The estate was built between the 1920s and 1960s in stages. The most common form of housing was in cottage flats and 2-4 storey tenements. There were also 207 flats in deck access blocks also ranging from 2-4 storeys in height. In total, 3,500 houses were built and population peaked at 13,500 in the 1960s. By 1990, around half of Ferguslie Park was either unoccupied or demolished with a population of only 5600 and a 12% vacancy rate. The crime and drugs problem was well reported in the media and led to the stigmatisation of the residents, locally referred to as 'Fegz', that remained.