in the 19th century is only accessible by boat and junk. Sungai Juru and Sungai Rambai was the main transportation waterway in the town, with Sungai Rambai and Padang Lalang regions as the main pier that served the town. There was no land transportation that connects the town.
Based on the early Chinese settlers of Bukit Mertajam, the urban planning of the old section of the town was established in 1886 by the Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple Committee, with the Pek Kong Temple as a town core while the shops, markets and bazaars radiating around the temple. The Chinese community in Bukit Mertajam is mostly from the Teochew clan. They hail mostly from Huizhou, Guangdong, China and speaks the Teochew dialect. The Teochews once made up nearly half of the total population in Seberang Perai.
In 1899, rubber plantation has replaced the sugarcane plantation. During that time, the railway system that connects Prai, Nibong Tebal and Bukit Mertajam has been completed. The railway track which connects Kuala Lumpur and Singapore has been completed in 1909, making railway as the main transportation system. In 1914, rubber was the main production in Bukit Mertajam.
With the rapid development and improvement of the transportation system, the population of the town increased dramatically, with the first Malay school opened in Cherok Tok Kun in 1900. The first Chinese vernacular school, Jit Sin School, was opened in 3 March 1918, which was established by the Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple committee along Jalan Pasar. Bukit Mertajam High School was first opened in 1927, the Convent school was founded in 1931, while Kim Sen School was established in 1939.
Development had been slow before the Second World War. Before the British retreat in 1941 the railway station in Bukit Mertajam had been blown up. The railway station was constructed again in 1942 by the Japanese and used Bukit Mertajam High School as a military base. At that time, Bukit Mertajam High School was
