What is the population of Fort William, Scotland?

Fort William has a population of approximately 5,610 according to the latest available open data.

Where is Fort William, Scotland located?

Fort William is located in Scotland, United Kingdom, at approximate coordinates 56.8178°, -5.1110°.

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Fort William

Scotlandtown

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Total population

5,610

Coordinates56.82°, -5.11°

Demographic figures from UK Office for National Statistics. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Official website

www.visitfortwilliam.co.uk

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Fort William is a town in the Lochaber region of the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe in the Highland Council of Scotland.

History & geography

History

Historically, the Fort William area of Lochaber was old Clan Chattan and then Clan Cameron country, and there were a number of mainly Cameron settlements in the area (such as Blarmacfoldach). Before the building of the fort, Inverlochy was the main local settlement and was also the site of two battles—the first Battle of Inverlochy in 1431 and the second Battle of Inverlochy in 1645. The town grew in size as a settlement when the fort was constructed to control the population after Oliver Cromwell's invasion during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and then to suppress the Jacobite risings after the 1688 overthrow of the House of Stuart. During the 1745 Jacobite Rising, known as the Forty-Five, Fort William was besieged for two weeks by the Jacobite forces, from 20 March to 3 April 1746. However, although the Jacobites had captured both of the other forts in the chain of three Great Glen fortifications (Fort Augustus and the original Fort George), they failed to take Fort William. Fort William Sheriff Court held its first hearing in 1794. In 1934, the Laggan Dam on the River Spean was completed as part of the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme by Balfour Beatty for the British Aluminium Company. The supervising engineers were the firm of C. S. Meik and William Halcrow, now known as the Halcrow Group. The dam was built to power the aluminium smelter. During the Second World War, Fort William was the home of , which was a training base for Royal Navy Coastal Forces. Fort William Town Hall, which started life as an 18th-century church, was converted for municipal use in 1881. It was burnt down in 1975. A "waterfront" development was proposed by the council in 2007, but failed due to lack of public support. The development would have included a hotel, shops, and housing.…

Geography

The town lies at the southern end of the Great Glen. Fort William lies near the head of Loch Linnhe, one of Scotland's longest sea lochs, beside the mouth of the rivers Nevis and Lochy. They join in the intertidal zone and briefly become one river before discharging to the sea. The town and its suburbs are surrounded by mountains. Its suburbs of Lochyside, Caol and Corpach are on the shore of Loch Eil. It is close to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, Glen Nevis, and the settlement of Achnaphubuil, which is on the opposite shore of the loch. The original railway station, which was at the south end of the town, was opened on 7 August 1894. The town is centred on the High Street, which was pedestrianised in the 1990s. Off this, there are several squares: Monzie Square (named after the Cameron Campbells of Monzie, Perthshire, former landowners in the town); Station Square, where the long-since demolished railway station used to be; Gordon Square (named after the Gordons, who in the late 18th century owned land where the town now stands, when the town was named Gordonsburgh); and Cameron Square—formerly known as Town Hall Square. There is also Fraser Square, which is not so square-like, since it now opens out into Middle Street, but which still houses the Imperial Hotel. The main residential areas of the town are unseen from the High Street and the A82 main road. Upper Achintore and the Plantation spread steeply uphill from above the high street. Inverlochy, Claggan, An-Aird, Lochyside, Caol, Banavie and Corpach outwith (i.e. outside) the town are the other main residential areas. These areas are built on much flatter land than the town. Fort William is the northern end of the West Highland Way, a long-distance route which runs through the Scottish…

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Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).