City of Aberdeen

Aberdeen Harbour

The City of Aberdeen is one of the 32 unitary council areas into which Scotland has been divided since 1996. It covers the urban area of Aberdeen, plus a buffer of countryside and a series of settlements on its western fringe, including Cults, Peterculter, Kingswells, Dyce, and the area around Aberdeen Airport. The City of Aberdeen council area is entirely contained within Aberdeenshire: though in contrast, the headquarters of Aberdeenshire Council are within the council area of the City of Aberdeen. You can browse books about Aberdeen in our Bookshop (this may take a moment to load).

City of Aberdeen Since 1996 Note About Image Copyright

City of Aberdeen, 1975 to 1996 Note About Image Copyright

Aberdeen is Scotland's third city and is usually known as the Granite City after its main building material. It has been an important centre since at least the 1100s when King David I established a port at the mouth of the River Dee. You can read more about the development of Aberdeen as a city and its modern attractions on our Aberdeen Feature Page.

From the point of view of local authority coverage, Aberdeen formed part of the traditional county of Aberdeenshire right up to a major reorganisation in 1975. At that point, the City of Aberdeen came into being as one of five district council areas within Grampian Region, itself one of the 12 regions into which Scotland was divided.

When regions and districts disappeared from the scene in the 1996 reorganisation, the City of Aberdeen became one of the 32 unitary council areas into which the country has since been divided. In terms of Undiscovered Scotland's Areas, the City of Aberdeen includes parts of the Aberdeen Area.