Undiscovered Scotland

 

Clackmannanshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas into which Scotland has been divided since 1996. It stands on the north bank of the River Forth and its northern edge is marked by the line of the Ochil Hills. Clackmannanshire was also one of the traditional counties into which Scotland was divided for administrative purposes until 1975. For accommodation in Clackmannanshire and a full list of features, see our Stirling & Central Scotland area pages.

 

Modern Clackmannanshire ranks 30th among Scotland's council areas in terms of its size, and 29th in terms of population. Significant settlements include Alloa and Clackmannan, plus a line of villages running along the foot of the Ochils including Alva, Tillicoulty and Dollar.

The Clackmannanshire council area is bordered by the council areas of Stirling, Perth & Kinross, and Fife.

Historically, Clackmannanshire was one of the 34 traditional counties of Scotland, though the area it covered was much larger than modern Clackmannanshire. A tidying up of the map of counties which reduced their number to 33 in 1890 saw Clackmannanshire gain the area around Alva, which had previously been an enclave belonging to Stirlingshire.

Clackmannanshire remained a county in its own right until reorganisation in 1975 swept all the counties away in favour of 12 regions. The regions formed in 1975 were the upper tier of a two tier local authority system, and the area which had formed Clackmannanshire became part of Central Region. Most regions were divided into a number of district council areas, and Central was divided into three districts. Clackmannanshire became Clackmannan District.

When regions and districts disappeared from the scene in the 1996 reorganisation, Clackmannanshire took over the boundaries of the Clackmannan District and became one of the 32 unitary council areas into which the country has since been divided.