Porth
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Porth (Welsh: Y Porth) is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales, lying in the Rhondda Valley and is regarded as the gateway to the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach valleys because both valleys meet at Porth. The Welsh word "porth" means "gate" when translated into English, however, Porth is a predominantly English-speaking community.
Porth grew around the coal mining industry and all coal mines in the area have since closed. The town is situated near the Rhondda Heritage Park, Trehafod.
Presently, Porth is home to around 10,000 people living in different areas of the town, namely Birchgrove, Britannia, Cymmer, Glynfach, Llwyncelyn, Mount Pleasant and Porth Town Centre.
Neighbouring towns and villages include Trealaw, Trebanog, Trehafod and Ynyshir.
Secondary-age children are most likely to attend Porth County Community School, or Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Cymer, situated in the Cymmer area of Porth. Despite the English language dominance of the area, the number of enrolments to Welsh medium schools in the area continues to rise and these schools are nearing, or at, full capacity.
Porth railway station resides in the town centre with services to Treherbert and Cardiff departing twice every hour. Arriva Trains Wales is responsible for the railway service available in Porth.
The centre of Porth is home to the shopping district based around Hannah Street. Most other business are located on nearby Pontypridd Road and Porth Street. There is also a library in Porth.
The recent construction of the Porth-Tylorstown bypass (Porth Relief Road) has recently caused a lot of heavy traffic jams and confusing diversions, much to the chagrin of residents in the immediate and surrounding areas. The bypass was opened on December 28th 2006 but landscaping work is not scheduled to be finished until April 2007. Intrestingly, the construction of the bypass was first discussed over 50 years ago.
The town is also the home of The Pop Factory, opened in 2000 with a prestigious opening ceremony attended by the likes of Tom Jones and Kelly Jones. It is both a Television Studio and Recording Studio. The owners of the building also contribute a great deal to the local area, and organised the Tom Jones homecoming concert at Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd on May 28 2005.
Porth crater on Mars is named after the town.
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