Greenock is located in the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is also part of the Glasgow Port and a major entry port for the city of Glasgow. It lies on the south bank of the Clyde at the "Tail of the Bank" where the River Clyde expands into the Firth of Clyde.

Sugar refining began in Greenock in 1765. The most famous of these was Tate & Lyle who were producers in Greenock until 1997. The factory is open to visitors who can see just how sugar is made.Since the closure of the factory building work has been going ahead to restore it to its former glory along side the ever increasingly developing waterfront of the East end of Greenock! Many new and exciting housing projects combining new environmentally friendly technologies along with historically fashioned architecture are restoring Greenock's Waterfront facia to its once glorious former self.