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The city is affectionately nicknamed "Auld Reekie", Lowland Scots for "Old Smoky".
Some have called Edinburgh the "Athens of the North" for a variety of reasons. The earliest comparison between the two cities showed that they had a similar topography, with the Old Town of Edinburgh performing a similar role to the Acropolis. Both of them had flatter, fertile agricultural land sloping down to a port several miles away. Although this arrangement is common in Southern Europe, it is rare in Northern Europe. The 18th century intellectual life, sometimes referred to as the Scottish Enlightenment, was a key influence in gaining the name. Such beacons as David Hume and Adam Smith shone during this period. Having lost its political importance, some hoped that Edinburgh could gain a similar civilising influence on London as Athens had on Rome. Also a contributing factor was the later neoclassical architecture, particularly that of William Henry Playfair, and the National Monument (see below). One writer has said, facetiously, that the "Reykjavík of the South" would be more appropriate!
Edinburgh has also been known as "Dunedin", deriving from the Scottish Gaelic, Dùn Èideann. Dunedin, New Zealand, was originally called "New Edinburgh" and is still nicknamed the "Edinburgh of the South".
The Scots poets Robert Burns and Robert Fergusson sometimes referred to the city as "Edina" in their work. Ben Johnson described it as "Britaine's other eye", and Sir Walter Scott referred to the City as "yon Empress of the North".
Some Scots refer to the city affectionately and informally as "Embra".
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Main article: Leith
Leith is the port of Edinburgh. It still retains a separate identity from Edinburgh, and it was a matter of great resentment when in 1920 Leith was merged into Edinburgh. Even today the parliamentary seat is known as 'Edinburgh North and Leith'. With the redevelopment of Leith, Edinburgh has gained the business of a number of cruise liner companies who now provide cruises to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Leith also boasts the Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed behind the Ocean Terminal shopping centre.
See also: Granton, Newhaven
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Edinburgh has two professional Glasgow.
Scotland's national rugby team's base is Ireland & Wales) are played at Murrayfield, owned by the Rugby Union">Scottish Rugby Union. (Murrayfield is also used as a venue for other events, including music concerts.) Edinburgh's professional rugby team, the Edinburgh Gunners, play in the Celtic League at Murrayfield.
The Edinburgh Capitals are one of United Kingdom's biggest ice hockey clubs. The club play their home games at the Murrayfield ice rink and are currently the sole Scottish representative in the Elite League.
Edinburgh has also hosted various national and international sports events including the World Student Games, the 1970 British Commonwealth Games and the 1986 Commonwealth Games. For the Games in 1970 the city built major Olympic standard venues and facilities including the Royal Commonwealth pool and the Meadowbank Stadium.
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 Edinburgh viewed from Arthur's Seat. See also this picture for a panoramic view from Holyrood Park towards Ocean Terminal.
Edinburgh viewed from Arthur's Seat. See also this picture for a panoramic view from Holyrood Park towards Ocean Terminal.
Edinburgh has consistently been one of the most prosperous parts of the United Kingdom. It has been in good economic health since the arrival in 1999 of the Scottish Parliament, which had a so-called "headquarters effect", with many government departments being set up in the city, resulting in an increase in recruitment and employment. Some ancillary economic undertakings have since set up around this new seat of government. Unemployment rates are amongst the lowest in the country and job creation rates some of the highest. Edinburgh's population is also growing rapidly, mainly through inward migration from overseas and, particularly, the rest of the United Kingdom. This strong growth is, however, leading to pressure on the green belt, particularly in the west of the city as office and housing developments compete for space.
The economy of Edinburgh is largely based around the United Kingdom after the City of London and the fifth largest in Europe.
The New Town and city centre has traditionally been home to many companies, but modern needs have caused many to relocate. Immediately to the west of the city centre is the Standard Life, the Baillie Gifford. Edinburgh Park is a business park located in the west of city, near Edinburgh Airport, and it now has its own railway station. Following the opening of the Royal Bank's new headquarters, there will be around 20,000 people working in the western outskirts of the city.
Important nowadays are shopping centres and retail parks, including a few located in the suburbs and on the edge of the city. The St James Centre and Princes Mall started in the East End in the 1970s, then Hermiston Gait, Fort Kinnaird which are all next to the Edinburgh City Bypass. Edinburgh has many modern supermarkets in its suburbs which offer a more day to day type of shopping. Good examples of prominent ones are Sainsbury's in the Cameron Toll centre, ASDA in the eastern suburbs close to the City Bypass, Tesco Extra at Corstorphine and Morrison's at Crewe Toll.
