North Yorkshire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Yorkshire
Ceremonial county
Coat of arms
Location of North Yorkshire within England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Divided between Yorkshire and the Humber & North East
Established	1974
Established by	Local Government Act 1972
Preceded by	North Riding of Yorkshire
Origin	Yorkshire
Time zone	UTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time)
Members of Parliament	List of MPs
Police	North Yorkshire Police Cleveland Police
Ceremonial county Lord Lieutenant Johanna Ropner High Sheriff David Kerfoot (2020–21) Area 8,608 km2 (3,324 sq mi)  • Ranked 1st of 48 Population (2005 est.) 1,045,000  • Ranked 16th of 48 Density 121/km2 (310/sq mi) Ethnicity 96% White 2.0% S.Asian 0.6% Black Non-metropolitan county County council North Yorkshire County Council (part) Executive Conservative Admin HQ Northallerton Area 8,053 km2 (3,109 sq mi)  • Ranked of 26 Population 582,000  • Ranked 20th of 26 Density 72/km2 (190/sq mi) ISO 3166-2 GB-NYK ONS code 36 ITL UKE22 Districts Districts of North Yorkshire Districts   County council area: Selby Harrogate Craven Richmondshire Hambleton Ryedale Scarborough   Unitary: City of York Redcar and Cleveland Middlesbrough Stockton-on-Tees (south)

North Yorkshire is the largest non-metropolitan county and lieutenancy area in England, covering an area of 8,654 square kilometres (3,341 sq mi). Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four counties in England to hold the name Yorkshire; the three other counties are the East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

From 1974 (via Local Government Act 1972) to 1996, it was wholly within the Yorkshire and the Humber region. Since 1996, parts of the North East England region joined the county non-administratively. York also moved into being a non-administrative part of the county in 1996.

The Middlesbrough built-up area (at 174,700) is the most populous settlement while the York built-up area is second with 152,841, although neither form part of the administrative county, not governed by North Yorkshire County Council. Mid-2016 estimates by the ONS recorded a 602,300 population in the county council area. The most populous settlement in the administrative county (and third in the overall ceremonial county) is Harrogate (at 75,070); followed by Scarborough (at 61,749). Northallerton, the administrative county town, was recorded with a 16,832 population. Other large settlements in the county are Redcar, Thornaby-on-Tees and Ingleby Barwick.

Divisions and environs

The area under the control of the county council, or shire county, is divided into a number of local government districts: Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.

The Department for Communities and Local Government considered reorganising North Yorkshire County Council's administrative structure by abolishing the seven district councils and the county council to create a North Yorkshire unitary authority. The changes were planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009. This was rejected on 25 July 2007 so the County Council and District Council structure will remain.

The largest settlement in the administrative county is Harrogate, the second largest is Scarborough, while in the ceremonial county, the largest is York. The largest urban area within the ceremonial county is the Middlesbrough built-up area sub-division of Teesside.

York, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland are unitary authority boroughs which form part of the ceremonial county for various functions such as the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, but do not come under county council control. Uniquely for a district in England, Stockton-on-Tees is split between North Yorkshire and County Durham for this purpose. Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, and Redcar and Cleveland boroughs form part of the North East England region.

The ceremonial county area, including the unitary authorities, borders East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and County Durham.

Physical features

The geology of North Yorkshire is closely reflected in its landscape. Within the county are the North York Moors and most of the Yorkshire Dales; two of eleven areas of countryside within England and Wales to be officially designated as national parks. Between the North York Moors in the east and the Pennine Hills in the west lie the Vales of Mowbray and York. The Tees Lowlands lie to the north of the North York Moors and the Vale of Pickering lies to the south. Its eastern border is the North sea coast. The highest point is Whernside, on the Cumbrian border, at 736 metres (2,415 ft). The two major rivers in the county are the River Swale and the River Ure. The Swale and the Ure form the River Ouse which flows through York and into the Humber estuary. The River Tees forms part of the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham and flows from upper Teesdale to Middlesbrough and Stockton and to the coast.

History

North Yorkshire was formed on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, and covers most of the lands of the historic North Riding, as well as the northern half of the West Riding, the northern and eastern fringes of the East Riding of Yorkshire and the former county borough of York.

York became a unitary authority independent of North Yorkshire on 1 April 1996, and at the same time Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and areas of Stockton-on-Tees south of the river became part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes, having been part of Cleveland from 1974 to 1996.

