[13] Even today the wolf appears with a goshawk on the council's coat of arms along with the recently chosen[14] motto: "Steadfast as the Rock".

[18][19]: 7  However, in a comprehensive survey of the evidence in 2017, Thomas Owen Clancy showed that a Brittonic etymology is unlikely, and derived the name from Gaelic srib-linn, meaning "pool in the river".

South of the city, the King's Park prehistoric carvings (cup and ring marks) can still be found, these date to c 3000 BC.

Control of the bridge brought military advantage in times of unrest and excise duty, or pontage dues,[32] in peacetime.

Unsurprisingly excise men were installed in a covered booth in the centre of the bridge to collect tax from any entering the royal burgh with goods.

[54] Major battles during the Wars of Scottish Independence took place at the Stirling Old Bridge in 1297 and at the nearby village of Bannockburn in 1314 involving Andrew Moray and William Wallace, and Robert the Bruce respectively.

After the Battle of Stirling Bridge, Moray and Wallace wrote to Hanseatic League leaders in Lübeck and Hamburg to encourage trade between Scottish and German ports.

Another important historical site in the area is the ruins of Cambuskenneth Abbey, the resting place of King James III of Scotland and his queen, Margaret of Denmark.

It was rebuilt in the 15th-century after Stirling suffered a catastrophic fire in 1405, and is reputed to be the only surviving church in the United Kingdom apart from Westminster Abbey to have held a coronation.

[62] The death of James V led to the Rough Wooing, a period where Henry VIII of England attempted to marry the infant Mary Queen of Scots to his son.

In the 16th century there were so many Scots in Danzig[67] in Prussia that they had their own church congregation and trade is mentioned with that city in Stirling Council's minutes of 1560.

After the Jacobite threat had faded but before the railways were established, the Highland cattle drovers would use the Auld Brig on their way to market at Falkirk[73] or Stenhousemuir.

[74] Three times a year, tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and ponies were moved together to the trysts in the south with some drovers going as far as Carlisle or even London's Smithfield.

[77] The coming of the railways in 1848 started the decline of the river traffic,[78] not least because the Alloa Swing Bridge downstream restricted access for shipping.

However, with normal shipping lanes open, the growth of the railways including The Forth Rail Bridge, left the harbour uneconomical and by the mid 20th century the port had ceased to operate.

On the other hand, the Carse of Stirling, stretching to the west and east of the city, is one of the flattest and most agriculturally productive expanses of land in the whole of Scotland.

To the east of the city the Ochil Hills dominate the skyline with the highest peak in the range being Ben Cleuch, although Dumyat is more noticeable from Stirling.

The Ochils meet the flat carse (floodplain) of the River Forth to the east of the distinctive geographical feature of Abbey Craig, a crag and tail hill upon which stands the 220 ft (67 m) high National Wallace Monument.

[93] Like most of the United Kingdom, Stirling has an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) with mild summers and cool, wet winters.

Additionally, Stirling had a larger proportion of residents of pensionable age, with 20.41% of the population being 65 or older, compared to the Scottish average of 20.1%.

The financial services and insurance company Scottish Amicable Life Assurance, now part of Prudential, established a large and base at Craigforth on the outskirts of Stirling in the 1970s.

[140] Local bus services to districts within the city are almost completely provided by buses operated by McGill's Scotland East.

Since the Forth is tidal at Stirling, development of pontoon style landing stages could potentially allow river taxis and tourist boats to operate during the summer.

[154] The senior football team, Stirling Albion, play in the Scottish League Two at their home ground at Forthbank Stadium.

[155] In July 2010, the Stirling Albion Supporters' Trust successfully took over the running of the club buying out the long-serving chairman, Peter McKenzie, after 14 months of campaigning.

So were rugby internationals Kenny Logan, Ally Hogg and Alison McGrandles, jockey Willie Carson, and cricketer Dougie Brown.

The University Stirling Wanderers Hockey Club have also moved to a brand new (international standard) pitch at Forthbank for season 2008–09.

[159] Next to this pitch there is also the ground of Stirling County Cricket Club, whose pavilion captured an architectural award in June 2009,[160] three years after its opening.

[166] It has grown into a major research centre, with a large Innovation Park located immediately adjacent to the main university campus.

[167] In January 2008 it was announced that students from Singapore would be able to gain degrees in retail from the University of Stirling in a tie-up with the country's Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP).