Exeter

Exeter
Clockwise from top: Exeter Cathedral; Southernhay; Sidwell Street in the city centre; Exeter Quay; Royal Albert Memorial Museum; The Iron Bridge
Coat of arms of Exeter
Official logo of Exeter
Motto: 
Semper fidelis (Always faithful)
The District of Exeter including Topsham shown within Devon
The District of Exeter including Topsham shown within Devon
Exeter is located in the United Kingdom
Exeter
Exeter
Location within the United Kingdom
Exeter is located in England
Exeter
Exeter
Location within England
Exeter is located in Devon
Exeter
Exeter
Location in Devon
Coordinates: 50°43′32″N 03°31′37″W / 50.72556°N 3.52694°W / 50.72556; -3.52694
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Ceremonial and shire countyDevon
City statusTime immemorial
Non-metropolitan district1974
Government
 • TypeCity council
 • BodyExeter City Council
 • MPSteve Race
(Labour) & David Reed
(Conservative)
Area
 • Total
18 sq mi (47 km2)
 • Rank246th (of 296)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total
134,939
 • Rank175th (of 296)
 • Density7,400/sq mi (2,900/km2)
 • Demonyms
Exonian
 • Ethnicity (2011)[3]
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode district
Area code01392
Websiteexeter.gov.uk

Exeter (/ˈɛksɪtər/ EK-sit-ər) is a cathedral city and the county town of Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately 36 mi (58 km) northeast of Plymouth and 65 mi (105 km) southwest of Bristol.

In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal command of Vespasian. Exeter became a religious centre in the Middle Ages. Exeter Cathedral, founded in the mid 11th century, became Anglican in the 16th-century English Reformation. Exeter became an affluent centre for the wool trade, although by the First World War the city was in decline. After the Second World War, much of the city centre was rebuilt and is now a centre for education, business and tourism in Devon and Cornwall. It is home to two of the constituent campuses of the University of Exeter: Streatham and St Luke's.

The administrative area of Exeter has the status of a non-metropolitan district under the administration of the County Council. It is the county town of Devon and home to the headquarters of Devon County Council. A plan to grant the city unitary authority status was scrapped by the 2010 coalition government.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Ethnic Group, 2011". Office for National Statistics. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2013.