Toponymy
The name ''York'' ( non,History
Early history
Archaeological evidence suggests that Mesolithic people settled in the region of York between 8000 and 7000 BC, although it is not known whether their settlements were permanent or temporary. By the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, the area was occupied by a tribe known to the Romans as the Brigantes. The Brigantian tribal area initially became a Roman client state, but later its leaders became more hostile and the Roman Ninth Legion was sent north of the Humber into Brigantian territory. The city was founded in 71 AD, when the Ninth Legion conquered the Brigantes and constructed a wooden military fortress on flat ground above the River Ouse close to its confluence with the River Foss. The fortress, whose walls were rebuilt in stone by the VI legion based there subsequent to the IX legion, covered an area of and was inhabited by 6,000After the conquest
In 1068, two years after the Norman conquest of England, the people of York rebelled. Initially they succeeded, but upon the arrival of William the Conqueror the rebellion was put down. William at once built a wooden fortress on a motte. In 1069, after another rebellion, the king built another timbered castle across the River Ouse. These were destroyed in 1069 and rebuilt by William about the time of his ravaging Northumbria in what is called the " Harrying of the North" where he destroyed everything from York to Durham. The remains of the rebuilt castles, now in stone, are visible on either side of the River Ouse. The first stone minster church was badly damaged by fire in the uprising, and the Normans built a minster on a new site. Around the year 1080, Archbishop Thomas started building the cathedral that in time became the current Minster. In the 12th century York started to prosper. In 1190,16th to 18th centuries
The city underwent a period of economic decline during Tudor times. Under King Henry VIII, the Dissolution of the Monasteries saw the end of York's many monastic houses, including several orders of friars, the hospitals of St Nicholas and of St Leonard, the largest such institution in the north of England. This led to theModern history
The railway promoter George Hudson was responsible for bringing the railway to York in 1839. Although Hudson's career as a railway entrepreneur ended in disgrace and bankruptcy, his promotion of York over Leeds, and of his own railway company (the York and North Midland Railway), helped establish York as a major railway centre by the late 19th century. The introduction of the railways established engineering in the city. At the turn of the 20th century, the railway accommodated the headquarters and works of the North Eastern Railway (UK), North Eastern Railway, which employed more than 5,500 people. The railway was instrumental in the expansion of Rowntree's, Rowntree's Cocoa Works. It was founded in 1862 by Henry Isaac Rowntree, who was joined in 1869 by his brother the philanthropist Joseph Rowntree (Philanthropist), Joseph. Another chocolate manufacturer, Terry's, Terry's of York, was a major employer. By 1900, the railways and confectionery had become the city's two major industries. York was a centre of early photography, as described by Hugh Murray in his 1986 book ''Photographs and Photographers of York: The Early Years, 1844–79''. Photographers who had studios in York included William Hayes (photographer), William Hayes, William Pumphrey, and Augustus Mahalski who operated on Davygate and Low Petergate in the 19th century, having come to England as a refugee after serving as a Uhlan, Polish lancer in the Austro-Hungarian war. In 1942, the city was bombed during theGovernance
Local
The City of York is governed by the City of York Council. It is a unitary authority that operates on a leader and cabinet style of governance, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The city council consists of 47 councillors representing 21 Ward (electoral subdivision), wards, with one, two or three per ward serving four-year terms. Its headquarters are at the York Guildhall, Guildhall and West Offices in the city centre. York is divided into 21 administrative wards: Acomb, North Yorkshire, Acomb, Bishopthorpe, Clifton, York, Clifton, Copmanthorpe, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe, North Yorkshire, Woodthorpe, Fishergate, Fulford, North Yorkshire, Fulford and Heslington, Guildhall,Parliament
From 1997 to 2010, the central part of the district was covered by the City of York (UK Parliament constituency), City of York constituency, while the remainder was split between the constituencies of Ryedale (UK Parliament constituency), Ryedale, Selby (UK Parliament constituency), Selby, and Vale of York (UK Parliament constituency), Vale of York. These constituencies were represented by Hugh Bayley, John Greenway (MP), John Greenway, John Grogan (UK politician), John Grogan, and Anne McIntosh respectively. Following their review in 2003 of parliamentary representation inCeremonial
