Esslingen was occupied by 

U.S. troops starting in April 1945, at the very end of World War II. During
the war the city suffered very little damage, and it was peaceably surrendered to the approaching
allied forces, thus the medieval character of its city center has been mostly preserved.
After the Second World War about 47,000 people moved to Esslingen, mostly refugees and
displaced persons from East Germany. Housing developments in Oberesslingen and Zollberg were
created to overcome the shortage of housing.
In 1973 Nürtingen district was merged with Esslingen am Neckar, making Esslingen the seat of a
much enlarged district.
Largest groups of immigrants by 31.12.2020 :
 Turkey 4,182

 Greece 3,030

 Italy 2,051

 Croatia 1,711

 Romania 1,248

 Syria 1,102

 Kosovo 784

 Poland 713

 Bosnia and Herzegovina 708

 Serbia 472

Transport[edit]
Air transport[edit]
Stuttgart Airport, the largest airport in Baden-Württemberg, is located in the Esslingen District,
roughly ten kilometers south of the town, on the border with the town of Leinfelden-Echterdingen. A
plane owned by Lufthansa has been named after the town.
The junction on the Bundesautobahn 8 Karlsruhe-Munich which serves Esslingen is just after the
airport when traveling towards Munich.

Road Transport[edit]
Esslingen is directly on the B10 State Highway which runs as a dual carriageway
from Stuttgart to Süßen, and continues onward to Ulm. The exit for Esslingen, just after the B10
passes under the ancient Pliensau Bridge, is particularly unusual, because in the direction of Ulm
there are two entry and exit points to the dual carriageway. This makes it is possible to reach the
center of Esslingen directly from Stuttgart, and to drive from central Esslingen directly onto the Dual
Carriageway in the direction of Ulm without having to pass traffic lights.
Despite the six to eight lanes on the new Pliensau Bridge and the surrounding roads, the
infrastructure around Pliensauvorstadt and the route to Zollberg still suffers from frequent
congestion.
Esslingen is also on the German Timber-Frame Road.