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York

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This is about York in England. For articles about other uses of the name York, see York (disambiguation).

York

York is a city in the north of England, built at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. In 1991 the city had a population of 123,126, its geographic coordinates are 53°57' North, 1°05' West.

York is the traditional county town of Yorkshire - which takes its name. The modern City of York, created on April 1, 1996, is a unitary authority and an administrative county in its own right. As well as York itself, it includes a number of neighbouring parishes which formerly belonged to the surrounding counties. It borders on North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The authority has 27 Conservation Areas, no less than 2084 Listed buildings and 20 Scheduled Ancient Monuments in its care.


History and Tourism

File:Yorkmin2.JPG
York Minister

York is renowned for its history, which is preserved in its architecture. The city was founded almost 2000 years ago, and for much of the intervening period has been the main city in the North of England. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to see the surviving medieval buildings, interspersed with Roman and Viking remains.

For the Romans it was a major military base, named Eboracum or Eburacum, after the Brythonic Efrawg. Emperor Septimius Severus died there in 211 AD, and Constantius Chlorus, the father of Constantine I, died there in 306.

On March 16, 1190 a mob of townsfolk massacred the Jews of York. The Jews were driven to the fortified Clifford's Tower where they committed mass suicide rather than die at the hands of their attackers. It is said that the stone walls of the tower turned red with their blood.

The Anglo-Saxons called the city Eoferwic or Eoforwic. The Vikings called the city Jorvik. In modern Welsh it is known as Efrog, in Irish Gaelic as Eabhrac, and in Scottish Gaelic as Iorc.

York Minster is the largest medieval cathedral in England, and dominates the city's skyline, while surrounding York's centre are the city walls, built by Henry III in 1220.

Another popular tourist attraction is the Shambles, an old street with overhanging timber-built shops, now occupied by souvenir shops as opposed to the original butchers. York is also home to numerous Ghost Walks where tourists can learn about York's folklore.

York is also noted for its wealth of pubs. The York area is said to contain one pub for every day of the year, although this is now a little exaggerated. It is said, with perhaps a touch of poetic licence, 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.

Modern York

As well as being a major tourist destination, modern York is a centre of communications, education and manufacturing. It is a major railway junction, situated on the East Coast, Cross Country and Transpennine mainlines.

Two large factories make chocolate (Nestlé Rowntree and Terry's), while another refines sugar. York is the home of Kit Kat, Smarties, the Chocolate Orange and the eponymous Yorkie bar.

The city has one of the country's leading universities (the University of York), a higher education college (York St John College) and a branch of the College of Law. York has one football team in the English league: York City. The York area is served by a local newspaper, the Yorkshire Evening Press.

Places of interest (City Centre)

Places of interest (Suburbs and Villages)

Districts, towns, villages

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