Crawley

Crawley, district (borough) and town, administrative county of West Sussex, southern England. Most of the borough belongs to the historic county of Sussex, but its northern portion is within the historic county of Surrey.

Crawley is an ancient town, having received a charter from King John in 1202, but the remains of this medieval and 18th-century coaching community have been completely engulfed by the planned new town developments, though some medieval buildings have been preserved. The district includes Gatwick Airport, the second major airport serving Greater London. Industrial activity in Crawley include engineering, electrical engineering, printing, plastics, and food processing. Several entertainment and sports complexes are in the district, including the Hawth theatre and arts centre (1988) and the K2 leisure centre (2005). Area district, 17 square miles (45 square km). Pop. (2001) district, 99,744; urban agglom., 180,177; (2011) district, 106,597; urban agglom., 180,508.