With a population of almost eighty thousand people, Paisley is one of the shining beacons in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. With its proximity to the massive behemoth of Glasgow, the entire urban area in and around the two cities is nothing if not large. Many of the larger suburban or residential areas of the town were made after the Housing Act in 1946 but Paisley was a large city long before the growth from that era began to further swell the ranks of the town.
Paisley wasn't always a busy, bustling burg, though. The city finds its roots all the way back in the 500s when a small monastic group set up a chapel on the ground that would someday become modern day Paisley. Eventually the hamlet swelled into a size large enough to accommodate an abbey and Paisley Abbey was certainly more than adequate. This gorgeous church was a favourite of such noble Royal families as the Stewart family and the Bruce family. Another major Scottish hero has ties to the abbey as well: William Wallace was educated right within the hallowed walls. It is also often said that his tomb and remains are in Paisley though if they are the marker has long since been destroyed.
Paisley was well-loved even back in those days but it didn't truly begin to explode in prominence until the weaving industry took off. By the 1600s it was clear that weaving was big business and few towns could produce both the quality and the quantity of that which was weaved in Paisley at the time. Those that know patterns can attest to the fact that the "paisley" pattern continues to be one of the most famous in the world. Not all of these people, however, know that this pattern did in fact originate in the town of Paisley and that is how it earned its name. Paisley was also very popular for its thread manufacturing and this helped to fill the void left when power loom weaving took much of the town's business away in the 1800s and beyond. At any rate, Paisley was still very famous for its thread in the 1930s and over twenty thousand people were employed in the various factories in the city. These days, however, no thread is produced in Paisley and it hasn't been for quite some time. There are still many manufacturing companies that employ the residents of the large town, though, and these include such notable names as Chivas Brothers and Ciba Geigy. Unfortunately, there used to be far more businesses operating in Paisley in the past and since the 1970s the town has definitely noticed a drop in industry production. All the same, this is just a bump in the road and it seems certain that Paisley will once again be on top in no time. After all, this isn't the first time that Paisley has been on a down slope and it certainly won't be the last. Any city this indelibly connected to manufacturing and industry must ebb and flow with the tides of the economy.
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