Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland, Great Britain
🏴 Ayr is a town in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. Ayr is the 14th largest settlement in Scotland. The town is contiguous with the smaller town of 🏴 Prestwick to the north. Ayr was established as a Royal Burgh in 1205. It served as Ayrshire's central marketplace and harbour throughout the Medieval Period and was a well-known port during the Early Modern Period. On the southern bank of the River Ayr sits the ramparts of a citadel constructed by Oliver Cromwell's men during the mid 17th century. Towards the south of the town is the birthplace of Scottish poet Robert Burns in the suburb of Alloway. Ayr has been a popular tourist resort since the expansion of the railway in 1840 owing to the town's fine beach and its links to golfing and Robert Burns.
Ayr is one of the largest retail centres in the south of Scotland and was recognised as the second healthiest town centre in the United Kingdom by the Royal Society for Public Health in 2014. Ayr has hosted the Scottish Grand National horse-racing steeplechase annually since 1965 and the Scottish International Air-show annually since 2014. The town also accommodates the headquarters of the Ayr Advertiser and Ayrshire Post newspapers.
Ayr, Scotland
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Ayr has a population of over 46,849 people. Ayr also forms the centre of the wider South Ayrshire district which has a population of over 112,550 people.