Inverness City - Capital of the Highlands - Scotland/UK

Inverness City - Capital of the Highlands - Scotland/UK
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Inverness was granted city status by the Queen in December 2000, and celebrated its new status officially in March 2001. This city status was granted, however, without definition of either boundaries or representative corporate body. The right to speak for the city is assumed by the Highland Council, in association with a local enterprise company[2].

In 2001, the population of the city, or the urban area centred on the former burgh, was 51,832, and is expected to double over the next 30 years. Recently, Inverness was named the fastest growing city in Western Europe, with many new housing estates being built around the city. A large number of Polish immigrants have recently caused a considerable increase to the Invernesian population and helped contribute to the local economy. Tourism is important to the city's economy, as are administration and healthcare.

The city is the self-proclaimed "Capital of the Highlands". It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area and for the Inverness committee area of the Highland Council. Between 1975 and 1996, as a town without even the status of a local government burgh, it was the administrative centre of the Highland region and the Inverness district of the region.

The district was created, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, by combining the royal burgh and the district of the county with the Aird district of the county. The rest of the county was divided between other districts of the Highland region and the Western Isles islands council area.

The area of the district became the Inverness committee area of the Highland Council, which was created as a unitary council when districts were abolished under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

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