Darwen is a
market town and
civil parish located in
Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour,
Blackburn, it forms the Borough of
Blackburn with Darwen — a
unitary authority area. It is known locally as "Darren" or in quick speech (throughout Lancashire), as "Daa(r)n," or "Darun" or most commonly "Daaa-win," and its residents are known as "Darreners" or "Daane(r)s." The main road through Darwen is the
A666 towards Blackburn to the north and Bolton to the south, and ultimately at the
Pendlebury boundary with
Irlams o' th' Height where it joins the
A6, about north-west of
Manchester. Darwen's population decreased to 28,046 in 2011 and is made up of five wards.