Swindon is a large town and unitary borough authority in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in south west England. It is midway between Bristol, 40 miles west, and Reading, 40 miles east. London is 81 miles east.
Swindon railway station is on the line from London, Paddington to Bristol. Swindon Borough Council, is a unitary authority independent of Wiltshire Council since 1997. Residents of Swindon are known as Swindonians. Swindon's motto is "Salubritas et Industria" .
Swindon was named an Expanded Town under the Town Development Act 1952 and this led to a major increase in its population. In the 2001 census the population of the Swindon urban area was 155,432, while around 184,000 lived in the borough, which includes the large villages of Highworth and Wroughton.
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