In Record Turnout Demographics Shape Scotland's Emphatic No Vote
Rural areas, far-flung islands, and industrial cities the Yes side needed to win all voted to stay in the U.K.
The dream of Scottish independence died at 6:17 a.m. (BST), when an exhausted Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the moving force behind independence, conceded defeat.
"I accept the verdict of the people," he told a crowd of tearful supporters. "And I call on all the people of Scotland to follow suit."
The final tally, delivered by chief counting officer Mary Pitcaithly, was 55.4 percent for No and 44.6 for Yes.
It was the end of a boisterous and sometimes rancorous two-year campaign that engaged Scotland and the rest of the British Isles like no other political issue since the end of World War II.
"It's fantastic," said Hamish McArthur, a retired chemical engineer, who spent the past month
