Bridgend

Bridgend, town, administrative centre of Bridgend borough, south Wales. Bridgend lies in a valley surrounded by low-lying hills. The rivers Llynfi, Garw, and Ogmore meet at Bridgend, and then continue as the Ogmore on into the Bristol Channel. The traditional south Wales industries of coal mining and metal manufacturing, once the mainstay of the Bridgend economy, have now largely disappeared, and employment is mainly provided by the service sector, which includes distribution, hotel and catering, transport and communication, finance, education, and health. There is a little agriculture, and some light manufacturing and engineering. It is the main retail centre for the immediate area, with a range of shops including an indoor market and a nearby outlet village.

Bridgend originally developed as a market town, growing from the twin villages of Oldcastle and Newcastle on the River Ogmore. During the 19th century, with the development of mining in south Wales for coal and ores, it became an important distribution centre for the mining valleys to the north.