The Town of Blairgowrie - Perth and Kinross

The town of Blairgowrie - Perth and Kinross, Scotland, boast of a population near 8,000 people. It is also a twin burgh that's paired with Rattray in Perth and Kinross, which is one of thirty-two council areas in the country, and it's surrounded by eight different council areas, including Highland, the largest of its kind in the country.

Many scholars think that the town's name comes from a mix of Pictish (the Picts were a group of people who lived in northern and central Scotland in the early Middle Ages), Welsh and Scottish Gaelic languages, which makes it quite interesting just in that regard. Most likely, it meant "fortress" or or "settlement."

Most locals living in and around the town refer to it simply as "Blair, " which rolls off the tongue a bit easier than does "Blairgowrie." For much of its long history, the town went along little noticed and mostly undisturbed. The 19th century, though, saw it grow measurably in response to the arrival of a number of textile mills that located themselves on the local waterway.

Today, Blairgowrie is a market town that attracts regional residents while also serving as a haven for holiday-goers from all over the country. Many tourists, and quite a few skiers, pass through the town during the winters months to take advantage of local winter recreational activities in the higher elevations near to Blairgowrie.

The town is also the second-largest such municipality in Perth and Kinross, when paired with Rattray, and it lies in the picturesque Strathmore valley and on the banks of the Ericht River. The twin burgh is divided in the town of Rattray on the eastern bank and Blairgowrie on the western. Most residents who work commute from the town to nearby Dundee or Perth, too.

Perth and Kinross, the council area in which Blairgowrie sits, has a total population of over 145,000 people. It hosts, as well, the Cairngorms National Park and Drummond Castle, the construction of which began sometime around 1491. It is very well preserved and was featured in the 1995 film "Rob Roy."