File:2011_map_of_towns_and_cities_in_Devon_by_population.svg, 300px, Interactive map showing the location of the towns and cities within Devon. The size of the circle corresponds to the size of its 2011 population and the shade of blue or red to its population growth or decline respectively.
circle 416 949 80 1. Plymouth 256,384 (6%)
circle 837 604 54 2. Exeter 117,773 (6%)
circle 826 862 40 3. Torquay 65,245 (2%)
circle 797 905 35 4. Paignton 49,021 (2%)
circle 922 701 29 5. Exmouth 34,432 (4%)
circle 458 237 25 6. Barnstaple 24,033 (14%)
circle 772 810 25 7. Newton Abbot 24,029 (2%)
circle 860 416 23 8. Tiverton 21,335 (13%)
circle 835 948 20 9. Brixham 16,693 (-5%)
circle 351 296 20 10. Bideford 16,610 (13%)
circle 847 778 19 11. Teignmouth 14,749 (2%)
circle 1029 637 19 12. Sidmouth 13,737 (4%)
circle 873 745 18 13. Dawlish 13,161 (0%)
circle 404 785 18 14. Tavistock 12,280 (6%)
circle 354 276 17 15. Northam 12,062 (9%)
circle 554 947 17 16. Ivybridge 11,851 (-2%)
circle 419 100 17 17. Ilfracombe 11,509 (6%)
circle 1058 527 17 18. Honiton 11,156 (3%)
circle 781 785 16 19. Kingsteignton 10,451 (-2%)
circle 924 463 15 20. Cullompton 8,499 (11%)
circle 741 530 14 21. Crediton 7,600 (10%)
circle 719 903 14 22. Totnes 7,456 (0%)
circle 725 740 13 23. Bovey Tracey 7,168 (3%)
circle 499 585 13 24. Okehampton 7,104 (18%)
circle 1143 596 13 25. Seaton 7,096 (4%)
circle 1199 541 13 26. Axminster 6,557 (14%)
circle 657 1059 12 27. Kingsbridge 5,887 (6%)
circle 406 361 12 28. Great Torrington 5,714 (8%)
circle 785 989 12 29. Dartmouth 5,605 (2%)
circle 965 696 11 30. Budleigh Salterton 5,185 (7%)
circle 1004 572 11 31. Ottery St. Mary 4,898 (11%)
circle 615 295 11 32. South Molton 4,875 (16%)
circle 776 725 10 33. Chudleigh 4,378 (12%)
circle 670 815 10 34. Ashburton 4,087 (4%)
circle 650 850 10 35. Buckfastleigh 3,631 (-1%)
circle 852 649 10 36. Exminster 3,616 (9%)
circle 1147 591 9 37. Colyton 3,165 (6%)
circle 256 509 8 38. Holsworthy 2,641 (15%)
circle 901 494 7 39. Bradninch 2,206 (13%)
circle 655 1109 7 40. Salcombe 1,909 (1%)
circle 572 520 7 41. North Tawton 1,859 (16%)
circle 451 499 7 42. Hatherleigh 1,729 (25%)
circle 168 319 7 43. Hartland 1,724 (3%)
circle 663 666 7 44. Moretonhampstead 1,703 (10%)
circle 612 655 6 45. Chagford 1,449 (-1%)
circle 592 403 6 46. Chulmleigh 1,323 (1%)
circle 1128 626 6 47. Beer 1,317 (-5%)
desc bottom-left
This list is of towns and cities in Devon in order of their population, according to the 2011
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
data from the
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament.
Overview
The ONS is responsible for t ...
. It comprises the Key Statistics for local authorities, civil parishes and wards that attempt to show their populations. The largest settlement in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
is the city and
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
of
Plymouth with a population of 256,720, whereas the smallest settlement was the town and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
of
Beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
with a population of 1,317. The city of
Exeter, which is home to
Exeter Cathedral, is the
county town and headquarters of
Devon County Council. The
ceremonial county of Devon includes unitary authority areas of Plymouth and
Torbay
Torbay is a borough and unitary authority in Devon, south west England. It is governed by Torbay Council and consists of of land, including the resort towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located on east-facing Tor Bay, part of Lyme ...
, but the
non-metropolitan county
A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a county-level entity in England that is not a metropolitan county. The counties typically have populations of 300,000 to 1.8 million. The term ''shire county'' is, however, an unoffi ...
of Devon excludes such unitary authority areas. It is governed by Devon County Council, whereas Plymouth and Torbay can govern themselves on matters such as transport and education.
Traditionally a town is any settlement which has received a charter of incorporation, more commonly known as a
town charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally the granting of a charter ...
, approved by the
monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...
. However, since 1974, any
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
has the right to declare itself as a town. Prior to 1888, city status was given to settlements home to a
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
such as Exeter. After 1888 it was no longer a necessary condition, leading to Plymouth gaining city-status in 1928. Historical towns such as
Plympton
Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to P ...
,
Stonehouse and
Devonport, which were merged into the city of Plymouth, have not been included, as well as
Topsham, which became a part of Exeter's
urban district, and
St Marychurch, which was annexed by Torquay. However, the unitary authority area of Torbay recognises the three towns of
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...
,
Paignton and
Brixham. The
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
for
Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery", is a town and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about east of Exeter on the B3174. At the 2001 census, the parish, which includes the villages of Metcombe, F ...
is also included, as it is titled ''Ottery St Mary Town''.
Changes to population structures have, however, led to explosions in non-traditional settlements that do not fall into traditional, bureaucratic definitions of 'towns'. Several villages, which are not included in this list, have grown steadily and are more populous than many towns. For example, the ward of
Fremington, with a population of 4,310. would be ranked 34 whilst its neighbour
Braunton
Braunton is a large village, civil parish, ecclesiastical parish and former manor in Devon. The village is situated west of Barnstaple. It is one of the largest villages in Devon with a population at the 2021 census of 10,217 people. There ...
civil parish, with a population of 8,128,
would be ranked 21.
See also
*
List of urban areas in the United Kingdom
*
List of English districts by population
*
Subdivisions of Scotland ยง Council areas
*
List of Welsh principal areas
This is a list of the 22 principal areas of Wales giving their most recent date of creation and the style by which they are known.
The population and density are from the first results of the 2021 census from the Office for National Statistic ...
*
List of districts in Northern Ireland (pre-2015)
*
Travel to work area
References
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Towns and cities
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...