page_title: Shropshire
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Shropshire / Economy
caption_attribution_description: Pride Hill and Mardol Head, en:Shrewsbury, en:Shropshire. Photo taken by Chris Bayley using a Canon Powershot A610.
context_page_description: Shropshire; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops; demonym Salopian sə-LOH-pee-ən, is a county in England, bordering Wales to the west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, and Worcestershire
  and Herefordshire to the south. Shropshire Council was created in 2009, a unitary authority taking over from the previous county council and five district councils. The borough of Telford and Wrekin has been a separate unitary authority since 1998 but continues to be included in the ceremonial county.
  The county's population and economy is centred on five towns: the county town of Shrewsbury, which is culturally and historically important and close to the centre of the county; Telford, a new town in the east which was constructed around a number of older towns, most notably Wellington, Dawley and Madeley, which is today the most populous; and Oswestry in the northwest, Bridgnorth just to the south of Telford, and Ludlow in the south. The county has many market towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport northeast of Telford and Market Drayton in the northeast of the county.
context_section_description: Traditionally, agriculture has dominated the economy of Shropshire . However, in more recent years the area has become more service-oriented. The county town of Shrewsbury, the historic castle-dominated Ludlow, the International Olympic Movement's birthplace Much Wenlock and the industrial birthplace of Ironbridge Gorge are the foremost tourist areas in Shropshire, along with the restored canal-network which provides narrowboat holidays on the Shropshire Union Canal and other canals in the region. The natural beauty of the county draws people to all areas.
  Industry is mostly found in Telford, Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Shrewsbury, though small industrial estates have developed in most of the market towns as well as on former airfields in rural areas. Shrewsbury is becoming a centre for distribution and warehousing, as it is located on a nodal point of the regional road-network.
  In Telford, a new rail freight facility has been built at Donnington with the future goal of extending the line to Stafford.
  Telford and Shrewsbury are the county's two main retail centres, with contrasting styles of shopping – Shrewsbury's largely historic streets and Telford's large modern mall, Telford Shopping Centre. Shrewsbury also has two medium-sized shopping centres, the indoor "Pride Hill" and "Darwin" centres (both located on Pride Hill), and a smaller, partially covered, "Riverside Mall". Shrewsbury's location as the nearest substantial town for those in a large area of mid-Wales helps it draw in considerable numbers of shoppers, notably on Saturdays.
  Well-known companies in Shropshire include Müller Dairy (UK) Ltd in Market Drayton. The Royal Air Force operates two bases at RAF Cosford and RAF Shawbury, and the charity PDSA has its head office in Priorslee, Telford.
caption: Shrewsbury's town centre contains the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside shopping centres, as well as more traditional historic retail areas.
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