York is within the ceremonial county ofGeography
Location
York lies in the Vale of York, a flat area of fertile arable land bordered by the Pennines, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Wolds. The city was built at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss on a terminal moraine left by the Last Glacial Period, last ice age. During Roman times, the land surrounding the Ouse and Foss was marshy, making the site easy to defend. The city is prone to flooding from the River Ouse, and has an extensive network of flood defences with walls along the river, and a liftable barrier across the Foss where it joins the Ouse at the "Bridges of York#The Blue Bridge, Blue Bridge". In October and November 2000, York experienced the worst flooding in 375 years; more than 300 homes were flooded. In December 2015 the flooding was more extensive and caused major disruption. The extreme impact led to a personal visit by Prime Minister David Cameron. Much land in and around the city is on flood plains too flood-prone for development other than agriculture. The ''Clifton Ings, ings'' are flood meadows along the Ouse, while the ''Strays of York, strays'' are open common grassland in various locations around the city.Climate
York has a Oceanic climate, temperate climate (Köppen climate classification, Cfb) with four distinct seasons. As with the rest of the Vale of York, the city's climate is drier and warmer than the rest of the Yorkshire and the Humber region. Owing to its lowland location, York is prone to frosts, fog, and cold winds during winter, spring, and very early summer. Snow can fall in winter from December onwards to as late as April but quickly melts. As with much of the British Isles, the weather is changeable. York experiences most sunshine from May to July, an average of six hours per day. With its inland location, summers are often warmer than the Yorkshire coast with temperatures of 27 °C or more. Extremes recorded at the University of York campus between 1998 and 2010 include a highest temperature of and a lowest temperature of on 6 December 2010. The most rainfall in one day was .Green belt
York's urbanised areas are surrounded by a green belt that restricts development in the rural areas and parts of surrounding villages, to preserve the setting and historic character of the city. The green belt surrounds nearly all of the city and its outer villages, extending out into North Yorkshire.Demography
The York urban area (built-up area) had a population of 153,717 at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 UK census, compared with 137,505 in 2001. The population of thePopulation change
Ethnicity
Religion
Percentages in York following non-Christian religion were below England's national average. Classified as having "No Religion" is higher than the national average. Christianity has the largest religious following in York, 59.5% residents reported as Christian in the 2011 census. York has multiple churches, most present churches in York are from the medieval period. St William's College behind the Minster, and Bedern Hall, off Goodramgate, are former dwelling places of the Canon (priest), canons of the York Minster. There are 33 active Anglican churches in York, which is home to the Archbishop of York andEconomy
Overview
A July 2020 report by Council stated that York is worth "£5.2 billion to the UK economy ... with 9,000 businesses and 110,000 people employed across the city". According to ''Make It York'', the city benefits from features that include a well-educated workforce, "excellent transport links to both national and international markets, pronounced strengths in a range of high value sectors, a pioneering digital infrastructure, outstanding business support networks ..." York's economy is based on the service industry, which in 2000 was responsible for 88.7% of employment in the city. Statistics based on 2019 data indicated that tourism was worth over £765 million to the city, supported 24,000 jobs and attracted 8.4 million visitors each year. The Employment Rate in 2018 was 78.8%. The private sector accounted for 77,000 jobs in 2019 while 34,500 jobs were in the public sector. The service industries include public sector employment, health, education, finance, information technology (IT) and tourism that accounted for 10.7% of employment as of 2016. Tourism has become an important element of the economy, with the city offering a wealth of historic attractions, of whichEffects of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have COVID-19 pandemic in England, reached England after cases were discovered in York on 31 January 2020. The pandemic caused an economic slowdown because of restrictions imposed on businesses and on travel in the UK; by January 2021, many cities were in their third lockdown and the country's unemployment rate had reached its highest level in over four years. The retail, hospitality, and tourism sectors were especially hard hit in