Biggar is a town and former burgh in South Lanarkshire. It is situated in the Southern Uplands, near the River Clyde, around 30 miles from Edinburgh along the A702. The closest towns are Lanark and Peebles, and as such Biggar serves a wide rural area. The population of the town is around 2,000.

Blantyre  is a burgh in South Lanarkshire with a population of about 17,000. It is bounded by the River Clyde to the north, the Rotten Calder to the west, the Park Burn to the east and the Rotten Burn to the south. It is best known as the birthplace of David Livingstone, the well-known explorer and missionary who was the first European to see (and name) the Victoria Falls. His former house is now a museum which is at the end of Station Road, on the banks of the River Clyde. Also nearby is Bothwell Castle, dating from the thirteenth century

Cambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, located within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. It is known as "the largest village in Scotland", with a population of around 24,500. The town is located just south of the River Clyde - about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of the centre of Glasgow. It has a long history of coal mining, iron and steel making and ancillary engineering works, most recently Hoover. Small manufacturing businesses continue but most employment comes from the distribution or service industries.

The town of Carluke lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire,  5.4 miles northwest of Lanark and 5 miles South-East of Wishaw. Carluke is largely a commuting town, with a variety of small stores and supermarkets available at its centre. The surrounding villages of Braidwood, Forth, Kilncadzow, and Law are supported by the various shops and services available in Carluke.

East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire. It is Scotland's first new town, and lies on high ground on the south side of the Cathkin Braes, about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Glasgow city centre. The Rotten Calder river flows along the east side of the settlement, northwards toward the River Clyde. The town is also known as the Polo Mint city due to its many roundabouts.
East Kilbride does not lie within the Greater Glasgow urban area,[3] although it does lie within the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area, and it is the second biggest town in Scotland behind Paisley.

Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative center of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth largest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld, and is situated 12 miles (19.3 km) south-east of Glasgow, and 35 miles (56.3 km) south-west of Edinburgh on the south bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the Avon Water. Hamilton was the county town of Lanarkshire.

Larkhall is a town in South Lanarkshire, and is around 18 miles southeast of Glasgow. Larkhall sits on high ground between the River Clyde to the East and the Avon Water to the West. Larkhall sits on the edge of the scenic Clyde valley and is rapidly turning into a commuter town for Glasgow. The town is noted for its support of Glasgow Rangers. Larkhall had a population of 15,549 recorded in the 2001 census, and is a typical west of Scotland industrial town.

Rutherglen is a town in South Lanarkshire. Rutherglen comes from the Gaelic An Ruadh Ghleann, meaning "the red valley". In 1975, it lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow. In 1996 Rutherglen was reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area.  It was a centre of heavy industry, having a long coal mining tradition which died out by 1950, and was until the 1960s home to the infamous White's chemical works, which was responsible for huge swathes of the area from southern Glasgow across to the town of Cambuslang being polluted with chromium waste. Rutherglen, and most of the towns encircling the city, are now dormitory suburbs of Glasgow. Rutherglen had a population of 25,500 recorded in the 2001 census