East Ayrshire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids East Ayrshire Aest Ayrshire Siorrachd Àir an Ear
Coat of arms Council logo
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	Scotland
Lieutenancy area	Ayrshire and Arran
Admin HQ	London Road, Kilmarnock
Government
• Body	East Ayrshire Council
Area
• Total	487 sq mi (1,262 km2)
Area rank	Ranked 14th
Population  (2020)
• Total	121,840
• Rank	Ranked 16th
• Density	250.05/sq mi (96.55/km2)
ONS code	S12000008
ISO 3166 code	GB-EAY
Website	East Ayrshire Council

East Ayrshire (Scots: Aest Ayrshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Road, Kilmarnock. With South Ayrshire and the mainland areas of North Ayrshire, it formed the former county of Ayrshire.

East Ayrshire had a population of 122,100 at the 2011 census, making it the 16th most populous local authority in Scotland. Spanning a geographical area of 1,262 km² (487 sq mi), East Ayrshire is the 14th-largest local authority in Scotland in terms of geographical area. The majority of the population of East Ayrshire live within and surrounding the main town, Kilmarnock. Other large population areas in East Ayrshire include Cumnock, the second-largest town, and smaller towns and villages such as Stewarton, Darvel and Hurlford.

The largest school in Scotland, the Robert Burns Academy, is located in East Ayrshire at Cumnock.

History

There are many early settlements within East Ayrshire. The Burns Monument Centre and Dick Institute also hold local newspapers from 1834 to date (some have been indexed), together with a selection of maps. The Burns Monument Centre holds local photographs and postcards. Microfiche/film readers are available within the Burns Monument Centre and the Dick Institute.

Economy

Agriculture contributes a large part to East Ayrshire's economy

Economic history

Historically the economy of East Ayrshire was dependent on industries such as coal mining, textiles and general manufacturing which largely fell into decline in Scotland during the 1970s and 1980s. Certain parts of East Ayrshire, particularly in the south of the region, such as Auchinleck, Bellsbank and Dalmellington have struggled to recover from the economic hardship caused by the decline and gradual closure of traditional industries, and are supported through various initiatives to try and rejuvenate their economies.

Kilmarnock has seen a gradual decline in manufacturing performance in recent years. In 2009, Diageo, owner of whisky maker Johnnie Walker (which had been founded in Kilmarnock) announced the proposed closure of the bottling plant facility in Hill Street, and in 2012, Diageo closed the facility with the loss of 700 jobs. In December 2015, Kilmarnock was awarded the title of Scotland's Most Improved Town due to efforts towards town regeneration and restoration.

Modern economy

In rural communities of the authority, agriculture continues to be the leading sources of employment and economic productivity, particularly in the southern communities of the area. The public sector is the largest employer within the area, with the council and NHS Ayrshire and Arran being significant employers. Kilmarnock is home to the Halo Urban Generation (Kilmarnock) Ltd. company which was founded by Marie Macklin CBE, with a focus on providing opportunities for new businesses within the area, and with an estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) revenue of £205 million to the Scottish economy, it supports 1,500 jobs within the area.

Tourism

Dumfries House located in Cumnock has developed itself as a major local tourist attraction

Food and drink as well as local tourism provides a large sum to the economy of East Ayrshire, with visitor attractions such as Dean Castle, Palace Theatre and Dumfries House generating large means of income for the area.

Places of interest within East Ayrshire include:

• Aiket Castle
• Auchinleck House
• Dalmore House and Estate
• Dean Castle
• Dumfries House
• Kilmaurs Place
• Loch Doon
• Loudoun Castle
• Robertland House
• Rowallan Castle
• Scottish Industrial Railway Centre
• Sorn Castle
• Stair House

Gross Domestic Product

Loch Doon in East Ayrshire, near to Carrick

In 2022, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of East Ayrshire (which includes the mainland of North Ayrshire for purposes of calculating GDP) was estimated at £5.075 million. Amongst Scotland's 32 local council areas, combined, East Ayrshire and mainland North Ayrshire are ranked as the 12th largest amongst Scottish areas by GDP rank.