York. In August 2020, the campaign "Make It York" and the city council embarked on a six-month tourism marketing plan "to reenergise the city while building resident and visitor confidence". A report in June 2020 stated that unemployment had risen 114% over the previous year because of restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic. In addition to 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". Other analyses suggested that "York is well-placed for the high street to recover and evolve from the pandemic if new businesses focus on creating an attraction or experience rather than traditional retail". The North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership also "predicted a significant rise in staycation trips to York in 2021".Public services
Under the requirements of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, York City Council appointed a watch committee which established a police force and appointed a chief constable. On 1 June 1968 the York City, East Riding of Yorkshire, and North Riding of Yorkshire police forces were amalgamated to form the York and North East Yorkshire Police. Since 1974, Home Office policing in York has been provided by the North Yorkshire Police. The force's central headquarters for policing York and nearby Selby (district), Selby are in Fulford. Fire service in the United Kingdom, Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, based in Northallerton. The city's first hospital, York County Hospital, opened in 1740 in Monkgate funded by public subscription. It closed in 1976 when it was replaced by York Hospital, which opened the same year and gained NHS foundation trust, Foundation status in April 2007. It has 524 adult inpatient beds and 127 special purpose beds providing general healthcare and some specialist inpatient, daycase, and outpatient services. It is also known as York District Hospital and YDH. The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 bringing together South Yorkshire Ambulance Service, West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service and the North and East Yorkshire parts of Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service to provide patient transport. Other forms of health care are provided for locally by clinics and surgeries. Since 1998 waste management has been co-ordinated via the York and North Yorkshire Waste Partnership. York's distribution network operator for electricity is CE Electric UK; there are no power stations in the city. Yorkshire Water, which has a local water extraction plant on the River Derwent, Yorkshire, River Derwent at Elvington, manages York's drinking water, drinking and waste water. The city has a magistrates' court (England and Wales), magistrates' court, and venues for the Crown Court and the County Court (England and Wales), County Court. The Crown Court House was designed by the architect John Carr (architect), John Carr, next to the then prison (including execution area). Between 1773 and 1777, the Grand Jury House was replaced by John Carr's elegant Court House for the Assizes of the whole county. The Female Prison was built opposite and mirrors the court building positioned around a circular lawn which became known as the "Eye of the Ridings", or the "Eye of York". 1776 saw the last recorded instance of a wife hanged and burnt for poisoning her husband. Horse theft was a capital offence. The culprits of lesser crimes were brought to court by the city constables and would face a fine. The corporation employed a "common informer" whose task was to bring criminals to justice. The former prison is now the York Castle Museum, Castle Museum but still contains the cells.Transport
Water
York's location on the River Ouse, and in the centre of the Vale of York, means that it has always had a significant position in the nation's transport system. The city grew up as a river port at the confluence of the Ouse and the Foss. The Ouse was originally a tidal river, accessible to seagoing ships of the time. Today, both of these rivers remain navigable, although the Foss is only navigable for a short distance above the confluence. A canal lock, lock at Naburn on the Ouse to the south of York means that the river in York is no longer tidal. Until the end of the 20th century, the Ouse was used by barges to carry freight between York and the Port of Hull, port of Kingston upon Hull, Hull. The last significant such traffic was the supply of newsprint to the local newspaper's Foss-side print works, which continued until 1997. Today, navigation is almost exclusively leisure-oriented.Roads
