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/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 .
Geography
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 in England and Wales to be designated national parks. Between the North York Moors in the east and the Pennine Hills. The highest point is Whernside, on the Cumbrian border, at . A distinctive hill to the far north east of the county is Roseberry Topping.
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 Aire, Lune, Ribble, Swale, Ure, and 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.
Urban to rural Green belt
North Yorkshire contains a small section of green belt in the south of the county, which surrounds the neighbouring metropolitan area of Leeds along the North and West Yorkshire borders. It extends to the east to cover small communities such as Huby, Kirkby Overblow, and Follifoot before covering the gap between the towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough, helping to keep those towns separate. The belt extends into the western area of the former Selby district, reaching as far as Tadcaster and Balne. The belt was first drawn up from the 1950s.
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.
Protected landscapes North Yorkshire includes all or most of four nationally protected landscapes, and smaller parts of two more protected landscapes. The Yorkshire Dales National Park adjoins the South and West Yorkshire Green Belt in the south and extends across the county into Cumbria and Lancashire in the north and west. The North York Moors National Park, the Nidderdale National Landscape (adjoining the green belt in the south and the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the west) and the Howardian Hills National Landscape are wholly within the county. Part of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and a small part of the North Pennines National Landscape, are also within the county.
Climate North Yorkshire has a temperate oceanic climate, like most of the UK. There are large climate variations within the county. The upper Pennines border on a Subarctic climate. Overall, with the county being situated in the east, it receives below-average rainfall for the UK. Inside North Yorkshire, 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. 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 per year. It reduces further west in the county, with the Pennines receiving 1,250 hours per year.
Governance
Local Since 2023, North Yorkshire has comprised the unitary authority areas of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Redcar and Cleveland, York, and the part of Stockton-on-Tees that is south of the River Tees. Their councils are unitary authorities, meaning they combine the powers and responsibilities of a non-metropolitan county council and a non-metropolitan district council.
A summary of the councils is as follows:
The City of York Council is based within the city, having its council chamber at the Guildhall and its main office at York old railway station. It has 47 councillors and, following the 2023 City of York Council election, has a Labour majority administration. Middlesbrough Council is based at Middlesbrough Town Hall. It has 47 councillors and, following the 2023 Middlesbrough Council election, has a majority Labour administration. North Yorkshire Council is based at County Hall, Northallerton. It has 90 councillors, and since 2023 has had a minority Conservative administration. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has 59 councillors and, following the 2023 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council election, has a minority Labour administration. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has its chamber at Stockton-on-Tees Town Hall and offices at Dunedin House in Thornaby-on-Tees. It has 56 councillors and, following the 2023 Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council election, has a minority Labour administration.
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.
History The Local Government Act 1888 reformed English local government by creating administrative counties, county boroughs, and elected county councils and county borough councils to govern them. County boroughs largely consisted of those settlements with a population over 50,000, and administrative counties covered smaller towns and rural areas. The three ridings of Yorkshire were reconstituted as the administrative counties of County of York, East Riding, County of York, North Riding, and County of York, West Riding. Within what would later become North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough and York were made county boroughs. In 1967, the county borough of Middlesbrough was abolished and replaced with the larger county borough of Teesside, which included Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, and other surrounding areas.
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, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby, 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.
Regional
Combined authorities allow two or more councils to collaborate across local authority boundaries, and to receive a devolution deal from the Government of the United Kingdom. The councils of North Yorkshire participate in two separate combined authorities.
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.
Economy In large areas of North Yorkshire, agriculture is the primary source of employment. Approximately 85% of the county is considered to be "rural or super sparse".