prior to 1963, Shah Alam was known as Sungai Renggam and was a palm oil plantation nestled between Petaling Jaya and the Royal Town of Klang, connected by the only highway back then, the Federal Highway.
Shah Alam was open in 1963 to become the administrative centre of Selangor after Kuala Lumpur was made the Federal Territory on 1st February 1974. On 7th December 1978 upon consent of the 8th Sultan of Selangor, the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, Shah Alam was declared as the capital of Selangor with an area of 41.69 square km. Shah Alam has undergone several area expansions since then, the most recent on 1st January 1997. Through the Gazette Plan 1190, Shah Alam has been extended to 290.3 square km.
The rapid development of Shah Alam and its increasing importance has led to an elevation of status with it being declared as a city on 10th October 2000. The declaration was made by YAB Dato' Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, the 13th Chief Minister of Selangor. The Shah Alam Municipal Council which has been the local authority since 1978 was automatically promoted to the Shah Alam City Council. Density of population was predicted to reach 450,000 people by 2010. The result of emigration across the country due to employment opportunities and from the increases in the number of births.