Demography
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Slough became a haven for unemployed Welsh people, who walked up the Great West Road looking for employment.
The town had the following demographics as of 2009 : 57.2% White British, 1.6% White Irish, 5.5% White Other, 2.9% Mixed Race, 25.7 % British Asian, 5.1% Black British, 2.1% Chinese and other In the post-war years, immigrants from the Commonwealth, notably Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, India and Pakistan were attracted to the town.
In the early 1950s, there were a number of Polish refugee camps scattered around the Slough area. As returning to Poland (then in the Soviet Bloc) was not considered an option by many of the wartime refugees, many Polish families decided to settle in Slough, an expanding town seeking committed workers and offering a chance to own homes for those prepared to work hard. In time, a Polish-speaking Roman Catholic Parish was established with its own church building. A new wave of Polish migration to Slough has followed since Poland became part of the European Union.
Slough Council made history by electing the country's first black female mayor, Lydia Simmons, in 1984.
Slough has the highest percentage of Sikh residents in the country, according to the latest national census figures (2001). Sikh residents make up 9.1% of Slough’s population, more than any other local authority. Slough also has the highest percentage of Muslim (13.4%) and Hindu residents (4.5%) in the South East region.
Slough's transport links make it a suitable location for those working in London, but looking for more affordable accommodation; as such it attracts a large number of young professionals and families.
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