Harrogate

This article is about the town in England. For the former wider borough, see Borough of Harrogate. For other uses, see Harrogate (disambiguation) or the similar spelling of Harrowgate.

Harrogate
Town
Harrogate is located in North Yorkshire
Harrogate
Harrogate
Location within North Yorkshire
Population75,070 (mid-2016 ONS estimate)[citation needed]
OS grid referenceSE303550
• London180 mi (290 km) SSE
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Areas of the town
List
Post townHARROGATE
Postcode districtHG1, HG2, HG3
Dialling code01423
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
Websitewww.harrogate.gov.uk
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°59′31″N 01°32′16″W / 53.99194°N 1.53778°W / 53.99194; -1.53778

Harrogate (/ˈhærəɡət, -ɡeɪt, -ɡɪt/ HARR-ə-gət, -⁠gayt, -⁠ghit)[1] is a spa town in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters and RHS Harlow Carr gardens. 13 miles (21 km) away from the town centre is the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Nidderdale AONB.

Harrogate grew out of two smaller settlements, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, in the 17th century. For three consecutive years (2013–2015), polls voted the town as "the happiest place to live" in Britain.[2][3][4] Harrogate spa water contains iron, sulphur and common salt. The town became known as 'The English Spa' in the Georgian era, after its waters were discovered in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries its 'chalybeate' waters (containing iron) were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr

Harrogate railway station and Harrogate bus station in the town centre provide transport connections. Leeds Bradford Airport is 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Harrogate. The main roads through the town are the A61, connecting Harrogate to Leeds and Ripon, and the A59, connecting the town to York and Skipton. Harrogate is also connected to Wetherby and the A1(M) by the A661, while the A658 from Bradford forms a bypass around the south of the town. Harrogate had a population of 73,576 at the 2011 UK census;[5][6] the built-up area comprising Harrogate and nearby Knaresborough had a population of 89,060,[5] while the figure for the much wider Borough of Harrogate, comprising Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, as well as a number of smaller settlements and a large rural area, was 157,869.[7]

The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means "a citadel famous for its springs".[8]

Bettys Tearooms on Parliament Street
  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). "Harrogate". Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  2. ^ "Harrogate named as happiest place to live in Britain" Archived 3 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine, BBC, 6 August 2015
  3. ^ Collinson, Patrick; Norton, Jim. "Harrogate is 'happiest town' to live in in the UK | Money". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Best places to live in the UK – our top 30". housetohome.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  5. ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Harrogate Built-up area (E34004646)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  6. ^ The population of the Harrogate Unparished Area is derived from the totals for Bilton; Granby; Harlow Moor; High Harrogate; Hookstone; Low Harrogate; New Park; Pannal; Rossett; Saltergate; Starbeck; Stray; and Woodfield wards then subtracting that part of Killinghall Civil Parish within Saltergate Ward. The population for the portion of Killinghall Civil Parish is derived from subtracting the populations of Nidd and Ripley Civil Parishes from the total for Killinghall ward. This gives the portion of Killinghall Civil Parish in Killinghall Ward; this is then subtracted from the total for Killinghall Civil Parish to give the total for the portion of Killinghall Civil Parish in Saltergate Ward.
  7. ^ "North Yorkshire population information". North Yorkshire County Council. 19 December 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Harrogate". Bottled Water of the World. 9 December 2003. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2008.