Coordinates: 52°45′36″N 1°56′20″W / 52.7599°N 1.9388°W / 52.7599; -1.9388
Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent, and is situated between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter. The population at the 2001 census was 22,724, (including the Brereton and Etchinghill wards). increasing to 24,033 at the 2011 Census.
Rugeley is twinned with Western Springs, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in the United States. A local school in Rugeley, Western Springs Primary, was named in celebration of this.
The town, historically known as Rudgeley or Ridgeley, is listed in the Domesday Book. This name is thought to be derived from 'Ridge lee', or 'the hill over the field'. In the mediaeval period, it thrived on iron workings and was also a site of glass manufacturing. During the Industrial Revolution the economy of Rugeley benefited from the construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal and then from it becoming a junction on the railway network.