*** Welcome to piglix ***

Kirkcaldy, Scotland

Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy and its harbour - geograph.org.uk - 1143873.jpg
Aerial view of Kirkcaldy and its waterfront
Kirkcaldy is located in Fife
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy shown within Fife
Area 6.9 sq mi (18 km2)
Population 49,460 
• Density 1,669/sq mi (644/km2)
OS grid reference NT275915
• Edinburgh 11 miles (18 kilometres) S
• London 341 miles (549 kilometres) SSE
Civil parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town KIRKCALDY
Postcode district KY1, KY2
Dialling code 01592
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°06′39″N 3°10′03″W / 56.11073°N 3.16737°W / 56.11073; -3.16737Coordinates: 56°06′39″N 3°10′03″W / 56.11073°N 3.16737°W / 56.11073; -3.16737

Kirkcaldy (/kərˈkɔːdi/; Scottish Gaelic: Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about 11.6 miles (19 km) north of Edinburgh and 27.6 miles (44 km) south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest settlement and the 11th most populous settlement in Scotland.

Kirkcaldy has long been nicknamed the Lang Toun (About this sound listen ; Scots for "long town") in reference to the early town's 0.9-mile (1.4 km) main street, as indicated on maps from the 16th and 17th centuries. The street later reached a length of nearly 4 miles (6.4 km), connecting the burgh to the neighbouring settlements of Linktown, Pathhead, Sinclairtown and Gallatown, which became part of the town in 1876. The formerly separate burgh of Dysart was merged into Kirkcaldy in 1930.

The area around Kirkcaldy has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. The first document to refer to the town is from 1075, when Malcolm III granted the settlement to the church of Dunfermline. David I later gave the burgh to Dunfermline Abbey, which had succeeded the church: a status which was officially recognised by Robert I in 1327. The town only gained its independence from Abbey rule when it was created a royal burgh by Charles I in 1644.


...
Wikipedia

...