Population
Population
Merthyr Tydfil has an estimated population of 55,500 people [ONS, 2006], and has the smallest population of all Local Authority and Local Health Board areas in Wales, making up just fewer than 2% of the Welsh population of approximately 3 million
Forty thousand people live in the town of Merthyr itself, with the rest of the population split between the valley villages.
The Office for National Statistics [ONS] has produced mid year population estimates for 2006. The charts below shows the count of our population by age and sex:
The 2001 Census tells us that over 90% of Merthyr Tydfil’s population was born in Wales [compared with around 75% nationally], and one in ten people aged three or more can speak Welsh, compared with one in five nationally.
The number of people living in Merthyr Tydfil is falling. In 2005 the population of Merthyr Tydfil was estimated to be 5.5% lower than it was in 1996, but the actual trends within the age groups vary considerably.
Ethnicity
In Merthyr Tydfil [2001 Census] the percentage of the population from minority ethnic backgrounds was 1%. However, the past four years has seen an increase in the number of migrant workers, mainly Eastern European and Portugese because of commercial developments in the area.
Location and Geography
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council sits in a natural basin at the head of the Taff Valley. The Authority is almost wholly situated within this valley, with just a small part of Bedlinog outside this geographical boundary, in the Taff Bargoed Valley. At just over 11,000 hectares, it is the second smallest authority in Wales. It is situated at the Northern end of the Taff Valley, about 20 miles from Cardiff and has boundaries with three other unitary authorities:
The northern end of the authority lies within the boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The area is surrounded by steeply sloping hills of a height of up to 450 metres, and this position has shaped its patterns of North/South communication by road and rail.
Brief History
In 1750 Merthyr Tydfil was a quiet village surrounded by green fields. Most of the forty or so families who lived in the village worked on the land, however, this situation changed when it became known that coal could be used for smelting iron. During the industrial revolution, Merthyr Tydfil grew to be one of the most important towns in Wales, linked to its role as the largest iron producer in the world.
The first ironworks were opened in 1759, three others followed in the next 25 years and by 1801, Merthyr Tydfil had grown into the largest town in Wales on the back of this development, with a population of 7,000. This increased six-fold in the first half of the 19th century to a maximum of 40,000 in 1845 as Merthyr Tydfil became the biggest single producer of iron in the world.
Industrial legacy
In recent years the area has suffered the social and economic results of the decline of its traditional heavy industries, including coal mining. Many, who no longer work in these industries, are still suffering from diseases linked to their former employment.
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