Livingston, West Lothian

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Livingston
Gaelic: Baile Dhùn Lèibhe
Scots: Livingston ("Livi")
Location
OS grid reference: NT054690
Statistics
Population: 50,826
Administration
Council area: West Lothian
Constituent country: Scotland
Sovereign state: United Kingdom
Other
Police force: Lothian and Borders Police
Lieutenancy area: West Lothian
Former county: West Lothian
Post office and telephone
Post town: LIVINGSTON
Postal district: EH53, EH54
Dialling code: 01506
Politics
Scottish Parliament: Livingston
Lothians
UK Parliament: Livingston
European Parliament: Scotland
Scotland

Livingston is a new town in central Scotland. It is located approximately 25 km west of Edinburgh and 50 km east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the east and Bathgate to the west. Livingston is served by Edinburgh Airport which is 18 km away.

Livingston is the largest town in the West Lothian area. It was built around two small villages, Livingston Village and Livingston Station (now called Deans South). It consists of the following areas Craigshill, Howden, Dedridge, Ladywell, Knightsridge, Murieston, Deans, Carmondean and Eliburn. Its neighbouring villages include West Calder, East Calder, Mid Calder, Uphall Station, Pumpherston, and Bellsquarry. Livingston itself is the 13th largest town or city in Scotland according to the 2001 census with a population of 50,826 (24,451 male and 26,375 female) and an urban agglomeration population (including Mid Calder and East Calder) of 59,511.

Livingston is also the second largest settlement in the Lothians after Edinburgh. Until 1963 the area surrounding the ancient village of Livingston was open farm land. The name was of course taken from this village which dates back to 12th Century when a Flemish entrepreneur called De Leving was granted land in the area. He built a fortified tower which is long since gone and the settlement that grew up around it became known as Levingstoun and eventually Livingston.

Livingston was built as part of the New Towns Act of 1946 (amended 1959), in part to ease overcrowding in Glasgow. In order to build, manage and promote Livingston a development organisation was formed, the Livingston Development Corporation. The local economy was, for some time, based around technology, with several multi-national companies having factories in the town, and BSkyB having its main call centre located there. The largest employers are now the retail sector and the National Health Service. The corporation guided Livingston until the middle of the 1990s when its mandate expired and the town was transferred to West Lothian Council. The last major construction operation carried out by the LDC was the Almondvale Stadium, which was to become the home to the renamed Livingston FC.

Construction in Livingston has continued under West Lothian Council and the town now features one of the largest shopping complexes in Scotland, a new purpose built campus for West Lothian College and other developments.

Contents

[edit] Youth activities

Livingston has its own Air Training Corps squadron, 2535 (Livingston) Squadron [1] (located in Craigshill) and Army Cadet Force unit [2] (based at Dedridge). The town also has Cubs, Scouts, Boys Brigade, Brownies and Guides units.

A Skateboard Park and BMX track are also provided near the town centre and there are three McDonald restaurants, a leisure swimming pool and a Multiplex cinema in the town centre.

The Livingston Skatepark opened in 1981, at a time when most commercial skateparks were closing and was one of the most important facilities in Britain during a critical period in the development of skateboarding. It is an example of a free, unsupervised facility which achieved international status. In 2004 it was visited by the stars of the television series Dirty Sanchez, who described it as "The Best Skatepark in the world, apart from the ones in Wales"

Livingston Skatepark Bowls
Enlarge
Livingston Skatepark Bowls

[edit] Primary and secondary education

[edit] The following Primary Schools can be found in Livingston

  • Bankton Primary School
  • Bellsquarry Primary School
  • Carmondean Primary School
  • Deans Primary School
  • Dedridge Primary School
  • Harrysmuir Primary School [http://www.westlothian.org.uk/Harrysmuir-PS/
  • Knightsridge Primary School
  • Letham Primary School
  • Livingston Village Primary School
  • Meldrum Primary School
  • Mid Calder Primary School
  • Peel Primary School
  • Riverside Primary School
  • Toronto Primary School
  • St. Andrews RC Primary School
  • St. Ninian's RC Primary School
  • Williamston Primary School

[edit] Secondary Education

[edit] Further Education

  • West Lothian College of Further Education

[edit] Libraries

Livingston has 3 public libraries:

  • Almondbank Library Craigshill
  • Lanthorn Library Dedridge
  • Carmondean Library Deans

[edit] Sports

The town has a local rugby club, Livingston Rugby Football Club, and a Scottish First Division football club, Livingston FC. There are also two competitive swimming clubs: The Livingston & District Dolphins, and the Aquanauts of Livingston. Livingston and West Lothian Hockey Club [3] has several mens and women's teams, and provides junior coaching.

[edit] See also

  • Dechmont Law, aka "Deer Hill", and site of the "Livingston Incident", a high profile alleged alien abduction.
  • Radio Grapevine - St. John's Hospital Radio Station


[edit] External links

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