Like most cities founded by the Romans, York is well served by long-distance trunk roads. The city lies at the intersection of the A19 road from Doncaster to Tyneside, the A59 road from Liverpool to York, the A64 road from Leeds to Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough and the A1079 road from York to Kingston upon Hull, Hull. The A64 road provides the principal link to the motorway network, linking York to both the A1(M) and the M1 motorways at a distance of about from the city. The trans-Pennine M62 motorway is less than away providing links to Manchester and Liverpool. The city is surrounded on all sides by an outer ring road, at a distance of some from the centre of the city, which allows through traffic to by-pass the city. The street plan of the historic core of the city dates from medieval times and is not suitable for modern traffic. As a consequence, many of the routes inside the city walls are designated as Car-free zone, car-free during business hours or restrict traffic entirely. To alleviate this situation, six bus-based York Park and Ride, park and ride sites operate in York. The sites are located towards the edge of the urban area, with easy access from the ring road and allow out of town visitors to complete their journey into the city centre by bus. Public transport within the city is largely bus-based. First York operates the majority of the city's local bus services, as well as the York Park & Ride services. York was the location of the first implementation of FirstGroup's experimental and controversial FTR (bus), FTR bus concept, which sought to confer the advantages of a modern tramway system at a lower cost. The service was withdrawn following an election manifesto pledge by the Labour Group at the 2011 local government election. Transdev York also operates a large number of local bus services. Open-top tourist and sightseeing buses are operated by Transdev York, on behalf of City Sightseeing. Rural services, linking local towns and villages with York, are provided by a number of companies with Transdev York & Country, East Yorkshire (bus company), East Yorkshire and Reliance Motor Services operating most of them. Longer-distance bus services are provided by a number of operators, including Arriva Yorkshire services to Selby, East Yorkshire routes to Hull, Beverley, Driffield, Market Weighton and Pocklington, and Harrogate Bus Company services to Knaresborough and Harrogate. Yorkshire Coastliner links Leeds City bus station, Leeds via York with Scarborough, Filey, Bridlington and Whitby.Railway
York has been a major railway centre since the first line arrived in 1839, at the beginning of the railway age. For many years, the city hosted the headquarters and works of the North Eastern Railway (United Kingdom), North Eastern Railway.Air
The closest international airports are Leeds Bradford Airport, Leeds Bradford at , Teesside International Airport, Teesside , Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Doncaster Sheffield , Humberside Airport, Humberside . Further afield are Manchester Airport, Manchester and Newcastle International Airport, Newcastle . Manchester Airport – with connections to Europe, North America, Africa and Asia – has direct rail links by TransPennine Express with its . By road its accessible by the A64 road, A64 to the M60 motorway, M60 via the A1(M) motorway, M1 motorway, M1 and M62 motorway, M62. Teesside Airport has one connection via and with a limited service with a bus from to the airport. By road, it is accessible by the A19 road, A19 north to the A67 road, A67. Newcastle Airport has one connection via with the metro to , it is accessible by the A1(M) north to the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 then the A696 road, A696. Leeds Bradford and Humberside have no direct station with buses from the nearest stations. Leeds Bradford serves most major European and North African airports, as well as Pakistan and John F Kennedy International Airport, New York City. Humberside is accessible by the A1079 to the A15 road (England), A15 via the A63 road, A63; Leeds Bradford by the A59 road, A59 to the A658 road, A658 via the A661 road, A661. York has an airfield at the former RAF Elvington, south-east of the city centre, which is the home of the Yorkshire Air Museum and used for private aviation. In 2003, plans were drafted to expand the site for business aviation or a full commercial service. Former RAF Church Fenton is also near the city and private, it is now called Leeds East Airport, Leeds East.Education
Museums and libraries
York Castle, a complex of buildings ranging from the medieval Clifford's Tower to the 20th-century entrance to the York Castle Museum (formerly a prison) has had a chequered history. As well as the Castle Museum, the city contains numerous other museums and historic buildings such as the Yorkshire Museum and its Museum Gardens, Jorvik Viking Centre, York Art Gallery, Merchant Adventurers' Hall, the reconstructed medieval house Barley Hall (owned by the York Archaeological Trust), the 18th-century Fairfax House, the Mansion House, York, Mansion House (the historic home of the Lord Mayor) and the so-called Treasurer's House, York, Treasurer's House (owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust). 