North Lanarkshire is a council area in west central Scotland, east of Glasgow. It covers 470 km2 (181 sq mi) and had a population of 340,973 at the 2022 census, the fourth largest of Scotland’s 32 council areas. The council is based in Motherwell.
The area is densely built and heavily urban. Cumbernauld, Coatbridge, Airdrie, Motherwell and Wishaw each hold more than 30,000 people, and together with Bellshill they account for well over half the population. It covers the old districts of Monklands, Motherwell and Cumbernauld and Kilsyth.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area (since 1996) |
| Area | 181 sq mi (470 km2) |
| Population (2022) | 340,973 |
| Population (2011) | 337,727 |
| Density | 725 people per km2 |
| Rank in Scotland | 4th by population |
| Largest town | Cumbernauld (50,530) |
| Administrative centre | Motherwell |
| Council | North Lanarkshire Council |
| Postcode areas | ML1–ML8, G65–G69 |
Towns and Villages in North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire has 59 named towns and villages, listed alphabetically below. Nine are towns of more than 8,000 people; the remainder are villages, many of them built around a single pit or ironworks that has long since closed.
- Airdrie
- Airdriehill
- Allanton
- Auchinloch
- Auchinstarry
- Banton
- Bargeddie
- Bellshill
- Birkenshaw
- Bonkle
- Calderbank
- Caldercruix
- Cambusnethan
- Carfin
- Castlecary
- Chapelhall
- Chryston
- Cleland
- Coatbridge
- Crindledyke
- Croy
- Cumbernauld
- Dullatur
- Dykehead
- Garnkirk
- Gartcosh
- Gartness
- Glenboig
- Glenmavis
- Greenfoot
- Greengairs
- Hareshaw
- Harthill
- Hartwood
- Holytown
- Kelvinhead
- Kilsyth
- Longriggend
- Mollinburn
- Moodiesburn
- Morningside
- Mossend
- Motherwell
- Muirhead
- New Stevenston
- Newarthill
- Newhouse
- Newmains
- Overtown
- Plains
- Queenzieburn
- Riggend
- Salsburgh
- Shotts
- South Cobbinshaw
- Stepps
- Viewpark
- Wattston
- Wishaw
By population the order runs Cumbernauld (50,530), Coatbridge (43,950), Airdrie (36,390), Motherwell (32,840), Wishaw (30,050), Bellshill (19,700), Viewpark (16,020), Mossend (13,480), Kilsyth (9,860) and Shotts (8,235).
Geography
The council area straddles the watershed between the Clyde and the Forth. The Clyde forms the southern boundary at Motherwell and Wishaw; the River Kelvin rises near Kilsyth and runs west towards Glasgow.
The Kilsyth Hills close the north, rising above 500 m on the Campsie edge. To the east the ground climbs onto the bleak Shotts plateau, which tops 300 m and carried the highest railway summit on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route.
Glasgow lies to the west, South Lanarkshire to the south, West Lothian to the east, Falkirk to the north-east, and East Dunbartonshire and Stirlingshire to the north.
Demographics
Scotland’s Census 2022 counted 340,973 residents, up 3,246 on 2011. Density is 725 people per km2, among the highest in Scotland outside the four cities.
Cumbernauld, designated a new town in 1955, absorbed Glasgow overspill and grew from a village of about 3,000 to more than 50,000. Its population has been broadly stable since the 1990s, while modest growth has come at Chryston, Stepps, Moodiesburn and the M8 corridor.
Economy and Local Life
The area was built on coal, iron and steel and has spent 40 years replacing them. Ravenscraig at Motherwell, once the largest hot strip steel mill in western Europe, closed in 1992 with the loss of about 770 jobs directly and thousands more in the supply chain. The 1,125-acre site is one of the largest brownfield redevelopments in Europe.
Logistics and distribution now dominate. Eurocentral at Mossend is a major rail freight terminal and industrial park on the M8, and warehousing runs the length of that corridor. Retail is concentrated at the Antonine Centre in Cumbernauld and Coatbridge’s Main Street.
Strathclyde Country Park, on reclaimed land between Motherwell and Hamilton, holds a 200-acre loch used for international rowing and hosted events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life at Coatbridge records the ironworks era on the site of one.
History
The Antonine Wall crosses the north of the area, and its best surviving stretches in North Lanarkshire are at Croy Hill and Bar Hill above Kilsyth. The wall was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Old and New Monkland, the parishes that became Coatbridge and Airdrie, take their name from land granted to the monks of Newbattle Abbey in the 1100s. Blackband ironstone and the hot blast process, patented by James Beaumont Neilson in 1828, turned Coatbridge into the Iron Burgh; by the 1860s Lanarkshire produced most of Scotland’s pig iron.
The Battle of Kilsyth in August 1645 was the Marquis of Montrose’s last and most complete victory in the civil wars. Wishaw and Motherwell grew as steel towns from the 1870s around the Glasgow Iron and Steel and Colville works.
Getting There
The M8 crosses the middle of the area between Glasgow and Edinburgh, with the M73 linking it to the M74 for Carlisle and the M80 running north to Stirling. The A8, A73 and A80 carry local traffic.
Motherwell is on the West Coast Main Line, with direct trains to London Euston and Glasgow Central. The North Clyde line serves Coatbridge, Airdrie and Drumgelloch and continues to Bathgate and Edinburgh; the Argyle line, the Cumbernauld line and the Shotts line cover the rest. Most towns are within 30 minutes of Glasgow by rail.
Glasgow Airport is about 20 miles west via the M8; Edinburgh Airport about 30 miles east.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of North Lanarkshire?
340,973 at the 2022 census, up from 337,727 in 2011. It is Scotland’s fourth most populous council area.
What is the largest town in North Lanarkshire?
Cumbernauld, with about 50,530 people, followed by Coatbridge (43,950), Airdrie (36,390) and Motherwell (32,840). Motherwell is the administrative centre.
How many towns and villages are in North Lanarkshire?
59 named settlements, of which nine hold more than 8,000 people.
What postcodes does North Lanarkshire use?
ML1 to ML8 in the south and east around Motherwell, Wishaw, Coatbridge and Airdrie; G65 to G69 in the north around Kilsyth, Cumbernauld, Chryston and Baillieston.
What happened to Ravenscraig?
The steelworks at Motherwell closed in 1992. The site has since been cleared and is being redeveloped with housing, a regional sports facility and a college campus.
Where is the Antonine Wall in North Lanarkshire?
Along the northern edge, with visible remains at Croy Hill and Bar Hill near Kilsyth. Both are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.