York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Geography | |
| Status | Unitary, City |
|---|---|
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Ceremonial county | North Yorkshire |
| Historic county | Yorkshire |
| Area - Total |
Ranked 166th 271.94 km² |
| Admin. HQ | York |
| ONS code | 00FF |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 76th 186,800 687 / km² |
| Ethnicity | 91.8% White |
| Politics | |
 Arms of City of York Council http://www.york.gov.uk/ |
|
| Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive | Liberal Democrats |
| MPs | Hugh Bayley (City of York), John Greenway (Ryedale), John Grogan (Selby), Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) |
York is a city in North Yorkshire, England, at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss. The York urban area has a population of 137,505 whilst the entire unitary authority (see below) has a population of 184,900.
York is the traditional county town of Yorkshire, to which it lends its name. However, it did not form part of any of the three historic divisions of Yorkshire; known as ridings (East Riding, North Riding and West Riding).
Traditionally the term City of York was reserved for the area within the city walls (a small area outside of the walls, the Ainsty, was often associated with the City, resulting in the term the City and Ainsty of York), but the modern City of York, created on April 1, 1996, is much larger. It is a unitary authority, and apart from York itself, includes several neighbouring parishes which formerly belonged to the surrounding districts of Harrogate, Ryedale and Selby. It borders on the non-metropolitan counties of North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire though for ceremonial purposes is part of North Yorkshire.
The city is the seat of the Archbishop of York, metropolitan bishop of the Province of York.
York is home to the University of York, founded in 1963, and York St John University, which was founded in 1841 and gained university status in 2006.
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[edit] History
The name 'York' has an interesting etymological history, ultimately deriving from the Latin name for the city, Eboracum, which derived from the Brythonic ebor-acon meaning "place of yew trees. The name may have been derived form another roman city in the Iberian peninsula called Ebora (current day Evora in Portugal). "The city was founded in AD 71, and has a rich Roman and Viking history, acting as capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior. It later became the seat of the Archbishop of York, whose province of York covers northern England, and acted as the centre for the Viking kingdom of Jorvik. The city remained one of England's main cities throughout the middle ages, declining in relative importance only with the Industrial Revolution. York was the capital city of the country before London and is still a highly vibrant and thriving community to this day.
York's economic downturn during the Industrial Revolution meant that many medieval structures, elsewhere swept aside to make way for mills and factories, survived reasonably intact. The renewed interest in medievalism in the 19th century led to a widespread programme of renovation, and to this day the city attracts a great deal of tourism, the jewel in the crown being the city's historic cathedral church, York Minster.
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| County Town: York |
| The ridings: |
| East • North • West |
| Ceremonial counties |
| East Riding of Yorkshire |
| North Yorkshire |
| South Yorkshire |
| West Yorkshire |
| Further information |
| Accent & Dialect |
| Anthem |
| Cricket |
| Famous People |
| History |
| Places |
| White Rose |
| Yorkshire Day 1 August |
[edit] Geography
York lies within the Vale of York, a flat area of arable land bordered by the Pennines, North York Moors and Wolds. The ings are flood meadows along the River Ouse, while the strays are scattered around the city in marshy, low-lying places.
During Roman times, the land surrounding the rivers Ouse and Foss was very marshy, making it easier to defend. The city is prone to severe flooding from the River Ouse, and has an extensive (but not always effective) network of flood defences. These include walls along the Ouse, and a barrier across the River Foss where it joins the Ouse.
The floods of late October and early November 2000, which were the highest for over 350 years, caused much damage, but the water did not breach the (sandbag reinforced) flood walls. Much land within the city has always been too flood-prone for development.
York railway station is situated on the East Coast, Cross Country and TransPennine mainlines.
[edit] Demographics
The population of York is about 181,000 [1].
[edit] Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of York at current basic prices publishedPDF (1.79 MiB) (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added | Agriculture | Industry | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,052 | 30 | 579 | 1,443 |
| 2000 | 2,963 | 13 | 782 | 2,168 |
| 2003 | 3,299 | 16 | 779 | 2,505 |
York's economy is based largely on tourism, science and service-based industries. This is very different from the position as recently as the 1950s, when York's prosperity was based on chocolate manufacturing and the railways. Most of the industry around the railway has gone, including the carriage works which once employed some 22,000 men. Major employers now include City of York Council, Norwich Union, Card Protection Plan and Nestlé, amongst others.
