Fort William, Highland

Population 5,883

Fort William in Highland was, as the name suggest, originally a fort where troops were garrisoned in the 17th century. The town developed on the adjacent site. The coming of the railway and the Caledonian Canal made it a transport node. It remains an important station on the West Highland line. The town retains some industry including an aluminium smelter and distillery as well as smaller local services. Tourism is key to the local economy (including being the end of the West Highland Way and of the access to Ben Nevis).

This type of medium-sized town is extremely mixed in terms of demographics. There is a particularly wide range of people, housing and activities. The number of older couples with no children are higher than average. There is a mix of professional and non-professional jobs, and part-time and self-employment are both important for a significant proportion of residents. Socioeconomic status is higher than in other kinds of town and there is a mix of professionals and nonprofessionals, those with higher and lower educational attainment. 1 What's this?

Fort William is an independent town. 2 What's this?

Its most similar towns are Peebles, Newton Stewart, Oban, and Kelso. 3 What's this?

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Inter-relationships

4 What's this?
Dependent
Interdependent
Independent

Number of jobs

6
Type average 5

Diversity of jobs

4
Type average 3

Distance travelled to work

6
Type average 2

Number of public sector jobs

4
Type average 2

Number of hospitals

2
Type average 2

Number of GP's and dentists

6
Type average 4

Number of children in primary schools

6
Type average 4

Number of children in secondary schools

4
Type average 3

Distance travelled to study

6
Type average 5

Number of shops

6
Type average 6

Diversity of retail offer

4
Type average 5

Number of charities

Type average 6
Dependent
Interdependent
Independent

Change

Public

Education (% all people aged 16 and over)

  No education Standard grade or equivalent Higher grade or equivalent HNC, HND, SVQ4 Degree or higher degree
Fort William 29.37 27.21 14.79 7.74 20.88

Commuter Flow Map

Coloured and grey lines/pins show the main and smaller commuter flows, respectively, between this town and the other towns in Scotland.4 What's this?

Commercial

Connectivity and environment assets

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Footnotes