The average gross weekly page for full time employees in East Ayrshire in 2023 was £708.80, higher than the Scotland average of £702.40.

Employment trends

Between January–December 2023, an estimated 56,300 people were classed as economically active within East Ayrshire, with 55,600 classed as in employment, 49,400 employees of businesses or organisations, with a further 5,700 classed as self employed. During this period, East Ayrshire had an unemployment rate of 3.2%, about 1,900 people of the population.

The largest category of economic activity in East Ayrshire in 2023 was professional occupations, with an estimated 10,600 people (19.2%) of the East Ayrshire population employed in this sector. Other large sectors for employment across East Ayrshire include skilled trades tccupations (14.0%), caring, leisure And other service occupations (13.3%), elementary occupations (9.0%), Managers, Directors And Senior Officials (7.7%) and process plant and machine operatives (7.4%).

Services

Education

The new Ayrshire College campus opened in Kilmarnock in October 2016

East Ayrshire has nine secondary schools, forty-three primary schools, four schools which cater for children with additional support needs, thirty-three early education childhood centres and three children's houses.

Kilmarnock Academy is one of only two schools in the world to have educated two Nobel laureates: Alexander Fleming and John Boyd Orr. Both men attended Kilmarnock Academy when it was located on North Hamilton Street; the school has since relocated to Sutherland Drive.

Grange Academy in Kilmarnock, is one of only seven Scottish Football Association (SFA) Performance Schools.

The Robert Burns Academy in Cumnock is the largest educational campus in Scotland.

The area's secondary schools include:

Kilmarnock is home to a campus of Ayrshire College, which provides a range of courses to adults as well as school-aged pupils. It is funded by East Ayrshire council and other educational providers. The campus opened in October 2016 in a new, £53 million, building on the site of the Johnnie Walker bottling plant. It superseded the Kilmarnock College building on Holehouse Road.

Geography

Further information: Firth of Clyde

Geographical location

East Ayrshire is located on the west coat of Scotland, sharing borders with the following neighbouring council areas; North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire. Blackcraig Hill reaches an elevation of 2,298 feet (700 metres), the highest peak in East Ayrshire.

The local council boasts the proximity to Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, as a unique selling point for the area. Additionally, the area is said to "combine an idyllic mix of rural beauty and urban living", and being set in the "midst of some of Scotland's finest countryside".

Settlements

Kilmarnock is the largest settlement in East Ayrshire with a population of over 46,000 and is home to the HQ for East Ayrshire Council

Cumnock is the second largest settlement in East Ayrshire

Kilmarnock is the largest town in East Ayrshire, and has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996. It is the East Ayrshire region's main commercial and industrial centre. The town grew considerably during the 1870s and the town's growth subsumed the village of Bonnyton, and by the 1960s, new purpose built suburbs such as New Farm Loch were constructed to accommodate the increasing population of Kilmarnock. By mid–2020, the population of the town was estimated to be 46,970, making Kilmarnock the 14th most populated settlement in Scotland as well as the largest town in Ayrshire by population.

The second largest town in East Ayrshire is Cumnock, which sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie just outside the town boundaries, Craigens, Logan and Netherthird, with the former ironworks settlement of Lugar also just outside the town, contributing to a population of around 13,000 in the immediate locale. A new housing development, Knockroon, was granted planning permission on 9 December 2009 by East Ayrshire Council. The town is home to the Robert Burns Academy, a new educational campus housing the main Robert Burns Academy secondary school following the merger of Cumnock Academy and Auchinleck Academy, Lochnorris Primary School and Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre. The campus is the largest educational establishment in Scotland.

Largest settlements by population:

Towns and villages

See also

In Spanish: East Ayrshire para niños