Newtownards
Newtownards is seen as a big town, townland and civil parish inside County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern part of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, around the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town inside the Borough of Ards. Based on the 2001 Census, it features a populace of 27,821 people within 11,502 households, placing it within the "large town" class. About 86 percent of the populace is from a Protestant historical past and nine percent from a Catholic background. It is referred to colloquially by local people as "Ards".