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. Included in this collection are the world's fastest steam locomotive LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard, LNER Class A4 4468 ''Mallard'' and the world-famous LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman, LNER Class A3 4472 ''Flying Scotsman'', which has been overhauled in the Museum. Although noted for its Medieval history, visitors can also gain an understanding of the Cold War through visiting the York Cold War Bunker, former headquarters of No 20 Group of the Royal Observer Corps. The city's first subscription library opened in 1794. The first free public library, the York Library, was built on Clifford Street (York), Clifford Street in 1893, to mark Queen Victoria's jubilee. A new building was erected on Museum Street (York), Museum Street in 1927, and this is still the library today; it was extended in 1934 and 1938.Higher and further
The University of York's main campus is on the southern edge of the city at Heslington. The Department of Archaeology and the graduate Centres for Eighteenth Century Studies and Medieval Studies are located in the historic King's Manor in the city centre. It was York's only institution with university status until 2006, when the more centrally located York St John University, formerly an autonomous college of the University of Leeds, attained full university status. The city formerly hosted a branch of the University of Law before it moved to Leeds. The University of York also has a medical school, Hull York Medical School. The city has two major further education institutions. York College (York), 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 leaving age, 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.Secondary and primary
There are 70 Local Education Authority, local council schools with over 24,000 pupils in the City of York Council area. The City of York Council manages most primary and secondary schools within the city. Primary schools cover education from ages 5–11, with some offering early years education from age 3. From 11 to 16 education is provided by 10 secondary schools, four of which offer additional education up to the age of 18. In 2007 Oaklands Sports College and Lowfield Comprehensive School merged to become one school known as York High School, York, York High School. There is one "''outstanding''" Roman Catholic secondary school in the city, All Saints Roman Catholic School, York, All Saints School, which was founded in 1665, the school is split-site meaning that the education of lower years (years 7-9) happens on the Lower Site attached to the oldest running convent in the country, Bar Convent. And the upper years including sixth form are taught on the Upper Site which is on Mill Mount, the former site of Millthorpe School, Mill Mount County Grammar School for Girls. The Sixth form is both the largest and most well-respected sixth form in the city. As a school it plays an essential role in York's Catholic community being the only secondary institution dedicated to the denomination. It was the first Catholic school in the country to admit girls for education in the 1660s. York also has several private schools. St Peter's School was founded in 627. The scholar Alcuin, who went on to serveCulture
The city is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a city of ''Media Arts''. An unsuccessful 2010 bid by York city council and a number of heritage organisations to make a UNESCO World Heritage Site indirectly led to the city making a successful bid for its title.Theatre
The York Theatre Royal, Theatre Royal, which was established in 1744, produces an annual pantomime which attracts loyal audiences from around the country. The theatre's veteran star, Berwick Kaler, often played the pantomime dame, dame, before he retired from acting in the pantomime in 2019, and officially parted ways with the theatre after the so-called "Panto Wars". The Theatre Royal continues to produce an annual pantomime without Kaler, who came out of retirement in 2021 to star in a new panto at The Grand Opera House, York, Grand Opera House. Both the Grand Opera House and Joseph Rowntree Theatre also offer a variety of productions. The city is home to the Riding Lights Theatre Company, which as well as operating a busy national touring department, also operates a busy youth theatre and educational departments. York is also home to a number of amateur dramatic groups. The Department of Theatre, Film and Television and Student Societies of the University of York put on public drama performances. The York Mystery Plays are performed in public at intervals, using texts based on the original medieval plays of this type that were performed by the guilds – often with specific connections to the subject matter of each play. (For instance the Shipwrights' Play is the ''Building of Noah's Ark'' and the fish-sellers and mariners the ''Landing of Noah's Ark''). The York Cycle of Mystery Plays or Pageants is the most complete in England. Originally performed from wagons at various locations around the city from the 14th century