When the 19th century came around, Sunderland was a sprawling, squalid town. It was the first city in Britain to be affected by the cholera pandemic, and its three traditional parish administrations were overwhelmed, leading to the creation of a new combined borough in 1835. In order to deal with the growing population, the city had to make drastic changes, such as the introduction of the railroad.
The city has a long history of immigration. During the early 100s, it was known as Soender-land, but the city has welcomed many refugees since. In fact, the city has resettled over 2000 refugees from twenty-four countries, with most of them coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq. Despite the city's history of welcoming refugees, the current demographic is aging.
As a coastal city, Sunderland has an interesting history. It was once an important port for coal trading. Today, the city's economy is centered on automotive and science industries. Its population was 174,286 as of 2011. The city is primarily White British, with approximately three percent Asian and one percent black. Although Sunderland was once a coal-producing town, the area has now developed as a modern-day industrial center.
There are several notable buildings in Sunderland. The Sunderland College has established a "Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy" to train local people to develop modern building methods. The City Council is now requiring the use of modern construction methods when selling land for new housing. And the council is now committed to bringing the city a thriving city centre. Aside from that, Sunderland is home to Nissan's car manufacturing plant.