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{{Bdm}}{{infobox Scotland council area
| name = Stirling
| native_name = ''Sruighlea<br>Stirlin''
| image_map = Stirling in Scotland.svg
| map_caption =
| image_logo = Stirlingcouncillogo.png
| image_coat = Stirling_arms.png
| area_rank = 9th
| area_km2 = 2187
| admin_HQ = [[Stirling]]
| ISO = GB-STG
| ONS = 00RG
| governing_body = Stirling Council
| website = {{URL|http://www.stirling.gov.uk/}}
| control =
*[[Labour/Conservative Coalition]]
| MPs =
*[[Steven Paterson]]
| MSPs =
*[[Keith Brown (Scottish politician)|Keith Brown]]
*[[Bruce Crawford]]
}}
The '''Stirling council area''' ({{lang-sco|Stirlin}}, {{lang-gd|Sruighlea}}) is one of the 32 [[Council areas of Scotland|council areas]] of [[Scotland]], and has a population of about 91,000 (2012 estimate).<ref>[[National Records of Scotland. Stirling Council Demographic factsheet.]] 2012 Estimate of population. Retrieved 18 Sept 2013</ref> It was created under the [[Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994]] with the boundaries of the Stirling district of the former [[Central (local government region of Scotland)|Central]] [[Regions and districts of Scotland|local government region]], and it covers most of the former [[county of Stirling]] (except [[Falkirk]]) and the south-western portion of the former [[county of Perth]]. Both [[Counties of Scotland|counties]] were abolished for local government purposes under the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973]].
The administrative centre of the area is the city of [[Stirling]].
The area borders the council areas of [[Clackmannanshire]] (to the east), [[North Lanarkshire]] (to the south), [[Falkirk (council area)|Falkirk]] (to the south east), [[Perth and Kinross]] (to the north and north east), [[Argyll and Bute]] (to the north and north west), and both [[East Dunbartonshire|East]] and [[West Dunbartonshire]] to Stirling's southwest.
The majority of the population of the area is located in its southeast corner, in the city of Stirling and in the surrounding [[Scottish lowlands|lowland]] communities: [[Bridge of Allan]] and [[Dunblane]] to the north, [[Bannockburn]] to the immediate south, and the three former coal mining communities of [[Cowie, Stirling|Cowie]], [[Fallin, Stirling|Fallin]], and [[Plean]], known collectively as the "Eastern Villages".
The remaining 30 percent of the region's population is sparsely distributed across the rural, mainly [[Scottish highlands|highland]], expanse in the north of the region. The southern half of this rural area comprises the flat western floodplain of the [[River Forth]], bounded on the south by the [[Touch Hills]] and the [[Campsie Fells]]. North of the [[glen]] lie the [[Trossachs]] mountains, and the northern half of the region is generally mountainous in character.
==The Council==
As with all local authorities in Scotland, Stirling Council has a number of multi-member wards electing representatives under the [[single transferable vote]] system.