until 1570, they were revived in 1951 during the Festival of Britain, when York was one of the cities with a regional festival. They became part of the York City Festival every three years and later four years. They were mostly produced in a temporary open-air theatre within the ruins of St Mary's Abbey, using some professional but mostly amateur actors. Lead actors have included Christopher Timothy and Robson Green (in the role of Christ) and Dame Judi Dench as a school girl, in 1951, 1954 and 1957. (She remains a Patron of the plays). The cycle was presented in the Theatre Royal in 1992 and 1996, within York Minster in 2000 and in 2002, 2006 and 2010 by Guild groups from wagons in the squares, in the Dean's Park, or at the Eye of York. They go around the streets, recreating the original productions. In 2012, the York Mystery Plays were performed between 2 and 27 August at St Mary's Abbey, York, St Mary's Abbey in the York Museum Gardens.Music
The Academy of St Olave's, a chamber orchestra which gives concerts in St Olave's Church, York, St Olave's Church, Marygate, is one of the music groups that perform regularly in York. A former church, Medieval churches of York#St Margaret, Walmgate, St Margaret's, Walmgate, is the National Centre for Early Music, which hosts concerts, broadcasts, competitions and events including the York Early Music Festival. Students, staff and visiting artists of York St John University music department regularly perform lunchtime concerts in the university chapel. The staff and students of the University of York also perform in the city.Food and drink
Each September since 1997, York has held an annual Festival of Food and Drink. The aim of the festival is to spotlight food culture in York and North Yorkshire by promoting local food production. The Festival attracts up to 150,000 visitors over 10 days from all over the country. The Assize of Ale is an annual event in the city where people in medieval costume take part in a pub crawl to raise money for local charities. It has its origins in the 13th century, when an Assize of Bread and Ale was used to regulate the quality of goods. The current version was resurrected in 1990/91 by the then Sheriff of York, Peter Brown, and is led by the Guild of Scriveners. The Knavesmire, home of York Racecourse, plays host to Yorkshire's largest beer festival every September run by York CAMRA – York Beer & Cider Festival. It is housed in a marquee opposite the grandstand of the racecourse in the enclosure and in 2016 offered over 450 real ales and over 100 ciders. A product claimed to be local is York ham, a mild-flavoured ham with delicate pink colouring. It is traditionally served with Madeira wine#Uses, Madeira Sauce. The ham has been described as a lightly smoked, dry-cured ham that is saltier but milder in flavour than other European dry-cured hams. Folklore has it that the oak construction for York Minster provided the sawdust for smoking the ham. A likely apocryphal story attributes Robert Burrow Atkinson's butchery shop, in Blossom Street, to be the birthplace of the original "York Ham", or at least to have made it famous.Attractions
Architecture
Pubs
In June 2015 York Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA listed 101 pubs on its map of the city centre, some of which are hundreds of years old. These include the Golden Fleece Inn, York, Golden Fleece, Ye Olde Starre Inne, noted for its sign which has spanned the street since 1733, and Kings Arms, York, The Kings Arms, often photographed during floods. On 18 June 2016, York CAMRA undertook a "Beer Census" and found 328 unique real ales being served in over 200 pubs in York, reinforcing the city's reputation as a top UK beer destination.Tea Rooms
In the centre of York, in St Helen's Square, there is the York branch of Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, Bettys Café Tea Rooms. Bettys' founder, Frederick Belmont, travelled on the maiden voyage of the ''RMS Queen Mary, Queen Mary'' in 1936. He was so impressed by the splendour of the ship that he employed the Queen Mary's designers and craftsmen to turn a dilapidated furniture store in York into an elegant café in St Helen's Square. A few years after Bettys opened in York war broke out, and the basement 'Bettys Bar' became a favourite haunt of the thousands of airmen stationed around York. 'Bettys Mirror', on which many of them engraved their signatures with a diamond pen, remains on display today as a tribute to them.Media
