North Dorset

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North Dorset District
Non-metropolitan district
North Dorset shown within Dorset
Coordinates: 50°52′N 2°10′E / 50.86°N 2.17°E / 50.86; 2.17
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South West England
Non-metropolitan county	Dorset
Status	Abolished
Admin HQ	Blandford Forum
Incorporated	1 April 1974 to 31 March 2019
Government
• Type	Non-metropolitan district council
• Body	North Dorset District Council
• Leadership	Leader and Cabinet ( )
• MPs	Simon Hoare
Area
• Total	235.2 sq mi (609.2 km2)
Population  (mid-2018)
• Total	71,100
• Density	300/sq mi (120/km2)
• Ethnicity	98.6% White
Time zone	UTC0
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code	19UE (ONS) E07000050 (GSS)
OS grid reference	ST8806

North Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England, between 1974 and 2019. Its area was largely rural, but included the towns of Blandford Forum, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Stalbridge and Sturminster Newton. Much of North Dorset was in the River Stour valley, known as the Blackmore Vale. The economy of North Dorset was largely based on dairy agriculture.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, from the municipal boroughs of Blandford Forum, Shaftesbury, Blandford Rural District, Shaftesbury Rural District and Sturminster Rural District. The district and its council were abolished on 1 April 2019 and, together with the other four Dorset districts outside the greater Bournemouth area, incorporated into a Dorset unitary authority.^[1]

At the 2001 UK census North Dorset had a population of 61,905, a rise of 8,300 from 1991, with 25,248 households.

North Dorset is home to North Dorset Rugby Football Club.