Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a historical mining community in Wales, in the historic county of Merionethshire, although now part of the unitary authority of Gwynedd. The population of the neighborhood of Ffestiniog was 4,875 according to the 2011 demographics, including the close-by village of Llan Ffestiniog, that makes it the 4th most populous neighborhood in Gwynedd, after Bangor, Caernarfon, and also Llandeiniolen. Llan Ffestiniog's population of 864 places the population of Blaenau itself at around 4,000. Blaenau Ffestiniog was at one-time the 2nd biggest community in North Wales, behind only Wrexham. After getting to 12,000 at the peak growth of the slate sector, the population dropped with the decline in the need for its slate. Today the town counts heavily on visitors, who come for tourist attractions that consist of the nearby Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. As the slate industry declined, the population of Blaenau Ffestiniog has also decreased, to 4,875 in 2011. At the same time the tourist sector has actually come to be the town's biggest employer. The restored Ffestiniog Railway as well as the Llechwedd Slate Caverns are prominent traveler attractions, as is the Antur Stiniog downhill mountain cycling centre. Current destinations include the Zip World Titan zip-line site, which also currently features the Bounce Below slate mine task centre.
