Lanarkshire also lies at the heart of Scotland’s motorway network,
with the M80 northbound, the M74 southbound and the M8
connecting the east and west of the country all running through
the region. For instance, it takes under an hour to get to Edinburgh
and less than 30 minutes to drive to Glasgow.
The M74, beginning in Glasgow and continuing south into
England, is a key route into significant markets to trade goods
and services, and with it running through the centre of Lanarkshire,
the region couldn’t be better placed to take advantage of new
market opportunities.
Work is underway to upgrade Scotland's motorway network, improving existing connections.
Industrial and Entrepreneurial Heritage
Historically, Lanarkshire was the most populous region in Scotland and from the mid 18th century to
the 20th century, Lanarkshire profited from its rich seams of coal and then steel and heavy engineering.
As the global and UK economies have changed over the years, Lanarkshire has reinvented itself to
meet the challenges of the future.
The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in Lanarkshire and over the last ten years, small and medium enter-
prises (SMEs) have led the growth in the region. Recent statistics have indicated that over 14,000 SMEs
are located in Lanarkshire, accounting for 48% of the total jobs generated in the area.
People
Lanarkshire is the second largest populated region in Scotland with a working age population of
425,000 (and total population of 652,600). It has also been home to many of the nation’s most notable
talents, including Scottish poet Allan Ramsey, 19th century missionary and explorer David Livingstone,
engineering pioneer Sir Robert McAlpine, and more recently, Scottish soccer legend Jock Stein and
Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Charlie Flynn.
14
The M74, beginning
in Glasgow and continuing
south into England, is a
key route into significant
markets to trade
goods and services.
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