Brewing is a traditional industry, and while the closure of the Fountainbridge brewery in 2005 leaves Caledonian Brewery as the largest brewery in the city, Scottish & Newcastle still retain their headquarters in the city.
Tourism is another important mainstay of the economy of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the country's most popular tourist destination in terms of visitor numbers, and the second most popular in the UK after London, with numbers growing substantially each year, particularly in the budget travel and backpacking sector, assisted by the growth of Edinburgh Airport and direct rail links to the rest of the country. The annual Edinburgh Festival attracts large numbers of people, as does the Hogmanay street party each New Year. The Edinburgh Festivals in August alone generate in excess of £100 million for the Edinburgh economy.
Another major element of Edinburgh's tourist industry is business tourism which is another major contributor to the economy.
On March 12, 2004, Edinburgh was granted Fairtrade City status.
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Universities and Colleges
The University of Edinburgh was founded by Royal Charter in 1583, and is the fourth oldest university in Scotland. The Old College on South Bridge opened in the 1820s. As the institution continued to expand, new buildings were constructed around George Square, where the heart of the university remains. Development of the college's buildings continues in the 21st century.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh were also established by Royal Charter, in 1506 and 1681 respectively. The Trustees Drawing Academy of Edinburgh was established in 1760, an institution that became, in 1907, Edinburgh College of Art. Queen Margaret University College was founded in 1875 as a women's college, and today specialises in healthcare, media and business.
In the 1960s Heriot-Watt University and Napier Technical College were established. Heriot-Watt traces its origins to 1821, when a school for technical education of the working class was opened. Heriot-Watt continues to have a strong reputation in engineering, and is based at Riccarton, outside the city. Napier College was renamed Napier Polytechnic in the 1980s, and gained university status in 1992. Napier University now has several campuses in the south and west of the city, including the former Craiglockhart War Hospital.
Other colleges offering further education in Edinburgh include Telford College">Telford CollegeStevenson College, opened in 1970. Basil Paterson Edinburgh offers courses in languages and teaching. The Scottish Agricultural College also has a campus in south Edinburgh.
Schools
Notable schools in Edinburgh include the Royal High School, considered to be the oldest in Scotland, and Donaldson's College, for deaf students. Private schools include Edinburgh Academy, Fettes College and Merchiston Castle School, the only boys-only school in Scotland.
See the List of schools in Edinburgh for a complete list.
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Alexander Graham Bell, telephone pioneer, was born in Edinburgh.
Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister, was born in the city and attended its exclusive Fettes College high school
James Boswell, author, biographer of Samuel Johnson
William Burke and William Hare, serial killers; sold the bodies of their victims to the medical college for dissection
James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish physicist
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was born in the city's New Town
Sir Sean Connery, actor
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig was born in Edinburgh
Lord Hawke, cricketer
Johnny Haynes, footballer
Doug Henderson, politician
David Hume, philosopher and historian
John Knox, Protestant Reformer, lived in Edinburgh, and John Knox's House is preserved in the High Street
Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series of books and many children's novels
Magnus Magnusson, television presenter and author
Shirley Manson, lead singer for the band Garbage
Mary, Queen of Scots, lived in Holyrood Palace
John Napier, mathematician, mainly remembered for the invention of logarithms
John Porteous, captain of the city guard, lynched during the Porteous Riots of 1736
Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series of crime thrillers, attended the University of Edinburgh
Don Revie, footballer and football manager
David Roberts, 19th century painter and lithographer
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter author, wrote her first book in an Edinburgh coffee-shop
Sir Walter Scott, (1771-1832), novelist, was born in Edinburgh.
Adam Smith, economist, author of The Wealth of Nations
Graeme Souness, footballer
Muriel Spark, novelist, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, wrote fondly of the city before moving to Samoa.
Nigel Tranter (1909-2000), historian, writer, lived in Edinburgh.
Irvine Welsh, novelist, author of e.g. Trainspotting, is from Edinburgh.
John Witherspoon, only clergyman to sign the American Declaration of Independence, president of Princeton University, educated in Edinburgh
James Young Simpson, an obstetrician who conducted the first experimental use of chloroform for anaesthesia
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Hotels in United Kingdom - Edinburgh >>
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