The origin of the name Aberdeen is far from clear. In his book A Thousand Years of Aberdeen, Alexander Keith explains that some Gaelic scholars believe it to come from 'Aber' and 'da-aevin' meaning "the mouth of two rivers". Adding weight to this is the Roman name Devana, which could clearly have come from 'da-aevin'. Others say Aberdeen comes from the mouth of the Don, or from the Norse 'Apardion'.

In its early days Aberdeen consisted of two settlements, one in what is now Old Aberdeen, near St Machar's Cathedral, and another on St Katherine's Hill by the harbour. The town's first charter was granted by William the Lion in 1179.

Aberdeen became a centre of education with the founding of the University of Aberdeen, by Bishop William Elphinstone in 1495.

The shaping of modern Aberdeen began in the latter part of 18th Century. At that time Aberdeen was crowded onto St Katherine's Hill (at the east end of Union Street), above the harbour. Expansion of the city was restricted by the Denburn Valley to the west.

In 1796 Charles Abercrombie - a roads engineer and surveyor - suggested a bold plan - to remove the top of the hill and build a huge viaduct over the valley. This ambitious project began in 1801. The resulting 60-foot wide viaduct was one of the engineering feats of its time and was completed in 1805. It was named Union Street after the union between Britain and Ireland.

It is easy to forget that this street, lined with buildings on both sides, is actually supported on huge granite arches from near the Castlegate to around Crown Street. Only by using the old mediaeval roads on a lower level can you begin to get a concept of the scale. (Look at the arches from Correction Wynd and the green, then view the massive span of Union Bridge over the railway and the culverted Denburn.)

The construction of Union Street was followed by similar viaducts along Union Terrace and Rosemount Viaduct. This opened the whole area to the west and the resulting development probably precipitated the bankruptcy of the city.

It is said this is the root of the mean image the city gained through "music hall" jokes. With the administration bankrupt, influential visitors to Aberdeen had to do without the expected civic reception.

A more recent milestone in the city's development was the discovery of North Sea Oil in 1969 and the development which led to Aberdeen becoming the Energy Capital of Europe. Always an internationally-minded economy, Aberdeen has taken to its new role as a worldwide centre of excellence in this field as in others.

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	AGRICULTURE
Aberdeen Angus	The famous black Aberdeen Angus breed of beef cattle originated in the North East of Scotland.
	GENEALOGY
Aberdeen & North East Scotland Family History Society	Local family history society.
1881 Scottish Census Records	The largest collection of UK family history records online • Most complete UK Census collection available online (1841-1901) • The Scottish 1841-61 Censuses • FREE Birth, Marriage & Death indexes from 1837 to the present day • Over 580+ million records currently online • Parish and probate records dating back to the 1500’s
	FOLKLORE
North East Folklore Archive	Local folklore archive, including music and songs.
	PHOTOGRAPHS
Aberdeen University/George Washington Wilson photographic collection	A collection of photographs by the famous Aberdeen photographic pioneer.
Aberdeen University/Aberdeen Harbour Board photographic archive	Aberdeen Harbour Board photographic archive.