Borough of Harrogate
—  Borough  —
Official logo of Borough of Harrogate Arms of Harrogate Borough Council
Shown within North Yorkshire
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Founded
Admin. HQ	Harrogate
Government
• Type	Harrogate Borough Council
• Leadership:	Leader & Cabinet
• Executive:	Conservative
• MPs:	Nigel Adams, Andrew Jones, Julian Smith
Area
• Total	505 sq mi (1,308 km2)
Area rank	15th
Population (2010 est.)
• Total	158,700
• Rank	Ranked 115th
• Density	310/sq mi (120/km2)
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode
ISO 3166-2
ONS code	36UD
OS grid reference
NUTS 3
Ethnicity	96.9% White 1.0% Mixed 0.8% S.Asian 0.8% Chinese or other 0.6% Black[1]
Website	harrogate.gov.uk

The Borough of Harrogate is a local government district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate but it also includes surrounding towns and villages. It is the most populous district of North Yorkshire. The district is part of the Leeds City Region.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the Masham and Wath rural districts, and part of Thirsk Rural District, from the North Riding of Yorkshire, along with the boroughs of Harrogate and the city of Ripon, the Knaresborough urban district, Nidderdale Rural District, Ripon and Pateley Bridge Rural District, part of Wetherby Rural District and part of Wharfedale Rural District, all in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

On 1 April 1996 the parishes of Nether Poppleton, Upper Poppleton, Hessay and Rufforth were transferred from the district to become part of the new York unitary authority. According to the 2001 census these parishes had a population of 5,169.

Politics[link]

Elections to the borough council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 54 seats on the council being elected at each election. After being under no overall control from the 2006 election, the Conservative party gained a majority at the 2010 election.

Following the United Kingdom local elections, 2011, the political composition of Harrogate is as follows:

Towns[link]

By population:
1. Harrogate
2. Ripon
3. Knaresborough
4. Boroughbridge
5. Pateley Bridge
6. Masham

Etymology[link]

The name possibly means place at the road to the cairn or heap of stones from the Old Norse haugr plus gata.^[2]

Historical sites[link]

• Aldborough Roman Museum
• Fountains Abbey
• Ripon Cathedral
• Knaresborough Castle
• Ripley Castle
• Spofforth Castle
• Marston Moor
• Devil's Arrows

References[link]

v t e Districts of Yorkshire and the Humber Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire • North East Lincolnshire North Yorkshire Craven • Hambleton • Harrogate • Richmondshire • Ryedale • Scarborough • Selby • York South Yorkshire Barnsley • Doncaster • Rotherham • Sheffield West Yorkshire Bradford • Calderdale • Kirklees • Leeds • Wakefield East Riding of Yorkshire East Riding of Yorkshire • Kingston upon Hull

Coordinates: 53°59′25″N 1°32′28″W / 53.99028°N 1.54111°W / 53.99028; -1.54111

Coordinates: 53°59′28″N 1°32′20″W / 53.991°N 1.539°W / 53.991; -1.539

Harrogate
Harrogate cenotaph
Harrogate  Harrogate shown within North Yorkshire
Population	71,594 (2001)
OS grid reference	SE303550
- London	211 mi (340 km)
District	Harrogate
Shire county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HARROGATE
Postcode district	HG1, HG2, HG3, HG5
Dialling code	01423
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Harrogate & Knaresborough
Website	http://www.harrogate.gov.uk/
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Bettys Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Harrogate grew out of two existing smaller settlements, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, in the 17th century.

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 first discovered in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries especially, these 'chalybeate' waters (i.e. containing iron) were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town.

Harrogate railway station and Harrogate bus station in the town centre provide transport connections. Leeds Bradford International Airport is 10 miles (16 km) south west of Harrogate. The main road through the town is the A61, connecting Harrogate to Leeds and Ripon. Harrogate is also connected to Wetherby and the A1, by the A661. The town of Harrogate on its own had a population of 71,594 at the 2001 UK census;^[1][2] the urban area comprising Harrogate and nearby Knaresborough had a population of 85,128, while the figure for the much wider Borough of Harrogate, comprising Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and a large rural area, was 151,339.^[3]

The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means "a citadel famous for its springs."^[4]

History[link]

Royal Pump Room

Before the discovery of iron and sulphur rich water, Harrogate comprised two hamlets, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, close to the historic town of Knaresborough. The first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 by William Slingsby, who found that water from the Tewit Well possessed similar properties to that from the springs of the Belgian town of Spa, which gave its name to spa towns. The medicinal properties of the waters were widely publicised by Edmund Deane, whose book, Spadacrene Anglica, or the English Spa Fountain was published in 1626. Harrogate developed fame as a spa town following the enclosure of surrounding lands in 1770, when 200 acres (0.81 km²) were reserved as public commons, the Stray, which has remained a popular spot for picnicking, kite-flying, outdoor games and local football matches.^[5] To provide entertainment for increasing numbers of visitors to the village, the Georgian Theatre was built in 1788. Bath Hospital (later the Royal Bath Hospital) was built in 1826. The Royal Pump Room was built in 1842.