By Muhaimin Merican
More than just highway exits
If you pulled out a map of Selangor and focused on its northern part, you would see a big area bordering Pahang and Perak. This area is none other than the district of Hulu Selangor.
To many people, the towns of Hulu Selangor may be nothing more than names on the highway exit signs that they pass on the North-South Expressway. However, if you stop to look long enough at the district, which is made up of multiple towns, housing areas and villages, Hulu Selangor may just astound you.
Aptly named due to its geographical location, Hulu Selangor is where the Selangor River begins, high up in the hills surrounding the quaint little town of Kuala Kubu Bharu. Although Kuala Kubu Bharu is the main town for Hulu Selangor district, the district also has many smaller but prominent towns such as Serendah, Ulu Bernam, Bukit Beruntung and Batang Kali.
Hulu Selangor is the largest of the nine districts that make up the state of Selangor. It covers a total of 1,740.46 sq. km in area and has a population of more than 189,000.
Once known as Ulu Selangor, the district is made up of a total of 13 mukim or sub-districts which are Ampang Pecah, Batang Kali, Buloh Telur, Hulu Bernam, Hulu Yam, Kalumpang, Kerling, Kuala Kalumpang, Pertak, Rasa, Serendah, Sungai Gamut and Sungai Tinggi.
Industrial district among nature
Over the years, Hulu Selangor has been standing tall as a testament that nature and industrialization are capable of co-existing. Although the district is surrounded by hills, forests and well-preserved swamps, it also houses multiple industrial areas in the district, and has become synonymous with automotive development, since the quiet and serene Hulu Selangor is also where the automotive capital of Malaysia is located.
The industrial areas of Hulu Selangor have since attracted foreign investors wishing to spend their investment here.
These industrial districts help to power the economy of Hulu Selangor by providing job opportunities for the people living in the area. Moreover, the presence of international brands in the district also adds a new dimension to the economy of Selangor particularly in the aerospace, locomotive and automobile industries.
In the Serendah sub-district, you will find a factory operating under UMW Aerospace that produces the fans for Boeing 737 engines. And if you look right next to it, there is a factory manufacturing Perodua cars for the nation.
Among other big names that can be found in Hulu Selangor are SIRIM, which is located in the Rasa sub district, APM Plastics, and Ingress Technologies in Bukit Beruntung. The district also has a factory operated by Tan Chong Motors which is located near by the town of Serendah.
Transportation
If you decide to visit Hulu Selangor and its towns, there is no need to worry about transportation as there are many ways to get there. Located only about one hour away from Kuala Lumpur, the best way to get to Hulu Selangor is by driving. The easiest road to take, if you are driving down to Hulu Selangor, is definitely the PLUS North-South Expressway using any of the following exits: Bukit Beruntung, Bukit Tagar, Lembah Beringin and Tanjung Malim.
Moreover, because the district is landlocked and located in the middle of the peninsula, it is accessible from other districts as well as states. Roads that you could take to get to the different parts of Hulu Selangor are the Federal Road from Rawang (South); the Federal Road from Tanjung Malim (North); the Sungai Tua, Batu Caves-Hulu Yam Bharu roads; the Genting Highlands (Gohtong Jaya)-Batang Kali road; the Bukit Fraser-Kuala Kubu Bharu road; the Sungai Besar-Hulu Bernam road; and the Batang Berjuntai-Bukit Tagar road.
Alternatively, you could also take a KTM commuter train and hop off at any of the following stations: Serendah, Batang Kali, Rasa and Kuala Kubu Bharu. In addition to KTM commuter trains, public transport in Hulu Selangor is easily made accessible in the form of buses and taxis, which make frequent trips around the district.
