Limavady, town and former district (1973–2015) within the former County Londonderry, now part of the Causeway Coast and Glens district, northern Northern Ireland. Limavady town is on the River Roe 17 miles (27 km) east of the old city of Londonderry (Derry). Its name, meaning “the dog’s leap,” is derived from a gorge south of town over which a dog of ancient times carried a message of impending danger. Limavady dates from the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century; it was settled by Protestant Scots, who built the town’s numerous Georgian homes and archways. Services, manufacturing, construction, and tourism are the main economic activities of the region.
The former district of Limavady was south of Lough (inlet of the sea) Foyle and was bordered by the former districts of Londonderry to the west, Strabane and Magherafelt to the south, and Coleraine to the east. The glacially scoured Sperrin Mountains of southern Limavady descend to rolling hills and fertile lowlands in the valley of the River Roe in the centre of the district and then to the flat shores of Lough Foyle in the north. Area former district, 240 square miles (622 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 12,075; (2011) town, 12,047.