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Glasgow
Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotland's largest city and unitary council, situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. People from Glasgow are called Glaswegians. Glaswegian is also the name of the local dialect, commonly known as the Glasgow Patter (see Dialect, below).
The city was formerly a royal burgh, and the "Second City of the British Empire" in the Victorian era, it established itself as a major Atlantic trading port. The Clyde was the World's pre-eminent shipbuilding centre, building many revolutionary and famous vessels such as the Cunard liners Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and the QE2, and the Royal Yacht Britannia.
The city grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to a population of over one million people, peaking at 1,088,000 people in 1931, however with population decline mainly due to the large scale relocation of people to new towns like East Kilbride and Cumbernauld on the outskirts of the city, and successive boundary changes, the current population of Glasgow is 629,501, based on the 2001 census. Approximately 1.1 million people live in the Greater Glasgow conurbation, a 15 mile (24 km) radius from the city centre, known as the city of Glasgow and the Greater Metropolitan area. The surrounding region of Strathclyde (from the Gaelic for "valley of the River Clyde") has a population of over 2.6 million, over half of the whole Scottish population.
Known as the commercial capital of Scotland, the City of Glasgow is a bustling, cosmopolitan city. Glasgow is the third most popular foreign tourist destination in the UK, after Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, which ranks second, and London the UK capital. The city also boasts the UK's largest and most economically important commerce and retail centre outside of London.

The City's Name
It is common to derive the name Glasgow from the older Brythonic glas cau or a Middle Gaelic cognate, which would have meant green hollow. The settlement probably had an earlier Cumbric name, Cathures; the modern name appears for the first time, in the Gaelic period (1116), as "Glasgu". "Dear green place" (Glaschu) has been misquoted as a Gaelic translation for the city, but this was actually Daniel Defoe's description of the city when he visited in the early 18th century; he also claimed that Glasgow was "the paradise of Scotland and one of the cleanliest and best built cities in Britain." Another writer of the time said of the River Clyde: "I have never seen before any river which for natural beauty can stand competition with the Clyde. Never did a stream glide more gracefully to the ocean or through a fairer region." At that time, the city's population numbered approximately 12,000, and its structures largely consisted of compact wooden buildings, none of which remain today.

Climate
Glasgow weather is typical of Scottish weather and often unpredictable.
The summer months (May to September) are often sunny and quite mild. The winds are generally westerly, due to the warm Gulf Stream. The warmest month is usually July, averaging 19°C (66.2°F). However, temperature can change suddenly, and is normally a few degrees colder than southern England. Mornings may be damp and misty, or dreich (a Scottish word for damp and drizzly), but become sunny and warm by afternoon.
Though there are some rainy and windy days, spring (March to May) is fairly mild and is a popular time to visit Glasgow. Many of Glasgow's trees begin to flower at this time of the year and the parks and gardens are filled with spring colour.
Winters are long and damp with few sunny days, but the Gulf Stream ensures that Glasgow stays warmer than other cities at the same latitude. Winds can be chilling and cold, though severe snow falls are infrequent and do not last. December, January and February are the wettest months of the year, but can occasionally be sunny and warm.

History
The area of Glasgow has long been used for settlement due to the River Clyde providing a natural area for fishing. The Romans later settled in the area, however Glasgow proper was not founded until the 6th century by Saint Mungo when he established a church in what is now Glasgow Cathedral.
Glasgow grew over the following centuries, being granted the status of a city, with its cathedral and the founding of the University of Glasgow providing religious and educational status. It was not until the 16th century that Glasgow became prominent in world affairs. The city became a hub of trade to the Americas, especially in the movement of tobacco and sugar. The industries of Scotland produced cotton, coal and iron which were exported. Shipbuilding became a major industry on the Clyde, building many famous ships. By the end of the 19th century the city was known as the "Second City of the Empire" and was producing most of the ships and trains in the world. During this period most of the city's architectural and civic buildings were being funded by its wealth.
The 20th century showed a great decline in the city's fortunes, especially with two world wars and the Great Depression. The city's industries became uncompetitive, leading to high unemployment, urban decay and poor health for the city's inhabitants.
However, by the end of the century there had been a significant resurgence in Glasgow's economic fortunes, with financial companies moving to the city, as well an increase in tourism. The latter due to the legacy of the city's status as European City of Culture in 1990, and the its thriving artistic community. The regeneration of inner-city areas has led to people moving back to living in the centre of Glasgow, although there are still pockets of relative deprivation.

Wikipedia.org