Wrexham (Welsh: Wrecsam) is a city and county borough in north-east Wales, between the Welsh hills and the lower Dee valley. It covers 195 square miles (504 km2), had 135,117 residents at the 2021 census, and is run from the Guildhall in Wrexham.
Wrexham is the largest town in north Wales and was granted city status in September 2022. Rhosllannerchrugog, Cefn Mawr, Gwersyllt, Coedpoeth, Llay, Brymbo and Chirk are the other main settlements.
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Welsh name | Wrecsam |
| Status | City and county borough; city status granted 2022 |
| Area | 195 sq mi (504 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 135,117 |
| Density | 268 people per km2 |
| Welsh speakers | 12.2% (2021 census) |
| Council | Wrexham County Borough Council |
| Postcodes | LL11 to LL14, SY13, SY14 |
Towns and Villages in Wrexham
The county borough has 117 named towns, villages and hamlets. They split roughly three ways: the mining and steel villages west of the city, such as Coedpoeth, Brymbo, Minera and Bwlchgwyn; the Ceiriog and Dee valley villages in the south around Chirk, Glyn Ceiriog and Froncysyllte; and the flat farmland of Maelor Saesneg in the east, around Hanmer, Overton, Bronington and Worthenbury.
- Aber-oer
- Acrefair
- Argoed
- Arowry
- Bangor-is-y-coed (Bangor-on-Dee)
- Bedwell
- Bedwlwyn
- Bersham
- Bettisfield
- Bowling Bank
- Bradley
- Broadoak
- Bronington
- Brymbo
- Brynhovah
- Brynteg
- Burton
- Bwlchgwyn
- Cefn Mawr
- Cefn-bychan
- Chirk (Y Waun)
- Cock Bank
- Coedpoeth
- Crabtree Green
- Cross Lanes
- Cumber’s Bank
- Darland
- Ddol
- Drury Lane
- Eglwys Cross
- Erbistock
- Eyton
- Fenn’s Bank
- Fron-deg
- Froncysyllte
- Garth
- Gegin
- Glascoed
- Golly
- Greenfields
- Gresford
- Gwersyllt
- Gwynfryn
- Gyfelia
- Halton
- Hanmer
- Highfield
- Holt
- Honkley
- Horseman’s Green
- Isycoed
- Knolton
- Lavister
- Lightwood Green
- Little Green
- Llan-y-pwll
- Llanarmon Dyffryn-Ceiriog
- Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog (Glyn Ceiriog)
- Llay
- Llwyneinion
- Llwynmawr
- Lower Wych
- Marchwiel
- Minera
- Mount Zion
- New Brighton
- New Broughton
- Newbridge
- Old Rhosrobin
- Old Sontley
- Overton (Owrtyn)
- Pandy
- Park Lane
- Parkside
- Pen-y-bryn
- Pen-y-cae
- Pen-y-lan
- Penley
- Pentre
- Pentre Cilgwyn
- Pentre Maelor
- Pentre-Clawdd
- Plas Madoc
- Plâs Power
- Pont-y-blew
- Pontfadog
- Rackery
- Redbrook
- Rhosllannerchrugog (Rhos)
- Rhostyllen
- Rhosymadoc
- Rhosymedre
- Ridleywood
- Rossett
- Ruabon
- Sandy Lane
- Sontley
- Southsea
- Street Lydan
- Sutton Green
- Sydallt
- Tai-nant
- Tallarn Green
- Talwrn
- Tanyfron
- The Chequer
- The Wern
- Three Fingers
- Trefechan
- Tregeiriog
- Trevalyn
- Trevor
- Wallington
- Whitewell
- Worthenbury
- Wrexham
- Wynnstay
Geography
The land falls from about 1,600 ft (490 m) on Esclusham Mountain and the Ruabon moors in the west to the Cheshire Plain in the east, where the borough drops below 60 ft. The River Dee crosses the north-east, and the Ceiriog joins it near Chirk.
Flintshire lies to the north, Denbighshire to the west and Powys to the south. To the east are the English counties of Cheshire and Shropshire. Maelor Saesneg, the eastern panhandle around Hanmer and Overton, is almost surrounded by England and was part of Flintshire until 1974.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 135,117 usual residents, up from 134,844 in 2011. Roughly half live in the city and its immediate suburbs; the rest are spread through villages, with Rhosllannerchrugog the largest of them.
12.2% of residents aged three and over could speak Welsh in 2021, close to the Welsh average. The language is strongest in the western villages and the Ceiriog valley and weakest in the Maelor, where English has always predominated.
Economy and Local Life
Wrexham Industrial Estate, east of the city, is one of the largest in Europe by area and carries pharmaceuticals, food, plastics and defence manufacturing; JCB, Kellogg’s and Wockhardt all have plants in the borough. It began as the Royal Ordnance Factory built in 1940.
Public services, retail and Wrexham University make up most of the rest. Wrexham AFC, founded in 1864 and one of the oldest professional clubs in the world, was bought by the actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2021 and won promotion in three successive seasons, reaching the Championship in 2025; the resulting attention has measurably lifted local tourism.
History
Wrexham grew as the market town for the Maelor and as one of the first industrial districts in Wales. Bersham Ironworks, run by John Wilkinson from 1762, bored the cylinders for James Watt’s steam engines to a precision no one else could match.
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at Froncysyllte, designed by Thomas Telford and William Jessop and opened in 1805, carries the Llangollen Canal 126 ft above the Dee in a cast-iron trough. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 and is the highest canal aqueduct in the world.
On 22 September 1934 an underground explosion at Gresford Colliery killed 266 men; only 11 bodies were recovered, and the pit was sealed. The tower of St Giles’ Church, counted among the Seven Wonders of Wales, stands over the grave of Elihu Yale, the merchant whose gift named Yale University. The Racecourse Ground, first used for international football in 1877, is the oldest international stadium still staging matches.
Getting There
The A483 dual carriageway skirts the city, running north to Chester and the M53 and south to Oswestry and Shrewsbury. The A525 crosses to Ruthin and Whitchurch, the A5 passes Chirk, and the A539 follows the Dee to Llangollen.
Wrexham General is the main station, on the Shrewsbury to Chester line and the northern end of the Borderlands line to Bidston on the Wirral. Wrexham Central, Ruabon, Chirk, Gwersyllt and Cefn-y-bedd also have services. Manchester and Liverpool airports are each about 45 miles away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Wrexham?
135,117 for the county borough at the 2021 census. The city itself holds around 45,000 of that.
Is Wrexham a city?
Yes. City status was granted in September 2022 as part of the Platinum Jubilee civic honours, making Wrexham the seventh city in Wales.
How many villages are there in Wrexham?
117 named settlements are listed above, from Acrefair to Worthenbury.
What is Maelor Saesneg?
The detached eastern part of the county borough, around Hanmer, Overton and Bronington, almost surrounded by Cheshire and Shropshire. The name means English Maelor.
What are the postcodes for Wrexham?
LL11 to LL14 cover the city and the western villages, while SY13 and SY14 cover the Maelor in the east.
Where is Wrexham?
In north-east Wales, 12 miles south of Chester and close to the English border, between the Berwyn foothills and the Cheshire Plain.