Chorley is a
market town in
Lancashire, in
North West England. It is the largest settlement in the
Borough of Chorley. Chorley is located north of
Wigan south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton south of
Preston and north west of
Manchester. As in much of Lancashire, the town's wealth came principally from the
cotton industry, although it also became a major market town due to its central location between four other towns. As recently as the 1970s the skyline was dominated by numerous factory chimneys, but most have now been demolished: remnants of the industrial past include Morrison's chimney and a few other mill buildings, and the streets of terraced houses for mill workers. Chorley is the home of the
Chorley cake. Chorley's population increased from 31,556 in 2001 to 34,667 in 2011.