Newtownards
Newtownards is a large town, townland and civil parish within County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, to the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town inside the Borough of Ards. As reported by the 2001 Census, it provides a populace of 27,821 individuals in 11,502 homes, positioning it in the "large town" class. Around 86 percent of the population is from a Protestant background and nine percent from a Catholic background. It is identified colloquially by locals as "Ards".