Slough

This article is about the town. For other uses, see Slough (disambiguation).

Slough
From top, left to right: Slough skyline, St Mary's Church, Old Town Hall, Gas Works and surrounding area, Queensmere Shopping Centre, High Street, St Ethelbert's Church and Slough Trading Estate.
Slough is located in Berkshire
Slough
Slough
Location within Berkshire
Area11.71 sq mi (30.3 km2)
Population143,184 (2021 Census)
• Density12,227/sq mi (4,721/km2)
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSLOUGH
Postcode districtSL1–SL3
Dialling code01753
UK Parliament
Websiteslough.gov.uk
List of places
UK
England
Berkshire
51°30′30″N 0°35′17″W / 51.508392°N 0.58810504°W / 51.508392; -0.58810504

Slough (/slaʊ/) is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley 20 miles (32 km) west of central London and 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire.[1] In 2021 Census, the population of the town was 143,184.[2] In 2021, the wider Borough of Slough had a population of 158,500.[3] Slough borders the ceremonial counties of Greater London and Buckinghamshire.

Slough's population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the United Kingdom,[4][5] attracting people from across the country and the world for labour since the 1920s, which has helped shape it into a major trading centre. In 2017, unemployment stood at 1.4%,[6] one-third the UK average of 4.5%.[7]

Slough has the highest concentration of UK HQs of global companies outside London. Slough Trading Estate is the largest industrial estate in single private ownership in Europe, with over 17,000 jobs in 400 businesses.[8] Blackberry, McAfee, Burger King, DHL, Telefonica and Lego have head offices in the town.[9]

  1. ^ "Parishes: Slough". British History Online. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Slough (Unparished Area, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Slough (Unitary District, Slough, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  4. ^ Focus on Ethnicity and Diversity. UK National Statistics. Retrieved 16 February 2008.
  5. ^ Travis, Alan (23 September 2010). "Office for National Statistics survey". The Guardian. London.
  6. ^ Bilton, Richard (27 February 2017). "Slough: What is it like to live in 'immigration town'?". BBC News.
  7. ^ "Unemployment - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
  8. ^ "Slough Estates petition to Parliament, Crossrail bill 2005–06" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Centre for Cities" (PDF).