Loughborough ( or ) is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and home to Loughborough University. The town had a population of 57,600 in 2004, making it the largest settlement in Leicestershire outside the city of Leicester. The town is close to the Nottinghamshire border and is within a short distance of locations such as Nottingham, the East Midlands Airport and Derby.