An introduction to the county of Shropshire
Shropshire is a county of wide-ranging appeal both for residents and the many visitors who come each year. Shropshire is steeped in history with an outstanding natural landscape combined with modern developments, which offer an unrivalled quality of life for people living, working or visiting the county.
The historic county area included Telford and Wrekin Council, which became a Unitary Council in April 1998. Shropshire Council covers the area excluding Telford and Wrekin Council and this is known as the administrative county of Shropshire. Please note that many of Shropshire Council's webpages refer to the administrative area of Shropshire and therefore exclude Telford and Wrekin. There is a link from this page to Telford and Wrekin Council's webpages; please view their webpages for information and statistics about Telford and Wrekin unitary authority.
Shropshire's beautiful scenery varies from the meres of the north to the hills of the centre and the south, with breathtaking views from Wenlock Edge, the Long Mynd and around the River Severn as it wanders through the county.
Everywhere in the Shropshire area is evidence of the county's remarkable past. Attractive villages and market towns boast handsome medieval churches and decorated half-timbered buildings from Tudor times.
But it is also a working landscape with farming and related industries, busy commercial centres, and business parks catering for a vast range of businesses. New businesses, modern leisure centres, cultural events, shopping malls and out-of-town retail parks have been developed to take Shropshire forward into the future.
Shropshire is one of England's largest inland counties, the unitary authority covering an area of 319,736 hectares or 1,235 square miles. To the west it borders Wales and to the south rural Herefordshire. In the north is Cheshire and, to the east, Staffordshire and the West Midlands conurbation. With a population of 293,400, Shropshire Council covers one of England's most sparsely populated counties (Population Estimates Mid-2010, Office for National Statistics, (c) Crown Copyright 2011) and agriculture is an important part of the local economy.
The county town is Shrewsbury, with other major centres including Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Church Stretton. An estimated 251,400 people live in settlements across Shropshire, with an estimated 167,700 people living in market towns or key centres (Population estimates derived from 2009 Mid-Year Population Estimates for Lower Layer Super Output Areas, Office for National Statistics, (c) Crown Copyright 2011. Figures for settlements are estimates only, apportioned to settlements using postal addresses from Ordnance Survey's Address Point, Ordnance Survey (c) Crown Copyright 2011).