[5] An engraving of the town in 1818 is described as showing a place which was "distinctly Arcadian, reminiscent of a landscape by Claude sprinkled with civilised Georgian architecture".
[7] Initially copper ore was imported from Cornwall, Cardiganshire and Ireland, but by the 1820s Swansea was receiving shipments from as far afield as South America, Africa and Australia.
However, the Welsh tinplate industry was dependent on exporting to the American market, and suffered serious implications from the imposition of the McKinley tariff in 1890.
Today, the most important economic sectors in the City and County of Swansea are: public administration, education and health (38.3% of local jobs); distribution, hotels and restaurants (24.2%); and banking, finance and insurance (19.9%).
[10] Major employers in Swansea include manufacturing facilities operated by 3M UK plc, Alberto-Culver, Bemis, International Rectifier, Morganite Electrical Carbon, and Pure Wafer.
Major service sector employers include Admiral Insurance, Electronic Data Systems (EDS), NTL, BT Group, Conduit, Tesco and South West Wales Publications.
Surveys show that annual full-time gross median earnings for Swansea residents (£21,577) are lower than the UK average.
Low demand prevents speculative development of new commercial premises, which has created a vicious circle of city centre decline.
Proposals include 600,000 sq ft (56,000 m2) of additional retail space, 1,000 residential units and new leisure, office, hotel and conference facilities.