Stirling (council area)

Stirling
Coat of arms of Stirling
Stirling shown within Scotland
Stirling shown within Scotland
Coordinates: 56°30′00″N 4°00′00″W / 56.5000°N 4.0000°W / 56.5000; -4.0000
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Lieutenancy areaStirling and Falkirk
Incorporated16 May 1975
Unitary authority1 April 1996
Named forStirling
Administrative HQStirling
Government
 • TypeCouncil
 • BodyStirling Council
 • ControlNo overall control
 • MPsChris Kane (L)
 • MSPs
Area
 • Total844 sq mi (2,186 km2)
 • Rank9th
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total92,530
 • Rank25th
 • Density110/sq mi (42/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ISO 3166 codeGB-STG
GSS codeS12000030
Websitestirling.gov.uk

The Stirling council area (Scots: Stirlin; Scottish Gaelic: Sruighlea) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and has an estimated population of 92,530 (2022).[2] It was created in 1975 as a lower-tier district within the Central region. The district covered parts of the historic counties of Stirlingshire and Perthshire, which were abolished for local government purposes. In 1996 the Central region was abolished and Stirling Council took over all local government functions within the area.

The administrative centre of the area is the city of Stirling, with the headquarters at Old Viewforth.

The area borders the council areas of Clackmannanshire (to the east), North Lanarkshire (to the south), Falkirk (to the south east), Perth and Kinross (to the north and north east), Argyll and Bute (to the north and north west), and both East and West Dunbartonshire to Stirling's southwest.

The majority of the population of the area is located in its southeast corner, in the city of Stirling and in the surrounding lowland communities: Bridge of Allan and Dunblane to the north, Bannockburn to the immediate south, and the three former coal mining communities of Cowie, Fallin, and Plean, known collectively as the "Eastern Villages".

The rest of the council area's population is sparsely distributed across the rural, mainly highland, expanse in the north and west of the area. The southern half of this rural area comprises the flat western floodplain of the River Forth, bounded on the south by the Touch Hills and the Campsie Fells. North of the glen lie the Trossachs mountains, and the northern half of the council area is generally mountainous in character.

  1. ^ "Council and committees". Stirling Council. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.