Climate

North Yorkshire has a temperate oceanic climate, like most of the UK. However, there are large climate variations within the county. The upper Pennines border on a Subarctic climate, whereas the Vale of Mowbray has an almost Semi-arid climate. Overall, with the county being situated in the east, it receives below average rainfall for the UK, but the upper Dales of the Pennines are one of the wettest parts of England, where in contrast the driest parts of the Vale of Mowbray are some of the driest areas in the UK. Summer temperatures are above average, at 22 °C, but 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, with the North York Moors and Pennines having snow lying for an average of between 45 and 75 days per year. Sunshine is most plentiful on the coast, receiving an average of 1650 hours a year, and reduces further west in the county, with the Pennines only receiving 1250 hours a year.

Towns and villages

Map

Settlements by population

Settlements in italics lie only within the ceremonial county, not the administrative county.

Settlements in italics lie only within the ceremonial county, not the administrative county..

• Acomb, Ampleforth, Appleton-le-Moors
• Bedale, Bolton-on-Swale, Boroughbridge, Borrowby (Hambleton), Borrowby (Scarborough), Brompton (Hambleton), Brotton, Buckden
• Castleton, Catterick, Catterick Garrison, Cawood, Clapham, Conistone
• Dalton (Hambleton), Dalton (Richmondshire), Danby Wiske, Drax
• Easby, Easingwold, Egton, Eston, Ebberston
• Filey, Folkton, Flixton
• Giggleswick, Glasshouses, Goathland, Grangetown, Grassington, Great Ayton, Grosmont, Guisborough, Ganton, Glaisdale
• Harrogate, Hawes, Hebden, Helmsley, High Bentham, Horton in Ribblesdale, Hunmanby, Huntington, Hutton Rudby
• Ingleton
• Kettlewell, Kilnsey, Kirkbymoorside, Knaresborough
• Leyburn
• Malham, Malton, Masham, Marske-by-the-Sea, Middleham, Middlesbrough, Middleton, Ryedale, Muston
• New Marske, Normanby, Northallerton, Norton-on-Derwent, North Grimston,
• Osmotherley, Ormesby
• Pateley Bridge, Pickering
• Redcar, Reeth, Riccall, Richmond, Rievaulx, Ripon, Robin Hood's Bay, Romanby
• Saltburn, Scarborough, Scorton, Selby, Settle, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Sheriff Hutton, Skelton, Skinningrove, Skipton, South Bank, Sowerby, Stokesley, Streetlam, Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, Swinton, near Malton, Scagglethorpe, Scampston, Shipton by Beningbrough,
• Tadcaster, Teesville, Thirsk, Thornaby-on-Tees
• Whale Hill, Whitby, Westow, Wintringham
• Yarm, York, Yedingham

Places of interest

Settlements in italics lie only within the ceremonial county, not the administrative county..

Bolton Abbey

Knaresborough

An ancient derelict hunting lodge in Dob Park, North Yorkshire.

• Ampleforth College
• Beningbrough Hall
• Bolton Abbey
• Bolton Castle
• Brimham Rocks
• Byland Abbey – English Heritage (EH)
• Castle Howard and the Howardian Hills
• Catterick Garrison
• Cleveland Hills
• Drax
• Duncombe Park – stately home
• Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
• Eston Nab
• Falconry
• Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo
• Fountains Abbey
• Gisborough Priory
• Helmsley Castle – EH
• Ingleborough Cave – show cave
• Kirkham Priory
• Lightwater Valley
• Malham Cove
• Middleham Castle
• Mount Grace Priory – EH
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway
• Ormesby Hall – Palladian Mansion
• Richmond Castle
• Rievaulx Abbey – EH
• Ripley Castle – Stately home and historic village
• Ripon Cathedral
• Selby Abbey
• Scarborough Castle – EH
• Shandy Hall – stately home
• Skipton Castle
• Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications – EH
• Studley Royal Park
• Stump Cross Caverns – show cave
• Thornborough Henges
• Wharram Percy
• Whitby Abbey
• York Minster
• Yorkshire Air Museum

Transport

Rail

York railway station

Harrogate railway station

The East Coast Main Line (ECML) bisects the county stopping at Northallerton, Thirsk and York. Passenger services on the ECML within the county are operated by London North Eastern Railway, TransPennine Express and Grand Central. TransPennine Express run services on the York to Scarborough Line and the Northallerton–Eaglescliffe Line (for Middlesbrough) that both branch off the ECML.

Northern 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, the Hull to York Line via Selby, the Tees Valley Line from Darlington to Saltburn and the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough to Whitby. Last but certainly not least, the Settle-Carlisle Line runs through the west of the county, with services again operated by Northern.

Current and former railway routes in eastern North Yorkshire

The county suffered badly under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Places such as Richmond, Ripon, Tadcaster, Helmsley, Pickering 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 Pickering and Grosmont, 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 Leeming Bar and Redmire 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 Hawes to Garsdale 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.

