Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, lying at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf. In 2001, Maesteg had a population of 17,859. The urban statistical area, including Llangynwyd, had a population of 20,685. Historically a part of Glamorgan, the growth of the town started with the opening of ironworks in the 1820s and 1830s. Once a coal mining area, the last pit closed in 1985, and since then Maesteg has become a dormitory town for the steel works at Port Talbot.