York is the headquarters of the confectionery manufacturer Nestlé Rowntree, and home to the KitKat, Smarties (though not for much longer) and eponymous Yorkie bar chocolate brands. Terry's chocolate factory, makers of the Chocolate Orange, was also located in the city; but it closed on 30 September 2005, when production was moved by its owners, Kraft Foods, to Poland. However, the historic factory building can still be seen, situated next to the Knavesmire racecourse.
It was announced on the 20 September 2006 that Nestlé would be cutting 645 jobs at the Rowntree's chocolate factory in York.[2] This came after a number of other job losses in the city at Norwich Union, British Sugar and Terry's chocolate factory.[3] Despite this, the employment situation in York remains fairly buoyant, with at least one major employer (NU) still employing more people in the city than it did five years ago.[citation needed]
[edit] Law and government
York is an ancient borough, and was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to form a municipal borough. It gained the status of a county borough in 1889, under the Local Government Act 1888, and existed so until 1974, when, under the Local Government Act 1972, it became a non-metropolitan district in the county of North Yorkshire.
In the 1990s UK local government reform, York became one of the many boroughs to regain unitary status, but was the only one to see a substantial alteration in its borders, taking in parts of Selby and Harrogate districts, and about half the population of Ryedale district. Unsurprisingly, this caused tension with its neighbours. Ironically, the new boundary had not been promoted by the council, which had proposed the area contained within the A64/A1237 ring road. The current boundary was imposed after central Government had rejected the council's proposal.
The City of York Council has 22 wards, which elect between 1 and 3 councillors each, for a total of 47 councillors. The council is controlled by the Liberal Democrats, who have 29 councillors. There are 15 Labour Party councillors, 2 Greens, and one independent. [4]
The city has its own Magistrates' Court, and more unusually also a Crown Court and County Court. It is served by North Yorkshire Police Force.
York is twinned with:
[edit] Education
The University of York is on the outer edge of the city at Heslington. It was York's only institution with university status until 2006, when the centrally located York St John University College, formerly an autonomous college of University of Leeds, attained full university status as York St John University. The city also hosts a branch of the College of Law.
The city has two major further education institutions. York College is an amalgamation of York Technical College and York Sixth Form College. Students there study a very wide range of academic and vocational courses, and range from school leavers and sixth formers to people training to make career moves. Askham Bryan College offers further education courses, foundation and honours degrees, specialising in more vocational subjects such as Horticulture, Agriculture, Animal Management and even Golf Course Management.
There are over 55 schools in the City of York area. The Local Education Authority is the City of York Council, who manage most primary and secondary schools within the city. About 40 primary schools cover education from ages 5-11, with some offering early years education from age three. From 11-16 education is then provided by 11 secondary schools, four of which offer additional education up to age 18.
York also has several private schools. St Peter's School is famous as the school attended by Guy Fawkes. Two others have Quaker origins: Bootham School is co-educational and The Mount School is all-girls. On the outskirts of the city is Queen Margaret's School.
[edit] Sites of interest
- See also: York sites of interest and medieval churches of York
York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, stands at the city's centre.
York's centre is enclosed by medieval walls. The entire circuit (including parts where walls never existed) is about 3 miles.Clifford's Tower, a quatrefoil keep built on top of a Norman motte, was the site of a massacre of Jews in 1190.
The Shambles is a narrow medieval street, lined with shops, boutiques and tea rooms. Most of these premises were once butchers' shops, and the hooks from which carcasses were hung and the shelves on which meat was laid out can still be seen outside some of them. The street also contains the Shrine of Margaret Clitherow, although it is not located in the house where she lived.
Another feature of central York is the Snickelways, narrow pedestrian routes, many of which led towards the former main market-place. The city has many museums, including the Castle Museum, Yorkshire Museum & Gardens, Jorvik Museum, the York Art Gallery, Richard III Museum and the Merchant Adventurers' Hall. The National Railway Museum is situated just beyond the station, and is home to a vast range of transport material and the largest collection of railway locomotives in the world, including the world's fastest steam locomotive LNER 4468 Mallard and the world famous 4472 Flying Scotsman, which runs regularly.
York is also a major venue for horse racing at York Racecourse in the Knavesmire area, and every year, thousands flock to the city for the Ebor Handicap Meeting in August.
