Chakswari is divided into two parts. There is the historic old town which houses the majority of the wholesale shops for which the town is known and the newer part. It is called Chakswari Colony and was built for the families who lost their homes following the construction of Mangla Dam. The town is modern and around twenty thousand people live there. Chakswari boasts the biggest house-building boom after Mirpur. Chakswari is known for its excellent shopping areas and its large shopping plazas where most of the wholesale shops are. There are many stores, plazas, shopping malls & markets in these areas, and they are known for their different types of items sold there.