Product Code Database
North Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in Northern England.The unitary authority areas of York and North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and the Humber, and Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees are in North East England. It is bordered by County Durham to the north, the North Sea to the east, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the south-east, South Yorkshire to the south, West Yorkshire to the south-west, and Cumbria and Lancashire to the west.
The county is the largest in England by land area, at , and had an estimated population of in . Middlesbrough and Redcar are located in the north-east of the county and form part of the Teesside conurbation, which extends into County Durham. The city of York is located in the south. The remainder of the county is rural, and its settlements include Harrogate in the south-west, the city of Ripon near the centre, and Scarborough on the coast in the east. For local government purposes the county comprises the unitary authority areas of North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, York, and part of Stockton-on-Tees. The local authorities of York and North Yorkshire form a combined authority of the same name, and the local authorities of the other three areas are part of the Tees Valley Combined Authority. The county was historically part of Yorkshire.
The centre of the county contains a wide plain, called the Vale of Mowbray in the north and Vale of York in the south. The North York Moors uplands lie to the east, and south of them the Vale of Pickering is separated from the main plain by the Howardian Hills. Further east, the county has a coastline on the North Sea. The west of the county contains the Yorkshire Dales, an extensive upland area which contains the source of the River Ouse/River Ure and many of its tributaries, which together drain most of the county before reaching the Humber estuary in the south. The Dales also contain the county's highest point, Whernside, at .
North Yorkshire contains several major rivers. The River Tees is the most northerly, forming part of the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham in its lower reaches and flowing east through Teesdale before reaching the North Sea near Redcar. The Yorkshire Dales are the source of many of the county's major rivers, including the River Aire, River Lune, River Ribble, River Swale, River Ure, and River Wharfe. The Aire, Swale, and Wharfe are tributaries of the Ure/Ouse, which at long is the sixth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river is called the Ure until it meets Ouse Gill beck just below the village of Great Ouseburn, where it becomes the Ouse and flows south before exiting the county near Goole and entering the Humber estuary. The North York Moors are the catchment for a number of rivers: the Leven which flows north into the Tees between Yarm and Ingleby Barwick; the Esk flows east directly into the North Sea at Whitby as well as the Rye (which later becomes the Derwent at Malton) flows south into the River Ouse at Goole.
The county is less than 10 miles from Morecambe Bay at its closest point.
The city of York has an independent surrounding belt area affording protections to several outlying settlements such as Haxby and Dunnington, and it too extends into the surrounding county.
Summer temperatures are above average, at 22 °C. Highs can regularly reach up to 28 °C, with over 30 °C reached in heat waves. Winter temperatures are below average, with average lows of 1 °C. Snow and Fog can be expected depending on location. The North York Moors and Pennines have snow lying for an average of between 45 and 75 days per year. Sunshine is most plentiful on the coast, receiving an average of 1,650 hours a year. It reduces further west in the county, with the Pennines receiving 1,250 hours a year.
A summary of the councils is as follows:
The ceremonial county itself has only a minor administrative function, being the area to which the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire is appointed; the shrieval county has the same boundaries and is the area to which the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire is appointed.
The Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect in 1974, reformed English local government again. It introduced metropolitan counties, which covered the largest urban areas, and non-metropolitan counties elsewhere. Both types of county were divided into districts, with local government functions divided between a county council and district councils. The non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire was created from the majority of the North Riding, the northern part of the West Riding, the county borough of York, and parts of the northern and eastern edges of the East Riding including Filey and Norton-on-Derwent. The area in the north-east around the lower reaches of the River Tees, including Middlesbrough, became part of the new county of Cleveland. North Yorkshire was divided into eight districts: Craven District, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale District, Scarborough, Selby District, and York. The provision of local government services was divided between North Yorkshire County Council and the district councils of the eight non-metropolitan districts.
