Scotland is home to many towns that have particularly comical or odd names but few can compete with the phallic-sounding town of Peterhead, located in the lovely county Aberdeenshire. The truth, though, is that this is a very large Peterhead and the town is in fact the largest town in Aberdeenshire by a fairly sizable margin. The population was fast approaching eighteen thousand about ten years ago but recent surveys seem to suggest that the town's population has actually decreased recently. This is a very confusing occurrence, though, because anybody familiar with the town knows that it is filled to the brim with scenic beauty and exciting diversions and it is easier to imagine folks visiting and never leaving rather than living there and not staying.
At any rate, Peterhead is well known for its affinity in everything having to do with fishing. The city is located at the farthest eastern point in the mainland and it has been residing comfortably there ever since the 1500s. It was in 1593 that Peterhead built its first harbor and this harbor, Port Henry, has played a pivotal role in the growth of the town ever since. The town grew steadily over the years and it finally reached worldwide attention when the Peterhead Convict Prison was opened up in the last half of the 1800s. Though a rather dubious distinction, Peterhead's prison quickly became notorious for being one of the toughest and most authoritative prisons ever ran. The prison gave Peterhead bragging rights, though, and soon many companies saw that the town could handle contracts from both the government as well as private citizens. This caused many oil companies to flock to the town and by the 1970s Peterhead was an indispensable part of the oil and gas industry.
These days Peterhead seemingly does everything. Food processing industries can be found throughout the city and textile mills abound as well. Fishing is still the main commerce in town, though, and almost six hundred fishermen work in and around Peterhead and bring in nearly one hundred thousand tons of fish a year. The town is also well known for its superior educational system and Peterhead Academy is one of the most prestigious and esteemed schools in Scotland. The Academy is home to fifteen hundred students spread out among a gorgeous seven building layout. It is the town's adherence to traditions of excellence in nearly every niche that makes Peterhead a beloved part of Scotland. Recent evidence seems to back up this theory as the town is now declaring the beginning of a large and admirable plan to increase the town's size and infrastructure. Four new schools will be built and forty five hundred new homes will be erected over the next two decades. Hospitals and secondary schools are also planned and it looks like Peterhead will garner even more acclaim from its many happy residents when all is said and done. It is still recommended, though, that you visit Peterhead now. While it will no doubt be exciting to see the finished product of Peterhead's lofty goals, the city is simply too pretty to pass up while waiting.
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