The York area is served by a local newspaper, ''The Press (York), The Press'' (known as the ''Evening Press'' until April 2006), ''The York Advertiser'' newspaper (based at ''The Press'' on Walmgate), and four local radio stations: BBC Radio York, YorkMix Radio, YO1 Radio and Jorvik Radio. A local commercial radio station, Minster FM, broadcast until 2020 when it was replaced by Greatest Hits Radio North Yorkshire. Another digital news and radio website is YorkMix run by former print journalists, that incorporates Local News; What's On; Food & Drink; Things To Do and Business sections with articles written by residents and local journalists. In August 2016 YorkMix was nominated in two categories in the O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and The Humber. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and BBC North East & Cumbria on BBC One and ITV Yorkshire and ITV Tyne Tees on ITV. This means York receives news from Emley Moor and Bilsdale television transmitters. On 27 November 2013, Ofcom awarded the 12-year local TV licence for the York area to a consortium entitled The York Channel, with the channel due to be on air in spring 2015. This service is now on air as That's TV North Yorkshire. York St John University has a Film and Television Production department with links to many major industrial partners. The department hosts an annual festival of student work and a showcase of other regional films. The University of York has its own television station York Student Television (YSTV) and two campus newspapers ''Nouse'' and ''York Vision''. Its radio station University Radio York, URY is the longest running legal independent radio station in the UK, and was voted Student Radio Station of the Year 2020 at the Student Radio Awards.Sport
Football codes
The city's association football team is York City F.C., York City who are competing in the as of the 2022–23 season. York have played as high as the Football League Second Division, old Second Division but are best known for their 'giant killing' status in cup competitions, having reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1954–55 FA Cup, 1955 and beaten Manchester United F.C., Manchester United 3–0 during the 1995–96 Football League Cup, League Cup. Their matches are played at the York Community Stadium as of 2021, having previously played at Bootham Crescent since 1932. The most notable footballers to come from York in recent years are Lucy Staniforth, 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Under-20 World Cup winning captain Lewis Cook (footballer, born 1997), Lewis Cook and former England national football team, England manager Steve McClaren. York also has a strong rugby league history. York FC, later known as York Wasps, formed in 1868, were one of the oldest rugby league clubs in the country but the effects of a move to the out of town Huntington Stadium, poor results and falling attendances led to their bankruptcy in 2002. The supporters formed a new club, York City Knights, who played at the same stadium until 2015 when they moved to Bootham Crescent. In 2021, they moved to York Community Stadium. the men's team play in The Championship (rugby league), Championship and the women's team (York Valkyrie) play in the RFL Women's Super League, Super League. There are three amateur rugby league teams in York; New Earswick All Blacks (in New Earswick), York Acorn and Heworth A.R.L.F.C., Heworth. York International 9s was an annual rugby league nines tournament which took place in York between 2002 and 2009. Amateur side York Lokomotive compete in the Rugby League Conference. Rugby union has been played in York since the 1860s, with multiple teams currently playing within the city. York RUFC was formed in 1928, and amalgamated with the York Cricket Club in 1966. The teams' home ground is at York sports ground at Clifton Park. The men's 1st team play in North 1 East, with the women's team in RFUW Women's NC1 North East championship. York Railway Institute (RI) RUFC home ground is at the York RI sports club on newlane, York. The men's team currently compete in Yorkshire Division 4 South East (Yorkshire 4), and the ladies team play in the RFUW Women's NC1 North East championship. Based at the York site of chocolate and confectionery maker Nestle Rowntree's, Nestle Rowntree RUFC was founded originally in 1894 and re-founded in 1954. They currently play their home games at York St. John University Sports Field and they compete in Yorkshire Division 4 South East (Yorkshire 4).Racing
York Racecourse was established in 1731 and from 1990 has been awarded Northern Racecourse of the Year for 17 years running. This major horseracing venue is located on the Knavesmire and sees thousands flocking to the city every year for the 15 race meetings. The Knavesmire Racecourse also hosted Royal Ascot in 2005. In August racing takes place over the four-day Ebor Festival that includes the Ebor Handicap dating from 1843. On 6 July 2014, York hosted the start of Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France. Starting the Départ Fictif from York Racecourse, the riders travelled through the city centre to the Départ Actuel on the A59 just beyond the junction with the Outer Ring Road heading towards Knaresborough. In 2015, the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire was held as a legacy event to build on the popularity of the previous year, with the Day 2 stage finishing in York. Motorbike speedway once took place at York. The track in the Burnholme Estate was completed in 1930 and a demonstration event staged. In 1931 the track staged team and open events and the York team took part in the National Trophy.Other
