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Crawley is a town and Local Government District in West Sussex , England . It covers an area of 44.97 km&2 and has a population of 99,744 people (2001 census). It is bordered by the Sussex Local Authorities of Mid Sussex and Horsham Districts; and by the Surrey authorities of Mole Valley and Tandridge Districts, and the Borough of Reigate & Banstead . Crawley is the nearest large town to the United Kingdom's second largest airport, Gatwick , which has a major influence on the economy and development of the town. ADMINISTRATION The town is an unparished Borough , a two-tier area, also coming under the remit of West Sussex County Council. It encompasses the original West Sussex parishes of Ifield and part of Worth . The borough is divided into fifteen wards for local government purposes. The Conservative group control the Borough Council. Following the local elections on 3 May 2007 the council seats are split as follows: CON 22, LAB 12, LD 3. Crawley Parliamentary Constituency was Conservative since its inception in 1983 until the Labour landslide in 1997 . Since then the Conservatives have been gaining ground and during the 2005 General Election , Labour held the seat with just 37 votes, making it the most marginal constituency in the UK. HISTORY The area now known as Crawley was peopled by Stone Age , Bronze Age and Iron Age settlers, as remains show. During the Roman times the Iron industry flourished. The Saxons first named the settlement ''craw leah'' (crow infested clearing); both Ifield and Worth are mentioned in the Domesday Book ; Worth church is Saxon. A weekly market Charter was granted in 1203.1 Crawley's position on the Turnpike to Brighton helped to boost its population. It was, however, the coming of the railway in 1848, when the London, Brighton And South Coast Railway opened the line from Three Bridges (on the Line To Brighton ) to Horsham Railway Station that started the real town growth. Some 900 houses were added between the two world wars, bringing the population to around 10,000 people by World War II , mainly clustered around the main London to Brighton road (by then the A23 ). Other local developments included the opening of Gatwick Racecourse in 1891; and an Aerodrome , later to become Gatwick Airport , opened in the 1930s. Second World War Crawley area was considered far enough away from London to be a safe place; hence a few children and some businesses moved into the town. Later in the war, Crawley suffered only two fatal attacks:
Nearby Gatwick Airport was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force and mainly used for aircraft maintenance and repair.2 Development as a New Town In 1947, Crawley was designated as a to the east. The Act allowed expansion as required: and since its beginnings, the town has continued to grow, incorporating neighbouring settlements. 3 Six square kilometres were added to the authority's area in 1983; and a further neighbourhood to the north-east of the town is planned. During the boom of the 1980s the town boasted the lowest level of unemployment in the UK.4 STRUCTURE Crawley's 13 neighbourhoods are as follows:
For local government administration (for example planning and elections), the borough is divided into fifteen wards:
Other areas within Crawley include:
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS, CULTURE, AND FACILITIES
EDUCATION See Also: Schools in Crawley, West Sussex
TRANSPORT LINKS A large influence on the town's recent development has been the nearby international airport, , Crawley and Ifield , which are all managed by Southern Trains (GoVia). Crawley is located at the southern end of the M23 Motorway , which bypasses the town. The M23 Motorway ends just to the south of Crawley near Pease Pottage Service Station , and then continues as the A23 to Brighton. Crawley Fastway is a Guided Bus Public Transport service linking parts of Crawley to Gatwick Airport operated by Metrobus . Metrobus is also the primary operator of non-guided bus routes in the Crawley area. FAMOUS RESIDENTS
TWIN CITY Crawley is twinned with Dorsten in Germany . SEE ALSO Elsewhere: EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES |
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