Welcome to Perth

Perth is a city in central Scotland, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about 47,430 in 2018.

Perth serves as a retail centre for the surrounding area, and in 2018 the city was named Scotland’s Food Town of 2018 by the Scottish Food Awards. Following the decline of the local whisky industry, the city diversified its economy, building on its long-established presence in the insurance industry to increase its presence in the banking industry.

The city often refers to itself using the promotional nickname “Gateway to the Highlands”, a reference to its location.

The classic definition of Perth has been as a city. In the late-1990s, the UK Government and the devolved Scottish Executive re-examined the definition of a city and produced a list of approved cities, from which Perth was omitted.

Perth was one of the 26 bidders for city status to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. On 14 March 2012, Perth’s city status was successfully reinstated.