Crawley is a town and local government district in West Sussex, England.

Administration

The town is an unparished borough in the northern part of Sussex, bordering Surrey. The borough is bordered by the Sussex Local Authorities of Mid Sussex and Horsham Districts, and by the Surrey authorities of Mole Valley and Tandridge Districts, and the Borough of Reigate & Banstead. The town is a two-tier area, also coming under the remit of West Sussex County Council.

Development

The area developed to a small-sized town of under 10,000 people until the World War II, clustered around the mid-point of the main London to Brighton road (now the M23 / A23). In 1947, it was designated as a New Town area under the New Towns Act of 1946. Its development then ballooned during the 1950s and 1960s, bringing it to a population of around 60,000. Since that time, the town has continued to grow around its neighbourhood structure. During the boom of the 1980s the town boasted the lowest level of unemployment in the UK

Structure

Crawley's 13 neighbourhoods are as follows:

• Bewbush
• Broadfield
• Furnace Green
• Gossops Green
• Ifield
• Langley Green
• Maidenbower
• Northgate
• Pound Hill
• Southgate
• Three Bridges
• Tilgate
• West Green

Other areas within Crawley include:

• Manor Royal - An industrial zone
• Worth - A disputed area falling within Pound Hill
• Gatwick - The area surrounding London Gatwick Airport

Local attractions, culture, and facilities

• The Hawth - a theatre offering a range of entertainment.
• UGC Crawley - a megaplex cinema.
• Tilgate Park - a large forest, with a rare breeds centre and many visitor facilities.
• County Mall - a large shopping mall.

Transport links

A large influence on the town's development has been the nearby international airport, London Gatwick Airport, which is contained within the borough's boundaries. The airport is now the busiest single-runway airport in the world, and the sixth busiest overall. Crawley also has 3 railway stations; Crawley, Three Bridges, and Ifield. It is located on the southern end of the M23 motorway, near Pease Pottage Service station.

Fastway bus project

See main article: Crawley Fastway

A new guided bus public transport service linking parts of Crawley to Gatwick Airport.

See Also

Local Towns:

• Horsham
• Horley
• Haywards Heath
• Brighton
• Guildford

Elsewhere:

• Crawley, Western Australia

External links

• Crawley Online (Fan Site) (http://www.crawleyonline.eurobell.co.uk/)
• Map of Crawley (http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=527500&Y=135000&scale=50000&coordsys=gb)
• Aerial photo of Crawley (http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&x=526685&y=136768&scale=50000&width=700&height=410)
• Crawley Neighbour Watch (http://www.crawley.org.uk/)
• Crawley Observer (Local Newspaper) (http://www.crawleytoday.co.uk/)
• Crawley News (Local Newspaper) (http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/)
• Knowhere Guide to Crawley (http://www.knowhere.co.uk/3289.html/)
• Takeaways and restaurants in Crawley (http://www.thefoodplace.co.uk/uk/West+Sussex/Crawley/)