Elgin is an enormously significant city not only for Scotland but for the world as a whole. As one of the first and most important "Royal Burghs" in the history of the land, Elgin has been documented about and visited since the 1100s! King David I, of Scotland, put the first royal castle in Elgin atop the strategically important and viscerally beautiful Lady Hill. This area is flanked by gorgeous forests that still stand today and throughout the centuries Scottish kings from David to William to Alexander loved to hunt in these untamed woods.
Of all the Scottish Monarchs who spent their lives in Elgin, none was more important and more beloved than the great Alexander II. Elginians to this day praise his many benefactions to the city, including the revolutionary Hospital of Maison Dieu. This "House of God" was one of the first hospitals devoted to caring for impoverished sick people. Elgin is still one of the most medically forward-thinking cities in Europe, with impressive buildings like The Maryhill Health Centre and Linkwood Medical standing proudly within the city walls but the Maison Dieu is still an object of great reverence as it has been for centuries.
Alexander II also was responsible for the construction of the immaculately beautiful Elgin Cathedral in the early 1200s. This gorgeous shrine still stands to this day, albeit in ruins; in 1270 a massive fire destroyed much of the church. All the same, the ornate decorations that complement the standing remains are still cause for great joy and awe for anyone who visits. Visitors, incidentally, come from all over the world to see this beautiful city and have done so for centuries. England's own Edward I traveled here multiple times and wrote extensively about its beauty. His exact journal entries can still be found in the British Library.
These days, Elgin's beauty is still on display for all to see, although living there is a bit pricey. The fantastic view makes the real estate similarly lofty and Elgin is considered to be one of the most expensive cities in all of Scotland to take up residency in. For that reason, many of the citizens of Elgin are in fact enlisted in the Royal Air Force, which has a base nearby and foots most of the bills for its many soldiers. The activities and purchasing habits of the many Air Force ensigns in the area make up large part of Elgin's economy but the city has managed to avoid the loss of its natural splendor in spite of its adherence to present-day matters. While traffic congestion is another modern problem that Elgin is forced to deal with, most of the traffic is "through traffic", meaning that the majority of vehicles are leaving one way or another. The city has had trouble dealing with the rapidly growing automobile numbers in Scotland but it should be commended that Elgin hasn't simply built major expressways all throughout the land and blighting the gorgeous forests that permeate every corner. Instead, the city is working on positive ideas that help curtail congestion but not at the cost of natural beauty. This should be the aim of every city that has so much of its identity steeped in the past.
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