Ayr

Ayr Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Àir[1] Scots: Ayr[2]
Administrative centre and town
Skyline of Ayr town centre Ayr Town Hall Pavilion building and Place De Saint-Germain-en-Laye fountain Burns Cottage Wellington Square Gardens Coat of Arms
Coat of arms of Ayr
Ayr Location within South Ayrshire Council area Show map of South Ayrshire Ayr Location within Scotland Show map of Scotland Ayr Location within South Ayrshire Show map of South Ayrshire
Population	46,260 (2020)[3]
Urban	62,270
OS grid reference	NS 33853 21445
• Edinburgh	66 mi (106 km)
• London	330 mi (530 km)
Council area	South Ayrshire
Lieutenancy area	Ayrshire and Arran
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	AYR
Postcode district	KA6-KA8
Dialling code	01292
UK Parliament	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (Scottish National Party – Allan Dorans)
Scottish Parliament	Ayr (SNP – Siobhian Brown)
List of places UK Scotland 55°27′29″N 4°37′44″W / 55.458°N 4.629°W / 55.458; -4.629

Ayr (/ɛər/ AIR; Scots: Ayr; Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population of 46,982, Ayr is the 15th largest settlement in Scotland and second largest town in Ayrshire by population. The town is contiguous with the smaller town of Prestwick to the north. Ayr submitted unsuccessful bids for city status in 2000^[4] and 2002,^[5] and as part of the wider South Ayrshire area in 2022.^[6]

Ayr was established as a Royal Burgh in 1205 and is the county town of Ayrshire. It served as Ayrshire's central marketplace and harbour throughout the medieval period^[7] and was a port during the early modern period.^[7] On the southern bank of the River Ayr sits the ramparts of a citadel constructed by Oliver Cromwell's men during the mid-17th century. Towards the south of the town is the birthplace of Scottish poet Robert Burns in the suburb of Alloway. Ayr has been a popular tourist resort since the expansion of the railway in 1840 owing to the town's fine beach and its links to golfing and Robert Burns.

Ayr is one of the largest retail centres in the south of Scotland and was recognised as the second healthiest town centre in the United Kingdom by the Royal Society for Public Health in 2014. Ayr has hosted the Scottish Grand National horseracing steeplechase annually since 1965 and the Scottish International Airshow annually since 2014. The town also accommodates the headquarters of the Ayr Advertiser and Ayrshire Post newspapers.