An open rowing club York City Rowing Club is located underneath Lendal Bridge. The rowing clubs of The University of York, York St John University Rowing Club and Leeds University Boat Club as well as York City RC use the Ouse for training. There are two sailing clubs close to York, both of which sail dinghies on the River Ouse. The York RI (Railway Institute) Sailing Club has a club house and boat park on the outskirts of Bishopthorpe, a village to the south of York. The Yorkshire Ouse Sailing Club has a club house in the village of Naburn, south of York. York hosts the UK Championship, UK Snooker Championship, which is the second biggest ranking tournament in the sport, at the York Barbican.Garrison
York Garrison is a List of British Army Garrisons, garrison of the British army, which administers a number of units based in and around the city of York. The garrison's current units are: *York Station **Imphal Barracks ***Headquarters, 1st (United Kingdom) Division ***2 Signal Regiment (United Kingdom), 2 Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals ***12 Military Intelligence Company, 1 Military Intelligence Battalion ***1 Investigation Company, Special Investigation Branch Regiment ***Kohima Troop, 50 (Northern) Signal Squadron, 37 (Wessex and Welsh) Signal Regiment, 37 Signal Regiment ***3 Army Education Centre, Educational and Training Services Branch **Worsley Barracks ***Helmand Company, 4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, 4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment ***York Detachment, Officers' Training Corps#Leeds, Leeds University Officers' Training Corps **Yeomanry Barracks ***A (Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry, Yorkshire Yeomanry) Squadron, Queen's Own Yeomanry *Strensall Station **Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall, Queen Elizabeth Barracks ***Headquarters, 2nd Medical Brigade (United Kingdom), 2nd Medical Brigade ***34 Field Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps ***Headquarters, Army Training Unit (North) ***4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, 4th Infantry Brigade Cadet Training Team ***1st (United Kingdom) Division Operational Shooting Training Team **Towthorpe Lines ***Army Medical Services Training CentreInternational relations
Twin towns – sister cities
York is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France, since 1953 * Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, since 1957 * Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, since 2016 In 2016 York became sister city, sister cities with the Chinese city of Nanjing, in line with an agreement signed by the Lord Mayor of York, focusing on building links in tourism, education, science, technology and culture. On 22 October 2014 it announced the first 'temporal twinning' with Jórvík, the Viking city on the site of York from 866 to 1066. In 2017 York became UK's first Human Rights City, human rights city, which formalised the city's aim to use human rights in decision making.Freedom of the City
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City of York.Individuals
* John Kendal: 1482. * John Moore: 29 September 1687. * Cosmo Gordon Lang: 1928. * Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, HRH Princess Royal: 1952. * Edna Annie Crichton: 1955. * Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Duke of York : 23 February 1987. (Revoked by a Unanimity, Unanimous vote of the City of York Council on 27 April 2022). * Sarah, Duchess of York, Duchess of York: 23 February 1987. * Katharine, Duchess of Kent, HRH Duchess of Kent : April 1989. * John Barry (composer), John Barry : 2002. * Judi Dench, Dame Judi Dench : 13 July 2002. * Berwick Kaler: 2003. * Professor Ron Cooke, Sir Ronald Cooke : 2006. * Neal Guppy: 2010.Military units
* The Royal Dragoon Guards: 24 April 1999. * 2 Signal Regiment (United Kingdom), 2 Signals Regiment: January 2001. * A Squadron The Queen's Own Yeomanry: 3 December 2009. * RAF Linton-on-Ouse, RAF Linton on Ouse: 19 September 2010. * The Queen's Gurkha Signals: 8 September 2015.See also
* Big Blue Ocean Cleanup * CityConnect WIFI * The Evelyn collection of pictures of York from the early 20th century * List of people from York * Southlands Methodist Church * White Rose Theatre * York Festival of Ideas * York Shakespeare Project * Goddards House and Garden * Rollits LLP * Rowntree ParkExplanatory notes
: There was no census in 1941: figures are from National Register. United Kingdom and Isle of Man. Statistics of Population on 29 September 1939 by Sex, Age, and Marital Condition. : There is a discrepancy of 37 between Office for National Statistics figures (quoted before) and those on the ''Vision of Britain'' website (quoted here).References
External links
Photos and images
Historical and genealogical sources
*