In 1996, Cleveland was abolished. Its districts became unitary authority areas, their councils having the powers of a non-metropolitan county council and non-metropolitan district council. Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and the part of Stockton-on-Tees south of the River Tees became part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes. In the same year, the district of York was enlarged by taking in parishes from the Harrogate, Ryedale and Selby districts, and also became a unitary authority area.
In 2023, the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire became a unitary authority area. The remaining seven districts were abolished and the county council took on the responsibilities of the district councils, renaming itself North Yorkshire Council as part of the restructuring process.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority was created in 2016. Its members are Darlington Borough Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. The authority is led by the Tees Valley Mayor, who since the first election to the position in 2017 has been Ben Houchen of the Conservative Party.
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority was created in February 2024, and its members are the City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council. The authority is led by the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire. The first election to the position took place in 2024, and resulted in David Skaith of the Labour Party being elected. Both North Yorkshire Council and the combined authority are governed from County Hall, Northallerton.
Other sectors in 2019 included some manufacturing, the provision of accommodation and meals (primarily for tourists) which accounted for 19 per cent of all jobs. Food manufacturing employed 11 per cent of workers. A few people are involved in forestry and fishing in 2019. The average weekly earnings in 2018 were £531. Some 15% of workers declared themselves as self-employed. One report in late 2020 stated that "North Yorkshire has a relatively healthy and diverse economy which largely mirrors the national picture in terms of productivity and jobs.
Mineral extraction and power generation are also sectors of the economy, as is high technology.
Tourism is a significant contributor to the economy. A study of visitors between 2013 and 2015 indicated that the Borough of Scarborough, including Filey, Whitby and parts of the North York Moors National Park, received 1.4m trips per year on average. A 2016 report by the National Park, states the park area gets 7.93 million visitors annually, generating £647 million and supporting 10,900 full-time equivalent jobs.
The Yorkshire Dales have also attracted many visitors. In 2016, there were 3.8 million visits to the National Park including 0.48 million who stayed at least one night. The parks service estimates that this contributed £252 million to the economy and provided 3,583 full-time equivalent jobs. The wider Yorkshire Dales area received 9.7 million visitors who contributed £644 million to the economy. The North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales are among England's best known destinations.
York is a popular tourist destination. A 2014 report, based on 2012 data, stated that York alone receives 6.9 million visitors annually; they contribute £564 million to the economy and support over 19,000 jobs.
In the 2017 Condé Nast Traveller survey of readers, York rated 12th among The 15 Best Cities in the UK for visitors. In a 2020 Condé Nast Traveller report, York rated as the sixth best among ten "urban destinations in that scored the highest marks when it comes to ... nightlife, restaurants and friendliness".
During February 2020 to January 2021, the average property in North Yorkshire county sold for £240,000, up by £8100 over the previous 12 months. By comparison, the average for England and Wales was £314,000. In certain communities of North Yorkshire, however, house prices were higher than average for the county, as of early 2021: Harrogate (average value: £376,195), Knaresborough (£375,625), Tadcaster (£314,278), Leyburn (£309,165) and Ripon (£299,998), for example.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added for North Yorkshire at current basic prices with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.
| 4,618 |
| 6,667 |
| 8,281 |
York experienced high unemployment during lockdown periods. One analysis (by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership) predicted in August 2020 that "as many as 13,835 jobs in York will be lost in the scenario considered most likely, taking the city's unemployment rate to 14.5%". Some critics suggested that part of the problem was caused by "over-reliance on the booming tourism industry at the expense of a long-term economic plan". A report in mid June 2020 stated that unemployment had risen 114 per cent over the previous year because of restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic.
Tourism in the county was expected to increase after the restrictions imposed during the pandemic were relaxed. One reason for the expected increase is the airing of All Creatures Great and Small, a TV series about the vet James Herriot, based on a successful series of books; it was largely filmed within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The show aired in the UK in September 2020 and in the US in early 2021. One source stated that visits to Yorkshire websites had increased significantly by late September 2020.
