page_title: Blairgowrie and Rattray
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Blairgowrie and Rattray / Economy
context_page_description: Blairgowrie and Rattray is a twin burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Locals refer to the town as "Blair". Blairgowrie is the larger of the two former burghs which were united by an Act of Parliament in 1928 and lies on the southwest side of the River Ericht while Rattray is on the northeast side. Rattray claims to be the older and certainly Old Rattray, the area round Rattray Kirk, dates back to the 12th century. New Rattray, the area along the Boat Brae and Balmoral Road dates from 1777 when the River was spanned by the Brig o' Blair. The town lies on the north side of Strathmore at the foot of the Grampian Mountains. The west boundary is formed by the Knockie, a round grassy hill, and Craighall Gorge on the Ericht. Blairgowrie and Rattray developed over the centuries at the crossroads of several historic routes with links from the town to Perth, Coupar Angus, Alyth and Braemar. The roads to Coupar Angus and Braemar form part of General Wade's military road from Perth to Fort George. The town's centrepiece is the Wellmeadow, a grassy triangle in the middle of town which hosts regular markets and outdoor entertainment.
context_section_description: The surrounding area is still the soft fruit centre of Scotland, and the local population increases greatly in summer when the Eastern European students arrive to harvest the fruit which traditionally consisted of raspberries and strawberries but now includes a wider range with cherries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries etc. The extensive use of poly tunnels and raised beds has greatly extended the growing season with fruit available from May until October.
  Other major industries include Castle Water, Proctor Insulation, Tayside Contracts, Graham Environmental, Davidsons chemist headquarters and various fruit processing and freezing plants. The thriving industrial estate on Welton Road is home to many small businesses.
  The town has two main motor dealerships, Balmoral Garage who are Ford dealers and Norman Laing who supply Peugeot plus several independent garages.
  The local weekly newspaper is the Blairgowrie Advertiser, locally known as "the Blairie", which is now produced and printed in Perth by Trinity Mirror Group.  The Blairie has a long history and was originally produced and printed in the old printworks in Reform Street where the original print machines are still mothballed.
  There are regular Saturday outdoor markets in the Wellmeadow with stalls offering local produce and crafts.
  Blairgowrie has a thriving town centre with an unusually wide range of independent shops, craft workshops, restaurants and pubs.  National retailers include Tesco, Sainsbury's, Co-op, M&Co and The Angus Hotel and Royal Hotel cater for local customers, tourists and a large number of bus parties who find the town an ideal touring base.
caption: Entrance to Wellmeadow
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