Pasir Ris was a low-lying, undeveloped area with kampongs and villages like Kampong Pasir Ris, Kampong Bahru and the various Chinese kampongs along Elias Road. The area was well-known for its many plantation estates including the Singapore United Plantations, Loh Lam Estate, Hun Yeang and Thai Min Estates. The beach was a popular resort for water skiing in the 1950s. There was also the Pasir Ris Hotel, venue of many memorable parties and picnic gatherings in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. The area was known as White Sand because it had a good beach.

Present
A major shopping complex, White Sands Shopping Centre, is located in the area that embodies the local place name.
In proximity to the sea, Pasir Ris has several recreation areas like the NTUC Downtown East, which have facilities like chalets, theme parks, a bowling alley, a park for pets and pet owners and Pasir Ris Park. There is also another park by the name of Pasir Ris Town Park, close to where the Shopping Centre White Sands is located. The park sports a park connector, a playground, an eatery, fitness station and fishing pond. The bowling alley building in Downtown East will be demolished to make way for a new four storey shopping and entertainment complex with a cinema which will be completed in 2007 called e!hub. e!hub was completed in 2008 which includes a new bowling alley, which replaces the old one. The area also includes two theme parks. They are Escape Theme Park which opened in 2000 and Wild Wild Wet which is a water-based theme park that opened in 2004.