Perranporth is a seaside resort town on the north shore of Cornwall, England, UK. It is 1 mile east of the St Agnes Heritage Coastline, and also around 8 miles south-west of Newquay. Perranporth and its 3 miles (5 km) long coastline encounter the Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of 3,066, and also is the biggest settlement in the civil parish of Perranzabuloe. It has an electoral ward in its very own name, whose population was 4,270 in the 2011 census. The town's modern name originates from Porth Peran, the Cornish for the cove of Saint Piran, the patron saint of Cornwall. He started St Piran's Oratory on Penhale Sands near Perranporth in the 7th century. Buried under sand for several centuries, it was uncovered in the 19th century.