Guide

Map showing location of Crawley in the UK

Crawley (pronunciation (help·info)) is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is 28 miles (45 km) south of London, 18 miles (29 km) north of Brighton and Hove, and 32 miles (51 km) northeast of the county town of Chichester, it covers an area of 17.36 square miles (44.96 km²) and had a population of 99,744 people at the time of the 2001 Census. It is bordered by the West Sussex local authority areas of Mid Sussex and Horsham districts, and the Mole Valley and Tandridge districts and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead in the county of Surrey.

Although the area was inhabited from the Stone Age onwards, and was a centre of iron-making in Roman times, Crawley developed slowly as a market town until the Second World War. The area was designated as the site of one of the "new towns" proposed by the New Towns Act 1946, however, and rapid development ensued — with the growth of nearby Gatwick Airport adding to this.

The town comprises 13 planned "neighbourhoods" (residential areas), separated by main roads and railway lines, and based around the core of the old market town. The nearby communities of Ifield, Pound Hill and Three Bridges were absorbed into the new town. Some expansion is currently planned for the west and northwest boundaries of the town, in co-operation with Horsham District Council.

Licenced under GFDL, derived from Wikipedia.