Stirling is a City and former ancient burgh located at the heart of the wider Stirling council area of Scotland. In 2002 Stirling was granted city status as part of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee,
The city is clustered around a large fortress and mediĉval old-town. It is a centre for local government, higher education, retail, and light industry. Its population as of the 2001 census was 41,243 making it the smallest city in Scotland.
One of the principal royal strongholds of the Kingdom of Scotland, Stirling was created a Royal burgh by King David I in 1130, which it remained until 1975, when the county of Stirlingshire was absorbed into Central Scotland.