You might think a city needs a big population, skyscrapers, or at least a drive-thru Starbucks. But in the UK, the rules are wonderfully weird. A place officially becomes a city only if the monarch gives it a royal charter—usually because it has a cathedral, a university, or a history of being very fancy. St Davids has a stunning cathedral and a history stretching back 1,500 years, so it’s basically the cool grandma of UK cities.
To put its size in perspective: more people live in my apartment building in London than in all of St Davids. (Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but only slightly.) You can walk the entire city center in under fifteen minutes, and you’ll still have time to buy a Welsh cake on your way out.
But Isn’t There a Tinier One?
Ah, you’re sharp! Some folks argue that City of London—the financial district—has fewer residents (around 8,000), but it’s technically a part of Greater London, not a standalone city. Others point to Wells in Somerset, which has about 10,000 people and a very famous clock. But pop quiz: Wells is the second-smallest city in England, not the UK. St Davids is the undisputed smallest city in the entire United Kingdom. It’s like the Chihuahua of cities: tiny, energetic, and impossible to ignore once you see it.
St Davids is so small that its local pub probably knows your order before you walk in. The city has a population density of about 450 people per square mile—compared to London’s 14,000. You could literally sneeze and miss the city limits. One local joke says you can “go for a coffee and meet your entire city council.”
St Davids - The Smallest City in the UK - YouTube
