III.

Population and Administration

The population of the county is 148,565 (2001). The county has become a favourite retirement area as well as a residential area for commuters from Merseyside, on the other side of the Dee estuary. Because of this, Flintshire has become greatly anglicized, and consequently has a fairly low percentage of Welsh speakers; according to the 2001 census the figure is around 21 per cent. The main towns are Mold (population, 1991, 8,745), which is the administrative centre, Buckley (1991, 17,753), Connah's Quay (1991, 14,443), and Flint (1991, 11,737).

There is a Crown Court in Mold. The police authority is the North Wales Police, which has its headquarters in Colwyn Bay, in Conwy unitary authority.