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Situated about eight miles south-east of the Glasgow city centre, East Kilbride is separated from Glasgow by a mile and a half of the green belt.

The town is known as the first, the most populous, and one of the most successful of Scotland's new towns.

As recently as the end of World War II, East Kilbride was a village of only about three thousand residents. Growing rapidly since it now has a population of about seventy-five thousand. Thus far, the area of its original village is clearly identifiable, and the major developments of the new town are within walking distance of the older village.

The area has been inhabited for a long time, however. There are indications of human occupation as far back as the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age.

East Kilbride takes its name from an Irish saint by the name of Saint Bride (Brigit), who may have founded a monastery for nuns and monks in this area during the 6th century. Dál Riatan monks later introduced her order to Scotland.

The anglicisation Kil is rooted in early Celtic monastics that Sain Brigit is representative of. In modern Gaelic, Cille Bhrìghde translates to "the clients or companions of Brigit," and may be interpreted as either the "cell," "church," or "burial place" dedicated to Bride. As the Céilí Dé were monastics, it was likely a reference to the monastic cell.

Another tradition is that the site of East Kilbride was dedicated to the Celtic goddess Brigid, whose traditions were continued through reverence for Saing Brigid by the Catholic Church.

Early Scottish Christian settlements commonly consisted of small pagan communities converted to Christianity, often incorporating pagan buildings in Christian worship.

The village became East Kilbride when it was designated as Scotland's First New Town in 1947, to differentiate it from West Kilbride, a separate town in North Ayrshire, south-west of Glasgow. The New Town designation was intended to alleviate overpopulation in nearby Glasgow and other cities.

The planned town was subdivided into residential precincts, each with its own local shops, primary schools, and community facilities. The housing areas surround the shopping centre, which is bound by a circular (ring) road, while industrial areas are restricted to the outskirts of the town in the northern, western, and south-eastern parts of East Kilbride.

East Kilbride is connected to the Glasgow City Centre by road and rail. Three main roads connect the town with the Glasgow suburbs.

The town is home to several churches and schools, as well as South Lanarkshire College, which was founded in 1948.

This portion of our web guide is focused on the Scottish town of East Kilbride. Governmental agencies, schools, churches or other places of worship, museums, art galleries, parks, entertainment venues, and recreational facilities in East Kilbride, as well as local restaurants, bars, shops, and other businesses and organizations within the town, are appropriate for this category or its subcategories.

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