Porthmadog, United Kingdom

Porthmadog lies in Eifionydd, on the estuary of the afon Glaslyn, where it runs into Tremadog Bay. The estuary, filled with sediment deposited by rivers emptying from the melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age, is a haven for migrating birds. Oystercatchers, redshanks and curlews are common, as are summer flocks of sandwich terns. To the west looms Moel y Gest, rising 863 feet (263 m) above the town as a Marilyn.

The town's temperate maritime climate is influenced by the Gulf Stream. The nearest weather station is at Cwmystradllyn. The highest temperature recorded since 1993 was 35.3 °C (95.5 °F) on 19 July 2022 and the lowest was −11.5 °C (11.3 °F) on 6 January 2009.

Borth-y-Gest, which lies 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Porthmadog, is built in a shallow bowl sweeping down to a sheltered bay, with hidden sandy coves and cliffs. Ships were built here before Porthmadog was established and houses, still known as "pilot houses", were erected at the mouth of the harbour so that pilots could watch for ships needing them. The village and its rows of Victorian houses have retained much of its atmosphere and charm. Stryd Mersey leads up from the bay, flanked by terraced cottages.

At the 2001 census, 44.3% of the working-age population were employed, 11.5% self-employed, 5.3% unemployed and 20.4% retired. Of the employed, 33.0% worked in the distribution, hotel and catering trades and 23.5% in public administration, education and health.

Porthmadog expanded rapidly as a slate-exporting port. Slate had already reached King's Lynn and the Port of Wisbech by 1830 and was shipped further inland in barges for use in late Georgian era development. Welsh slate was also in high demand as a construction material in the English industrial cities and transported to the new port by horse-drawn tramways. The Ffestiniog Railway, opened in 1836 as a gravity railway with horses hauling empty slate waggons back up to the quarries, was converted to steam operation in 1863; trains ran straight onto the wharves. By 1873, 116,000 tons (117,800 t) of slate were being shipped out of Porthmadog and other trade developed. The Carnarvonshire and Merionethshire Steamship Company formed in 1864 purchased the Rebecca to carry stores from Liverpool to supply the growing town.

Porthmadog chamberlains a mainly Welsh-speaking community: 74.9% of the inhabitants speak it regularly. The highest proportion of Welsh speakers is in the 10–14 age range, at 96.3%. Almost all community activities are held in Welsh. Porthmadog hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1987.

Y Ganolfan on Stryd Fawr, built in 1975, is a venue for concerts, exhibitions and other community events. It has also hosted televised wrestling matches.

Porthmadog Maritime Museum on Oakley Wharf occupies an old slate shed. It has displays of schooners built in the town and the men who sailed them.

The bilingual Ysgol Eifion Wyn in Stryd Fawr, named after a local poet, Eliseus Williams (Eifion Wyn), has 204 pupils. It moved into new premises in 2003. There are units for children with special educational needs or with language difficulties. At the last school inspection by Estyn in 2004, 9% of pupils were entitled to free school meals and 72% came from homes where Welsh was the main spoken language.

Ysgol Borth-y-Gest in Stryd Mersey, Borth-y-Gest, is the smallest of the three with 70 pupils. A 2009 report by Cyngor Gwynedd, Excellent Primary Education For Children In Gwynedd, set out the future for county primary schools. That of Ysgol Borth-y-Gest, built in 1880, had been in doubt. In 2006, at the last inspection by Estyn, 3% of pupils were entitled to free school meals and 20% came from homes where Welsh was the main spoken language.

Ysgol y Gorlan, in Tremadog, has 122 pupils. When Estyn last inspected in 2008, 10% of pupils were entitled to free school meals and some 50% came from homes where Welsh was the main spoken language.

Ysgol Eifionydd in Stryd Fawr is a bilingual comprehensive school for ages 11–16, founded in about 1900. It has 484 pupils. At the last Estyn inspection in 2006, 8% of pupils were entitled to free school meals and Welsh was the main home spoken language of about 50%; 1% had an ethnic minority background.