Aberdeen Days Out - A City With A Rich Past And A Vibrant Future

Aberdeen is a superb place for a day trip, and contains many well-known local points of interest. Being the third largest city in Scotland, having a human population of over 200,000 the city has destinations that cater for a wide range of tastes and ages.

The city itself is located perched towards the North East corner of Scotland, about 100 miles north of the main human population centers in the Central Belt. Currently being a little out of the way, the city manages to keep a small town feel that means it is well liked with the local people and guests alike. It is home to 2 colleges, with the University Of Aberdeen currently being among the most ancient in great britain, having been created in 1495. Needless to say, so many college students in such a small urban center creates an incredibly energetic night life.

The area has a rich heritage as well. Robert The Bruce granted Aberdeen a Royal Burgh status in 1319 and the city has been a center for business since that time. With the development of North Sea Oil in the early 70's Aberdeen became a serious player in the world economy and the heritage still stays today. It is still, nevertheless a beautiful and tranquil city and the original city of Old Aberdeen holds some of the finest granite houses to be found anywhere in the world.

Aberdeen's nickname, "the Granite City," is really a proof of the locally quarried granite stones - embedded with sparkly flecks of mica - upon which many of the buildings were built in the 18th to 20th centuries, from the middle part of the 1700s to the mid-parts of the 1900s. The earliest known charter was granted by William the Lion, King of the Scots, in 1179.

Though it is its own local government area, the city of Aberdeen plays host to the Aberdeenshire Council, which is the governing body of Aberdeenshire. For fun, heritage and entertainment, it really is hard to top Aberdeen, so make it your first port of call when planning a vacation in Scotland.