The other sizeable towns are Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Newport and Ludlow. The 2019 mid-year population estimates published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), estimate that there are 323,136 people living in Shropshire (160,155 males and 162,981 females). Telford and Wrekin became a borough in 2002. The border with Wales was defined in the 16th century the hundreds of Oswestry (including Oswestry town) and Pimhill (including Wem) and part of Chirbury had prior to the Laws in Wales Act formed various Lordships in the Welsh Marches. With an estimated population (for the borough) of 175,271 in 2017 and around 155,000 in Telford itself, Telford is the largest town in Shropshire, and one of the fastest-growing towns in the United Kingdom.It is named after civil engineer Thomas Telford, who engineered many road and rail projects in Shropshire. Shrewsbury | England, United Kingdom | Britannica There are a number of major railway lines running through the county, including the Welsh Marches Line, the Heart of Wales Line, the Cambrian Line, the Shrewsbury to Chester Line and the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line, as well as heritage railways including the well established Severn Valley Railway. It was famous for its wool industry. Location within Shropshire Population 76,782 (2021 census) Demonym Salopian Unitary authority Shropshire Ceremonial county Shropshire Region West Midlands Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom [10] In the low-lying northwest of the county overlapping the border with Wales is the Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve,[11] one of the most important and best preserved bogs in Britain. Northumberland [22] Following the Local Government Act 1972, Salop became the official name of the county. Below is the chart of regional gross value added for the non-metropolitan county (that is, excluding Telford & Wrekin) of Shropshire at current basic prices,[64] with figures in millions of British pounds sterling. The county now contains a number of historically significant towns, including Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Oswestry. This represents an estimated population growth of 5.56% since 2011. (COVID-19) pandemic affected people's choice of usual residence on Census Shrewsbury at the centre, Oswestry to the north west, Whitchurch to the north, Market Drayton to the north-east, and Newport and the Telford conurbation (Telford, Wellington, Oakengates, Donnington and Shifnal) to the east. In music, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote "On Wenlock Edge" in 1907.