 Perai gave its name to the city of Seberang Perai, the mainland half of the State of Penang.The area now known as Perai was obtained by the British East India Company in 1800, with the Perai River serving as the boundary between the newly-acquired British territory and Kedah to the north.A nascent railway line was built between Perai and Perak in the 1890s, transforming Perai into a transit point for the export of tin.