The modern borough of Walsall comprises the large industrial town of Walsall along with the formerly independent Black Country towns of Willenhall and Darlaston which merged with their larger neighbour during the 1960s. The borough was again expanded in the early 1970s to incorporate a number of Staffordshire villages to the north and east including Aldridge and Brownhills.
Despite almost half a century together many of the districts of Walsall have strong individual characters and traditional identities of their own. In terms of topography Walsall can be described as a borough of two halves with its western areas being typical of the Black Country hinterland where people and industry coexisted close together as a result of the sporadic growth of the late 19th century. Here the townscape is densely urban where old industrial districts radiate out from the centre and merge into one another. The eastern portion of the borough is much more suburban in character and includes historic agricultural and mining villages that were vastly expanded with new housing in the mid to late 20th century to house an overspill population from the older urban areas. To the south east of the borough around Barr Beacon the character is semi-rural with swathes of traditional agricultural land preserved as part of the greenbelt which divides Walsall from the Birmingham area to the south east.
The town of Walsall forms the majority and central area of the modern borough, and with a population of almost 200,000 is one of the largest towns in the United Kingdom to lack city status. Central Walsall functions as the 'city centre' for the surrounding districts and is home to Walsall Council and various cultural, leisure, health and educational institutions. It is also the location of the borough's main shopping, office and nightlife districts plus rail and public transport hubs.
In common with many other large industrial towns in central and northern England, Walsall suffered significant economic decline in the late 20th century as many industries and the jobs they provided moved abroad or elsewhere. As a result the town has had to reinvent itself for the 21st century and has been the subject of extensive regeneration with the service sector and public services increasingly replacing a declining traditional industrial base.
