Rhondda Cynon Taf is a county borough in the south Wales valleys. It covers 164 square miles (424 km2), had 237,651 residents at the 2021 census, and is the third most populous local authority in Wales after Cardiff and Swansea. The council works from Ty Elai at Clydach Vale and Bronwydd House in Porth.
Pontypridd is the largest town, with Aberdare, Tonypandy, Treorchy, Porth, Mountain Ash and Ferndale strung along five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff and Ely.
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Welsh spelling | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Area | 164 sq mi (424 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 237,651 |
| Density | 560 people per km2 |
| Welsh speakers | 12.4% (2021 census) |
| Largest town | Pontypridd |
| Council | Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council |
| Postcodes | CF37 to CF45, CF72 |
Towns and Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf
The county borough has 129 named settlements. Almost all of them are terraced pit villages that grew between 1850 and 1914 and now run into one another along the valley floors, which is why the list mixes towns such as Aberdare and Treorchy with village-sized communities such as Cwmparc, Ynyshir and Penywaun.
- Aber-nant
- Aberaman
- Abercwmboi
- Abercynon
- Aberdare
- Beddau
- Birchgrove
- Blaen Clydach
- Blaencwm
- Blaenllechau
- Blaenrhondda
- Britannia
- Bryncae
- Bryncoch
- Bryngolau
- Brynna
- Brynnau Gwynion
- Brynsadler
- Brynteg
- Bryntirion
- Buarth-y-Capel
- Caegarw
- Carnetown
- Cefnpennar
- Church Village
- Cilfynydd
- Clydach Vale
- Coed y Cwm
- Coed-Pen-Maen
- Coedely
- Cross Inn
- Cwm-hwnt
- Cwmaman
- Cwmbach
- Cwmdare
- Cwmparc
- Cwmpennar
- Dan Caerlan
- Darranlas
- Dinas
- Dolau
- Dyffryn Dowlats
- Edmondstown
- Efail Isaf
- Felindre
- Ferndale
- Gadlys
- Gilfach Garden Village
- Gilfach Goch
- Glan-y-llyn
- Glenboi
- Glyncoch
- Glynfach
- Glyntaff
- Godreaman
- Graigwen
- Groes-faen
- Hendreforgan
- Hirwaun
- Hopkinstown
- Llanharan
- Llanharry
- Llanilid
- Llantrisant
- Llantwit Fardre
- Llanwonno
- Llwydcoed
- Llwyncelyn
- Llwynypia
- Maerdy
- Maesycoed
- Miskin
- Mount Pleasant
- Mountain Ash
- Mwyndy
- Nantgarw
- Newtown
- Pantygraig Wen
- Pen-y-coedcae
- Pen-yr-englyn
- Penderyn
- Penrhiwceiber
- Penrhiwfer
- Penrhys
- Pentre
- Penygraig
- Penygraigwen
- Penywaun
- Pont Sion Norton
- Pontbren Llwyd
- Pontcynon
- Pontyclun
- Pontygwaith
- Pontypridd
- Porth
- Pwll-Gwaun
- Rhigos
- Rhiwsaeson
- Rhydyfelin
- Robertstown
- Talbot Green
- Thomastown
- Ton Pentre
- Ton-teg
- Tonypandy
- Tonyrefail
- Trealaw
- Trebanog
- Trecynon
- Treforest
- Trehafod
- Treherbert
- Treorchy
- Troedrhiw-Trwyn
- Twyn Bryn-hir
- Ty Rhiw
- Ty’n-y-bryn
- Tylorstown
- Tynant
- Tynewydd
- Tyntetown
- Upper Boat
- Wattstown
- Ynysboeth
- Ynyshir
- Ynysmaerdy
- Ynyswen
- Ynysybwl
- Ystrad
Geography
Five valleys give the borough its shape and its name. The Rhondda Fawr runs from Blaenrhondda through Treorchy, Pentre, Tonypandy and Porth; the Rhondda Fach from Maerdy through Ferndale and Tylorstown to join it at Porth. The Cynon runs from Hirwaun through Aberdare and Mountain Ash to Abercynon. The Taff carries Pontypridd, and the Ely drains the lower ground around Llantrisant and Pontyclun.
Powys lies to the north, Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly to the east, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to the south, and Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot to the west. The ridges between the valleys reach 1,969 ft (600 m) at Craig y Llyn above Rhigos, the highest point in the historic county of Glamorgan.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 237,651 usual residents, up from 234,410 in 2011. Population is heavily concentrated on the valley floors; the ridges between them are empty moor.
12.4% of residents aged three and over could speak Welsh in 2021. Rhondda Cynon Taf was one of only four Welsh authorities where the share rose over the decade, driven by Welsh-medium schooling; the borough has one of the largest networks of Welsh-language primaries in the south.
Economy and Local Life
Coal built the borough and has gone entirely. Public services, retail, distribution and light manufacturing have replaced it, with the largest concentrations at Treforest Industrial Estate, Llantrisant and the M4 corridor at Miskin.
The Royal Mint has struck every UK coin at Llantrisant since 1968 and now runs a visitor centre there. The University of South Wales has its main campus at Treforest, and Pontypridd is the shopping and transport hub for the whole valley system. Rhondda Heritage Park at Trehafod preserves the Lewis Merthyr colliery, and the Zip World site at Tower Colliery, Hirwaun, uses the last deep mine to work in Wales.
History
Before 1850 the Rhondda valleys held a few hundred farmers. Steam coal changed that: by 1924 the Rhondda alone had 53 working collieries and about 167,000 people, one of the densest industrial populations in Europe.
The Tonypandy riots of November 1910 followed a lock-out at the Ely Pit; Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary, sent Metropolitan Police and put troops on standby, and the decision followed him for the rest of his career. Maerdy, the last pit in the Rhondda, closed in 1990. Tower Colliery at Hirwaun was bought out by its own miners in 1995 and worked until 2008, the last deep mine in Wales.
The borough was created in 1996 from the Rhondda, Cynon Valley and Taff-Ely districts. Pontypridd’s chapel-keeper Evan James and his son James James wrote Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, the Welsh national anthem, in the town in 1856.
Getting There
The A470 dual carriageway runs from Cardiff through Pontypridd to Merthyr Tydfil, and the M4 clips the south at junction 34 near Miskin. The A4059 serves Aberdare, the A4119 Tonypandy and Llantrisant, and the A465 Heads of the Valleys road crosses the north at Hirwaun.
Three railway branches run from Cardiff through Pontypridd: to Treherbert up the Rhondda Fawr, to Aberdare up the Cynon, and to Merthyr Tydfil up the Taff. All are being rebuilt and electrified as part of the South Wales Metro, with new trains and more frequent services. Cardiff Airport is about 18 miles from Pontypridd.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Rhondda Cynon Taf?
237,651 at the 2021 census, the third largest of the 22 Welsh local authorities.
What is the largest town in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
Pontypridd. Aberdare, Tonypandy, Treorchy and Mountain Ash are the next largest.
How many villages are there in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
129 named settlements are listed above, most of them former colliery villages that now merge into continuous valley towns.
Which valleys are in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
Five: the Rhondda Fawr, the Rhondda Fach, the Cynon, the Taff and the Ely.
What are the postcodes for Rhondda Cynon Taf?
CF37 to CF40 cover Pontypridd and the Rhondda, CF41 to CF45 the Rhondda Fach and Cynon valleys, and CF72 Llantrisant, Pontyclun and Llanharan.
Where is Rhondda Cynon Taf?
In the south Wales valleys, immediately north-west of Cardiff, between Merthyr Tydfil and Bridgend.