Road

The main road through the county is the north–south A1(M), which has gradually been upgraded in sections to motorway status since the early 1990s. The only other motorways within the county are the short A66(M) near Darlington and a small stretch of the M62 motorway close to Eggborough. The other nationally maintained trunk routes are the A168/A19, A64, A66 and A174.

Coach and bus

Long-distance coach services are operated by National Express and Megabus. Local bus service operators include Arriva Yorkshire, Harrogate Bus Company, Scarborough & District (East Yorkshire), Yorkshire Coastliner, First York and the local Dales & District.

Air

There are no major airports in the county itself, but nearby airports include Teesside International (Darlington), Newcastle, Doncaster Sheffield and Leeds Bradford.

Economy

In large areas of North Yorkshire, agriculture is the primary source of employment; some 85% of the county is considered to be "rural or super sparse".

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 and food manufacturing which 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.

The Teesport sea port handled over 53 million tonnes of cargo in 2013

Drax Power Station has the highest generating capacity of any power station in the UK

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 however, provides more impressive numbers: 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.

The Shambles, a popular tourist area in York

Harrogate is also a popular tourist destination, famous for its Turkish Baths, Gastronomy and High-End Shops.

The North Yorkshire County Council operates many small tourist information offices in rural areas. Nature or eco-tourism has become an important factor. In addition to hiking, some areas attract tourists with wildlife, although the latter aspect has yet to be fully developed. Another agency promoting tourism to the region is the Herriot Country Tourism Group which covers the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales as well as communities such as Thirsk, Northallerton, Easingwold, Great Ayton & Bedale. 

The historic towns of York and Harrogate are the top tourist destinations in the geographic area. York attracts millions of visitors, some of whom may be enticed to continue northward to other areas of North Yorkshire. 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 the UK] 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.

Effects of the pandemic

Unemployment in the county was traditionally low in recent years, but the lockdowns and travel restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the economy during much of 2020 and into 2021. The UK government said in early February 2021 that it was planning "unprecedented levels of support to help businesses [in the UK] survive the crisis". A report published on 1 March 2021 stated that the unemployment rate in North Yorkshire had "risen to the highest level in nearly 5 years - with under 25s often bearing the worst of job losses".

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 claimed 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 due the pandemic are 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.

Gallery

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  Aysgarth Falls, a popular destination for hikers, can also be reached by a short walk from the main road.

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  Leyburn is a gateway town to the Yorkshire Dales, offering tourists a range of Hotels, Pubs and Shops.

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  White Scar Cave is the largest cave in the United Kingdom.

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  In terms of interior floor area, York Minster is the 3rd Largest Cathedral in the United Kingdom.

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  The Grand Hotel in Scarborough is a Grade II* listed building. At the time of its grand opening in 1867, it was the largest hotel and the largest brick structure in Europe.

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  With the first monastery built in the 7th-Century, the ruins of the Medieval Whitby Abbey still stand today, now famous for its role in Dracula.

Sport

Cricket

Yorkshire County Cricket Club play a number of fixtures at North Marine Road, Scarborough. The ball game Rock-It-Ball was developed in the county.

Association football

Middlesbrough vs West Ham in FA Cup semi-final 2006

North Yorkshire has multiple association football clubs:

Middlesbrough are currently the highest-ranked team in the county as they play in the EFL Championship. In the past, they have won the EFL Cup and reached the UEFA Cup final. Harrogate Town play in the EFL League Two. York City play in the National League North and finished 2nd on points-per-game during the 2019–20 season, but they lost their play-off semi-final to Altrincham. Whitby Town have reached the FA Cup first round seven times and have played the likes of Hull City, Wigan Athletic and Plymouth Argyle; they currently play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, along with nearby Scarborough Athletic, a phoenix club of Scarborough.

Rugby football

Scarborough ground

The leading rugby union teams in the county include Wharfedale RUFC, Harrogate RUFC, but teams also include Middlesbrough RUFC and Acklam RUFC who play their league games in Durham/Northumberland 1. York City Knights, previously known as York F.C., are a rugby league team who play in the Rugby League Championships.

Racing

York Racecourse

North Yorkshire has multiple racecourses at: Catterick Bridge, Redcar, Ripon, Thirsk and York. It also has one motor racing circuit, Croft Circuit; the circuit holds meetings of the British Touring Car Championship, British Superbike and Pickup Truck Racing race series and one Motorcycle Racing Circuit at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough.

Education

North Yorkshire LEA has a mostly comprehensive education system with 42 state schools secondary (not including sixth form colleges) and 12 independent schools.

Images for kids

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  Rosedale, in the North York Moors

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  County Hall, Northallerton

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  Scarborough Town Hall

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  Middlesbrough Town Hall

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  Roseberry Topping in the North York Moors

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  Scarborough viewed from Oliver's Mount