Stirling

Stirling is a city and ancient burgh, in the Stirling council area of Scotland.

The city is clustered around a large castle and medevil old-town. It is a centre for government, retail, and light industry. Its population was 41,243 in 2001.
A former capital of the Kingdom of Scotland, Stirling was a royal burgh until 1975. In 2002, as part of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee, Stirling was granted city status.
Originally a Stone Age Settlement, Stirling has been strategically significant since at least the Roman occupation of part of Britain, due to its easily defensible hill and its commanding position beside the River Forth.
A ford, and later bridge, of the river at Stirling brought wealth and influence, as did its port. The town was chartered as a royal burgh by King David in the 12th century, with charters later reaffirmed by later monarchs. Major battles in Scotland's long conflict with England took place at the Stirling Bridge in 1297 and at the nearby village of Bannockburn in 1314.
Geography and Climate
Stirling is renowned as the Gateway to the Highlands and is generally regarded as occupying a strategic position at the point where the flatter largely undulating Scottish Lowlands meet the rugged slopes of the Highlands. The starkness of this contrast is evidenced by the many hills and mountains of the lower Highlands such as Ben Vorlich and Ben Ledi which can be seen to the northwest of the city. On the other hand, to the east of the city, the Carse of Stirling is one of the flattest and most agriculturally productive expanses of land in the whole of Scotland.
The land surrounding Stirling has been most affected by glacial erosion and deposition. The city itself has grown up around its castle which stands atop an ancient volcanic plug a major defensive position, which is, in turn at the lowest crossing point on the River Forth. Stirling stands on the River Forth at the point where the river widens and becomes tidal. To the east of the city the Ochil Hills dominate the skyline with the highest peaks in the range being Dumyat and Ben Cleuch. The Ochils meet the flat floodplain of the River Forth to the east of the distinctive geographical feature - Abbey Craig, a crag and tail feature upon which sits the 220ft (67m) high National Wallace Monument.
The climate of Stirling differs little from that of much of the rest of central Scotland. Warm, unstable air from the Atlantic Ocean is the predominant influence, with a prevailing southwesterly wind.
Government and Politics
In terms of local government, the city of Stirling is a part of the wider Stirling Council area, which governs on matters of local administration as set out by the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994. Elections to the council take place every 4 years, with the next elections scheduled to take place in May 2007. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party. The Provost of Stirling is Colin O'Brien.
In terms of national government, there is a Stirling constituency of the Scottish Parliament with the MSP being Sylvia Jackson of the Labour Party and a Stirling constituency of the House of Commons represented by Anne McGuire of the Labour Party. As Scotland comprises a single European Parliament Constituency, Stirling participates in electing 7 MEP's using the d'Hondt method of proportional representation every 4 years.
Ecomony
At the centre of a large rural agricultural hinterland that encompasses some of the flattest and most productive land in Scotland, Stirling principally functioned as a market town with farmers coming to sell their products and wares in the large agricultural market that was held in the town. Today, agriculture still plays a part in the economic life of Stirling, given its focus at the heart of a large rural area, but to a much less extent than previously.
With Stirling's development as a market town and its location as the focus of transport and commmunications in the region, it has developed a substantial retail sector serving a wide range of surrounding communities as well as the city itself. Primarily centred on the city centre, there are a large number of chain stores. However this has been augmented by out-of-town developments such as the Springkerse Retail Park on the city bypass to the east of Stirling, the development of a large Sainsbury's at Raploch and a large Dobbies Garden Centre on the northwestern approaches to the city.
In terms of the services, financial services as well as tourism are the biggest employers in this sector. The financial services and insurance company - Prudential - have a large and well-established base at Craigforth on the outskirts of Stirling. In terms of tourism, the presence of such historical monuments as Stirling Castle, the National Wallace Monument and the key role which Stirling has played in Scottish history, as well as the scenery of the area, has bolstered Stirling's position as an important tourist destination in Scotland.
The University of Stirling and Stirling Council are two of the biggest employers in the area. Knowledge related industries, research and development as well as life sciences have clustered around the university in the Stirling University Innovation Park, close to its main campus. Other public sector agencies that are major employers in the city include Central Scotland Police, Forth Valley Health Board and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
With good transport connections to the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, Stirling is home to a large number of commuters, with 12,000 residents commuting to work in other areas, with 13,800 workers travelling in to the city.
Sport
Local sporting teams include the football team Stirling Albion F.C., and the rugby union team Stirling County. Footballers Billy Bremner and Duncan Ferguson were born in Stirling, as was rugby internationals Kenny Logan and Allister Hogg, jockey Willie Carson, and cricketer Dougie Brown.
Stirling is also a major centre of sports training and education in Scotland. The Scottish Institute of Sport is headquartered in a purpose built facility on the campus of Stirling University which opened in 2002. Also at the university in the state of the art Scottish National Swimming Academy as well as the Gannochy National Tennis centre which is seen as a tennis centre of excellence.


Furthermore the university itself has its own dedicated Sports Studies department and was ranked amongst the best in the United Kingdom for its provision of sports facilities, with the maximum 5 star award, shared by 16 other universities in the UK.
Stirling and its surrounding area has a number of 9 and 18 hole golf courses, the largest of which is the Stirling Golf Course, located in the Kings Park area of the city.
Education
The University of Stirling opened in 1967 on a greenfield site outside the town. Currently there are 9000 students studying at the university, of which 7000 are undergraduates and 2000 are postgraduates. Students of over 80 nationalities are represented at the university, with 14% of students coming from overseas. It has grown into a major research centre, with a large science park - Innovation Park, located immediately adjacent to the main university campus. Innovation Park has grown since its initiation in 1993, and is now home to 40 companies engaging in various forms of research and development. Stirling is also home to part of the wider Forth Valley College which was formed on August 1st 2005 from the merger of Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannan colleges.
There are three main high schools in Stirling itself - Stirling High School, with a school roll of 940 pupils, Wallace High School with 950 pupils and St Modan's High School, located in the suburb of St Ninians.