Originally, the town was named
Tha Thong (ท่าทอง) after the river of the same name (
Tha Thong Mai, (named
Khlong Tha Phet at the time). During the reign of King
Nangklao (Rama III), the town was moved because it was
malaria-infested and renamed
Kanchanadit. It was a provincial town (
mueang) under the control of the
Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom. After King
Mongkut took power, it was put under the supervision of Bangkok directly. In 1899, the province was merged with
Chaiya and reduced to
amphoe (district) status. ==Geography==