Glasgow and Surrounding Areas
Glasgow, with a metropolitan population of over 1.5 million people, is easily Scotland's largest city and enjoys a friendly rivalry with Edinburgh. Indeed the two cities are connected by a rail journey of about forty-five minutes and with services leaving every fifteen minutes many people live in one and work in the other.
Over the past two decades Glasgow's reliance on traditional industries like shipbuilding and heavy engineering has gradually been replaced by a robust, modern mixed economy: financial and business services, communications, biosciences, healthcare and the creative and retail industries.
Especially retail: Glasgow's shopping crucible of Argyll Street, Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street have helped to make it the UK's largest and most economically important retail sector outside London's West End. Since the year 2000 over 150,000 new jobs have been created in Glasgow; a growth rate of 32%, which far outstrips most of its European rivals.
The City is also home to Glasgow, Strathclyde and Caledonian Universities – as well as many key institutes of further education, and in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre boasts the UK's largest exhibition and conference space. The city's friendliness and humour have long made it a place visitors return to time and time again.
It's a dynamic city that has produced some of Scotland's most exciting talents – from Billy Connolly to chart toppers Franz Ferdinand. But that isn't all: Glasgow was European City of Culture in 1990 and the UK's City of Architecture and Design in 1998.
Step outside the city into some of Scotland's most vibrant scenery: from the waterfalls of the CLYDE VALLEY to the fantastic walks of EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE, you can enjoy an idyllic day in the country and – a short drive later – be back in the heart of Glasgow.
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January 2007
Feature Summary
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