North Yorkshire

Lore & Background

North Yorkshire was historically part of Yorkshire. The Local Government Act 1888 reconstituted the three ridings of Yorkshire as administrative counties; within what would later become North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough and York were made county boroughs. The Local Government Act 1972 created the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire 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. Since 2023, the county comprises the unitary authority areas of North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, York, and part of Stockton-on-Tees.

Reader's Guide

North Yorkshire is significant as the largest ceremonial county in England by land area, encompassing two national parks—the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors—and parts of several other protected landscapes. Its geography ranges from the Pennine uplands in the west to the North Sea coast in the east, with major rivers including the Tees, Ouse, and Ure. The county's governance structure was reformed in 2023, creating five unitary authorities. The area has a temperate oceanic climate with notable variation: the upper Pennines border on a subarctic climate, while the Vale of Mowbray includes some of the driest areas in the UK. The county's green belt, first drawn up in the 1950s, surrounds the Leeds metropolitan area and the city of York. North Yorkshire's legacy lies in its role as a rural and urban administrative region, its natural landscapes, and its historical evolution from the ridings of Yorkshire.

Did You Know?

• North Yorkshire is the largest county in England by land area, at 8,654 km².
• The county's highest point is Whernside, at 2,415 feet (736 m), on the Cumbrian border.
• The River Ouse, formed from the River Ure, is the sixth-longest river in the United Kingdom at 208 km.
• The North York Moors and Pennines have snow lying for an average of between 45 and 75 days per year.