{|class="wikitable"
|width="5"|
|width="140"|'''Party'''
|width="180"|'''Councillors'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{Scottish National Party/meta/color}}"|
|Scottish National Party
|9
|-
|bgcolor="{{Labour Party (UK)/meta/color}}"|
|Labour
|8
|-
|bgcolor="{{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}"|
|Conservative
|4
|-
|bgcolor="{{Scottish Green Party/meta/color}}"|
|Green Party
|1
|}
The wards and their councillors are:
* Bannockburn (3 Councillors): Margaret Brisley (Lab), Alasdair MacPherson (SNP), Violet Weir (Lab)
* Castle (3 Councillors): Johanna Boyd (Lab), John Hendry (Lab), Jim Thomson (SNP)
* Dunblane & Bridge of Allan (4 Councillors): Callum Campbell (Con), Graham Houston (SNP), Mike Robbins (Lab), Mark Ruskell (Green)
* Forth & Endrick (3 Councillors): Alistair Berrill (Con), Graham Lambie (SNP), Ian Muirhead (SNP)
* Stirling East (3 Councillors): Danny Gibson (Lab), Corrie McChord (Lab), Gerry McLaughlan (SNP)
* Stirling West (3 Councillors): Neil Benny (Con), Scott Farmer (SNP), Christine Simpson (Lab)
* Trossachs and Teith (3 Councillors): Martin Earl (Con), Alycia Hayes (SNP), Fergus Wood (SNP)
==Settlements==
[[File:Topo map Stirling Dunbartonshire.png|thumb|upright=2|Topographic map of Stirling and East and West Dunbartonshire]]
As well as the city of [[Stirling]] itself, there are many towns, villages and hamlets spread across the council area:
===Towns===
* [[Bannockburn]]
* [[Bridge of Allan]]
* [[Callander]]
* [[Doune]]
* [[Dunblane]]
===Villages===
* [[Aberfoyle, Stirling|Aberfoyle]]
* [[Arnprior, Stirling|Arnprior]]
* [[Balfron]]
* [[Balmaha]]
* [[Balquhidder]]
* [[Blairlogie]]
* [[Blanefield]]
* [[Buchlyvie]]
* [[Cambusbarron]]
* [[Cambuskenneth]]
* [[Cowie, Stirling|Cowie]]
* [[Crianlarich]]
* [[Croftamie]]
* [[Deanston]]
* [[Drymen]]
* [[Fallin, Stirling|Fallin]]
* [[Fintry]]
* [[Gargunnock]]
* [[Gartmore]]
* [[Killearn]]
* [[Killin]]
* [[Kinlochard]]
* [[Kippen]]
* [[Lochearnhead]]
* [[Plean]]
* [[Port of Menteith]]
* [[Strathblane]]
* [[Strathyre]]
* [[Thornhill, Stirling|Thornhill]]
* [[Throsk]]
* [[Tyndrum]]
===Hamlets===
* [[Ardchullarie More]]
* [[Ardchyle]]
* [[Ardeonaig]]
* [[Ashfield, Stirling|Ashfield]]
* [[Auchlyne]]
* [[Balfron railway station|Balfron Station]]
* [[Boquhan]]
* [[Buchanan Smithy]]
* [[Carbeth]]
* [[Clifton, Stirling|Clifton]]
* [[Dalmary]]
* [[Gartness, Stirling|Gartness]]
* [[Kilmahog]]
* [[Kinbuck]]
* [[Milton, Stirling|Milton]]
* [[Mugdock]]
* [[Ruskie]]
==Places of interest==
*[[Lecropt|Carse of Lecropt]]
*[[Culcreuch Castle]]
*[[Inchmahome Priory]] (a ruined Augustinian priory on an island in the [[Lake of Menteith]], used as a refuge in 1547 by [[Mary, Queen of Scots]])
*[[Breadalbane Folklore Centre]]
*[[Cambuskenneth Abbey]] (formerly the seat of the [[Scottish Parliament]])
*[[Doune Castle]]
*[[Falls of Dochart]]
*[[Falls of Lochay]]
*[[Glen Dochart]]
*[[Glenfinlas]]
*[[Lake of Menteith]]
*[[Lecropt|Lecropt Kirk]]
*[[Loch Achray]]
*[[Loch Ard]]
*[[Loch Earn]]
*[[Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park]]
*[[Loch Katrine]] (The source of most of the drinking water for the city of [[Glasgow]])
*[[Loch Rusky]]
*[[Loch Venachar]]
*[[Moirlannich Longhouse]]
*[[Queen Elizabeth Forest Park]] (run by the [[Forestry Commission]])
*[[Scottish Institute of Sport]] (on the grounds of Stirling University)
*[[Stirling Castle]]
*The [[University of Stirling]]
*The [[Trossachs]]
*[[Wallace Monument]]
*[[West Highland Way]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Stirling council area}}
* [http://www.stirling.gov.uk/ Stirling Council] ''official website''
*{{dmoz|Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Scotland/Stirling_District}}
{{Stirling Towns & Villages}}
{{Scotland subdivisions}}
{{coord|56.5000|N|4.0000|W|source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:GB|display=title}}
[[Category:Stirling (council area)| ]]
[[Category:Council areas of Scotland]]
{{Usedwps}}