Editing Dumfries (section)

==Economy==
Dumfries has a long history as a [[county town]], and as the [[market town]] of a surrounding rural hinterland.  
The [[North British Rubber Company]] started manufacturing in 1946 at Heathhall on the former site of the [[Arrol-Johnston]] Motor Company which was said to be the most advanced light engineering factory of its day in Scotland. It became [[Uniroyal]] Ltd in the 1960s and was where the [[Hunter Boot]] and Powergrip [[Toothed belt|engine timing belts]] were manufactured. In 1987 it changed name to the British subsidiary of the [[Gates Rubber Company]] and later was known as Interfloor from 2002 until the factory closed in 2013.

Dumfries is a relatively prosperous community but the town centre has been exposed to the centrifugal forces that have seen retail, business, educational, residential and other uses gravitate towards the town's urban fringe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/Dumgal/Documents.aspx?id=12338|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215015236/http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/Dumgal/Documents.aspx?id=12338|url-status=dead|title=DGC -Document: Dumfries Town Centre Urban Design Strategy – Part 1|archive-date=15 February 2008}}</ref> This was started in the 1980s with the building of the Dumfries bypass. The immediate effect of this was as intended the diversion of transiting traffic away from the town centre. This brought with it an accompanying reduction in economic input to the town centre. The second effect of this has been more pronounced. Sites close to the bypass have attracted development to utilise the bypass as a high speed urban highway without the bottlenecks of the town centre and without the constraining limited town centre parking.

In a bid to re-stimulate development in Dumfries town centre, both economically and in a social context, several strategies have been proposed by the controlling authorities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 August 2011 |title=MiniWeb: Regeneration & Europe – Dumfries Town Centre |url=http://www.dumfriesregeneration.co.uk |access-date=24 August 2011 |publisher=Dumfriesregeneration.co.uk}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

As the largest settlement in Southern Scotland, Dumfries is recognised as a centre for visiting surrounding points of interest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dumfries Travel Guide |url=http://www.scottishholidays.net/visit/scotland-tour-dumfries-dumfries.html |access-date=24 August 2011 |publisher=Scottishholidays.net}}</ref> The following are all within easy reach:

* [[Ae, Dumfries and Galloway|Ae village]] and [[forest of Ae|forest]]
* [[Caerlaverock Castle]]<ref name="autogenerated2" />
* [[Criffel]] – a hill on the Solway Coast popular with hill walkers for its views of the Southern Scottish coastline and across the [[Solway Firth]] to the [[Lake District]] of [[Cumbria]]
* [[Drumlanrig Castle]]<ref name="autogenerated2" />
* [[Ecclefechan]] – [[Thomas Carlyle]]'s birthplace "The Arched House" is a tourist attraction and has been maintained by the [[National Trust for Scotland]] since 1936.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> Ecclefechan lies at the foot of the large [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] Fort, Burnswark, which dominates the horizon with its flat top.
* [[Glencaple Quay]] - Old harbour, restaurant, shop and views of the River Nith.
* [[Gretna Green]] and the Old Blacksmith's Shop famous for [[elopement|runaway marriages]].<ref name="autogenerated2" />
* [[John Paul Jones Cottage Museum]] – The traditional Scottish cottage in which [[John Paul Jones]] was born in 1747.<ref>{{Cite web |last=David Lockwood |date=16 December 2010 |title=John Paul Jones a brief biography |url=http://www.jpj.demon.co.uk/jpjlife.htm |access-date=24 August 2011 |publisher=Jpj.demon.co.uk}}</ref>
* [[Kingholm Quay]] - 18th century harbour, on the east side of the River Nith, that once served the town.
* [[Laghall Quay]] - 18th century harbour, on the west side of the River Nith, A pleasant walk to the site and views of the Nith and Kingholm Quay.
* [[Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre]] was the first [[Tibetan Buddhist]] Centre to have been established in the West. It is a centre within the [[Karma Kagyu]] tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It is in the village of [[Eskdalemuir]] in the Scottish Southern Uplands<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre |url=http://www.samyeling.org/ |access-date=24 August 2011 |publisher=Samyeling.org}}</ref>
* [[Lochmaben]] with its lochs popular with boaters and also its history with Robert the Bruce
* [[Mabie, Dumfries and Galloway|Mabie Forest]] – popular destinations for outdoor recreation such as mountain bike and walking
* Moffat and the views nearby of The [[Devil's Beef Tub]], The [[Grey Mare's Tail, Moffat Hills|Grey Mare's Tail]] waterfall and the [[A708 road|A708]] from Moffat past the Grey Mare's Tail to [[St Mary's Loch]].
* [[Moniaive]] conservation village
* [[New Abbey]] Corn Mill Museum and [[Sweetheart Abbey]]<ref name="autogenerated2" />
* [[Solway Coast]]
* [[Threave Castle]] in [[Castle Douglas]], Built in the 1370s by Archibald the Grim, 3rd Earl of Douglas. Now a ruin, it was a stronghold of the "Black Douglases", Earls of Douglas and Lords of Galloway, until their fall in 1455.
* [[Twynholm]] and the [[David Coulthard]] Museum.<ref name="autogenerated2" />
* [[Wanlockhead]] – Britain's highest village registered at {{convert|1531|ft|m}} above sea level and the Lead Mining Museum<ref name="autogenerated2" />