York is also noted for its wealth of churches and pubs. Many of the remaining churches in York are from the medieval period. It is said that York contains one pub for every day of the year, and that there is no point within the city walls where one can stand and not be able to see at least one pub and at least one church, but these claims are exaggerated.
[edit] Sports
The City's football team is York City F.C. who play in the Nationwide Conference.
York also has a rugby league side, York City Knights, an open rowing club (York City Rowing Club) located underneath Lendal Bridge and has a racecourse (pictured).
The most notable sportsmen to come form York in recent years are footballer Marco Gabbiadini and the current England manager Steve McClaren, who both attended Nunthorpe Grammar School.
[edit] Arts
York has two main theatres, the Theatre Royal and the Grand Opera House. It also has many amateur companies, and is home to the Riding Lights Theatre Company.
A former church, St Margaret's, Walmgate, is now the National Centre for Early Music, host to concerts, broadcasts, competitions and events through the year, especially during the York Early Music Festival.
[edit] People associated with York
[edit] Individuals
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[edit] Groups
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[edit] Members of the Royal Family |
[edit] Local media
The York area is served by a local newspaper, The Press (known as the Evening Press until April 2006) and two local radio stations Minster FM and BBC Radio York. It is also served by its own free-to-air television station broadcasting on frequency 54,York@54.
The University of York has its own television broadcasting channel York Student Television (YSTV) and two campus newspapers, the national award winning nouse and Vision. Its radio station URY was recently voted BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Station of the Year 2005.
[edit] Quaker involvement in the city
York has a long association with the Religious Society of Friends. The York-born Quaker chocolate entrepreneurs and social reformers Joseph Rowntree and Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree left an indelible mark on the city, through both their business interests and their philanthropy. They built the village of New Earswick to provide quality affordable housing for their employees. They also founded two Quaker schools, Bootham School and The Mount, and contributed in large part to the building of York Public Library and the creation of Rowntree Park. The four Rowntree Trusts, funded from the Rowntree legacies, are based in York.
The Retreat is a large Quaker mental hospital, situated in the east of the city outside the city walls. It was founded in 1796 by William Tuke; over the next century his son Henry Tuke, grandson Samuel Tuke and great-grandson Daniel Hack Tuke also devoted themselves to mental health reform, continuing to reform The Retreat and publishing a number of works on the subject. Another notable York Quaker was the sculptor Austin Wright.
[edit] City areas and surrounding villages
- Acaster Malbis, Acomb, Askham Bryan, Askham Richard
- Bishopthorpe, Bootham
- Cawood, Clifton, Copmanthorpe, Crockey Hill
- Deighton
- Derwenthorpe (proposed new village)
- Dringhouses
- Dunnington
- Elvington
- Escrick
- Fishergate, Fulford
- The Groves
- Haxby, Heslington, Hessay, Heworth, Holgate, Holtby, Huntington
- Kexby, Knapton
- Layerthorpe
- Middlethorpe, Moor End, Murton
- Naburn, Nether Poppleton, New Earswick
- Osbaldwick
- Rawcliffe, Rufforth
- Skelton, Stockton-on-the-Forest, Strensall, South Bank, Stamford Bridge
- Tang Hall, Towthorpe
- Upper Poppleton
- West Huntington, Wheldrake, Wigginton, Woodthorpe
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Guides and maps
- Train times and station information for York from National Rail
- Street map and aerial photo of York from Multimap.com
- York Guide by NorthYorks.com
- York Tourism
- Virtual Tour of York Tour the City by hundreds of panoramic views from 2000 to the present day.
- York Guide Online since 2001 studies of York by independent York residents
- Guide to York York 360°
[edit] Local media
- The Press The local newspaper's site with news, sport, what's on and tourism information.
- Websites from York sorted by category
- York@54Independent TV station
- YSTV York Student Television
- nouse University Newspaper
- Vision University Newspaper
- URY University Radio York
- York Indymedia Grassroots reporting - launched September 2006
[edit] Academic
- The University of York
- York St John University
- The National Centre for Early Music
- The National Science Learning Centre
[edit] History
[edit] Photos and images
- Imagine York: Historic Photographs Online Council Library Archive of historic photographs of York, searchable by keyword.
- City of York Council's flood 2000 archive
- Pictures of York by people in York
- Panoramic Photos of York
- Red Hot Chilli Project - Gallery - York
- Pictures of Steam Locos in York
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