Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay. Wick Locality had a population of 7,333 at the time of the 2001 census. The name Wick appears to be from a Norse word, vik, meaning bay or inlet. Hence the Vikings (vik-ingas) were "the people of the fjords".
Pulteneytown, which was developed on the south side of the river by the British Fisheries Society during the 19th century, was officially merged into the burgh in 1902.
The town is on the main highway (the A99-A9 road) linking John o' Groats with southern Britain. The Far North railway line links Wick railway station with southern Scotland and with Thurso, the other burgh of Caithness. Wick Airport is on Wick's northern outskirts. The airport has two usable runways. A third is derelict.
The main offices of The John O'Groat Journal and The Caithness Courier are located in Wick, as are Caithness General Hospital, the Wick Carnegie Library and local offices of the Highland Council. Wick Sheriff Court is one of 16 sheriff courts serving the sheriffdom of Grampian, Highland and Islands.
Wick's history stretches back, at least, to the era of Norwegian rule rule in Caithness, which ended, conclusively, in 1266's Treaty of Perth. The Castle of Old Wick is situated approximately 2 kilometres south-east of the town on the North Sea coast.
