Sitiawan is a small town in the Dindings District and forms part of the Lumut Constituency. It is strategically located at the cross-roads to Lumut, Kampung Acheh, Kampung Koh and Air Tawar. The old site of Sitiawan (i.e. the original Sitiawan town) has been renamed Kampung Sitiawan and it remains a sleepy area with wooden houses, a somewhat silted meandering river, make-shift jetties and swaying coconut palms amidst its rural setting on the edge of the present Sitiawan town.

Sitiawan is fast loosing its languor and old world days. The town's easy way of life is giving way to the tide of development and the wheels of change. Before long, it will change its dimension and become a bustling commercial center. The transition is obvious and is being felt by the residents. People do not stroll anymore, they drive cars and traffic jams are becoming a regular feature. Only a few of the pre-war shop houses which lined the major cross-roads of the town are left and modern rectangular buildings stand next to the old ones in gross distortion. The handful of traditional coffee shops (that used to be the venue for friendly chatter - see picture below) that remain still have ther quaint marble tables but are now serving steaming hot noddles in plastic bowls instead of the blue and white china. Today, there are several big supermarkets, three-star hotels, fast-food restaurants, clinics, and countless retail outlets that cater to the needs of the residents and housing projects that crop up like mushrooms during a rainy spell.

Sitiawan has awakened from its slumber but despite the rapid development which also brought its fair share of ills, like traffic jams and pollution, the residents are still friendly, humble and diligent. People in the villages (like Pekan Gurney, Simpang Dua and Simpang Lima) on the periphery of Sitiawan toil hard on the rubber and oil-palm plantations. They are frugal and invest their nest egg in their children's education. In the town, it is not uncommon to find hawkers whose children are medical students overseas. And when they return for holidays, they still help their parents, not forgetting their small town humility.

The buildling of the coastal highway linking Banting in Selangor to the Perak coastal areas - Hutan Melintang, Teluk Intan, Kampong Gajah, Lumut, Pantai Remis and Changkat Jering - will further spur development in Sitiawan. The RM 4 billion Lumut power plant is expected to produce spin off effects on the growth of Sitiawan, while the construction of the Lumut Maritime Terminal at Kampung Acheh will further boost the economic growth of the town while providing more job opportunities.

Sitiawan's heritage is rich in trade because Kampung Sitiawan (the original Sitiawan town) is located on a configuration of rivers and creeks leading to a natural harbour in the Malacca Straits, a merchant water-way, and part of the old spice route. In the olden days Kampung Sitiawan was the destination for junks and boats from China, Indonesia and other countries to unload their goods in the dead of the night with lanterns. Barter trade was rampant and traders from the hinterland would travel to Sitiawan for business. Their bullock carts would cart away rice and timber.

Pirates had their day too. There were two notable pirates - one with Siamese connections and the other a local who went by the name Raja Hitam. These two nasty chaps had forts along the rivers. They used fast perahu, chased the ships, had a dust-up on the water and ran off with the cargo. This is a recollection of planter James Stuart McCulloch who has a treasure trove of stories on Sitiawan.

Version 1 - by K. P. Waren

Story has it that in the late 1800s, two elephants that transported tin ores were being led away from a mining area along the Dindings River off the coast of Perak when one of them began to sink into the water after going into an area of soft sand. The men tried to rescue the drowning animal with the help of the other elephant. But, realising the futility of it, decided to give up. However, the second elephant refused to budge. It hung onto its friend and eventually both were drowned. The event became the talk of the town and the story reached the inland area. People began to talk about the extraordinary friendship and the sacrifice of the 'setia-kawan'. The name was soon linked to the area and over the years, 'setia-kawan' evolved into Sitiawan.

Version 2 - by D. M. Ponnusamy

Sitiawan was formerly known as Sungai Gajah Mati or Dead Elephant River, and this name remained until 1887. History has it that in 1887, there was a serious outbreak of small pox which caused many people to die. The penghulu (village headman) saw it as a bad omen and went up to the then Superintendent of Lower Perak, Noel Denison and persuaded him to change the name of the place. Denison agreed and suggested the name 'Sitiawan' which means faithful or loyal. This matter was forwarded to the British Resident, Sir Hugh Low who accepted it. It could be possible that Denison would have known the full story of how the word 'Sitiawan' came about.

Version 3 - by Planter James Stuart McCulloch

He said Sitiawan got its name from a legend about a female elephant which was trapped in a pool. Her mate frantically tried to get her out. He failed and the she elephant died. The male elephant in great sorrow sat at his spot and eventually died too. Setiawan - the faithful one - the local folks called the bull. And Sitiawan was named.