The lockdowns affected traffic volumes across the regions roads, which was also mirrored in road accidents, which totalled 948 in 2020, a drop of 7% on the previous year which had 1,021 accidents. Additionally, miles travelled by all types of vehicle dropped, with cars having the largest drop, LCV and HGV less so, but pedal bicycle usage slightly increased.
Post-pandemic health effects included children worrying more about life and whether a family member would die. A public health report detailed how 76% of children worried daily in 2014, and by 2018, this had dropped to 61%. By 2024, this had risen again to 86%.
The Tees Transporter Bridge, opened in 1911 is a symbol of Teesside and is one of few surviving transporter bridges worldwide. Further inland, the Tees Barrage complex (which opened in 1995) incorporates a tidal barrier, road bridge, footbridge and barge lock.
Larpool Viaduct near Whitby is a repurposed railway viaduct (footbridge), the viaduct was affected by the Beeching cuts in 1965 with the rail-line connecting to axed. It was opened in 1885, closed in 1965 then repurposed and re-opened in 2000.
LNER and Grand Central operate services to the capital on the ECML, Leeds Branch Line and the Northallerton–Eaglescliffe Line. LNER stop at York, Northallerton and on to County Durham or spur over to the Tees Valley Line for and . The operator also branch before the county for Leeds and run to and . Grand Central stop at York, Northallerton and Eaglescliffe then over to the Durham Coast Line in County Durham.
Northern Trains operates the remaining lines in the county, including commuter services on the Harrogate Line, Airedale Line and York & Selby Lines, of which the former two are covered by the Metro ticketing area. Remaining branch lines operated by Northern include the Yorkshire Coast Line from Scarborough to Hull, York–Scarborough line via , the Hull to York Line via Selby, the Tees Valley Line from to via Middlesbrough and the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough to . Last but certainly not least, the Settle-Carlisle Line runs through the west of the county, with services again operated by Northern.
The county suffered badly under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Places such as , , , , and the Wensleydale communities lost their passenger services. Notable lines closed were the Scarborough and Whitby Railway, Malton and Driffield Railway and the secondary main line between Northallerton and Harrogate via Ripon.
Heritage railways within North Yorkshire include: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, between and , which opened in 1973; the Derwent Valley Light Railway near York; and the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. The Wensleydale Railway, which started operating in 2003, runs services between and along a former freight-only line. The medium-term aim is to operate into Northallerton station on the ECML, once an agreement can be reached with Network Rail. In the longer term, the aim is to reinstate the full line west via to on the Settle-Carlisle line.
York railway station is the largest station in the county, with 11 platforms and is a major tourist attraction in its own right. The station is immediately adjacent to the National Railway Museum.
Coach and bus
Long-distance coach services are operated by National Express and Megabus. Local bus service operators include Arriva Yorkshire, Stagecoach, Harrogate Bus Company, The Keighley Bus Company, Scarborough & District (East Yorkshire), Yorkshire Coastliner, First York and the local Dales & District.
|
|
|
|
|
Emley Moor Mast transmits in the county's south, between Selby and Northallerton, from West Yorkshire and Oliver's Mount Mast transmits Scarborough and Filey providing BBC Yorkshire, ITV Yorkshire and BBC Radio York.
Settle and the county's far west is served by BBC Radio Lancashire, BBC North West and ITV Granada from Winter Hill Mast, Lancashire.
|
|
| +Rugby Union Teams 2022–23 !League !Team !Venue !Capacity !Location | ||||
| National League 2 North | Harrogate RUFC | Rudding Lane | Harrogate | |
| Wharfedale | The Avenue | 2,000 | Threshfield | |
| Regional 1 North East | York RUFC | Clifton Park | 3,500 | York, North Yorkshire |
| Regional 2 North East | Malton & Norton | The Gannock | Malton | |
| Scarborough RUFC | Silver Royd | 4,500 (425 seats) | Scalby, Scarborough | |
| Selby | Sandhill Lane | Selby | ||
| Regional 2 North | Middlesbrough | Acklam Park | 5,000 (159 seats) | Acklam, Middlesbrough |
|
|
