Port Talbot, Industrial town in South Wales, United Kingdom
Port Talbot is a town on Swansea Bay in South Wales, with a harbor and a large steelworks to the east. Streets spread between the coastal strip and wooded hillsides behind it, where residential areas extend into gentle valleys.
The original settlement was called Aberafan and stood at the mouth of the river Afan. In 1837, the Talbot family built new dock facilities, which helped the town grow and gave it its current name.
The name comes from the Talbot family, who developed the port facilities in the 19th century and shaped the town's modern identity. Some streets and older buildings still reflect the mining era, when workers moved here from the valleys inland.
The town works as a base for trips along the coast or into the Welsh valleys, with bus routes and rail connections linking several destinations. Central streets and shopping areas are walkable, though some hillside roads involve steeper slopes.
The town holds two museums that show mining and industrial history, including collections on colliery work and carved stones from the region. The steelworks sits so close to residential streets that you can see the plant from several roads.
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