Middlesbrough
| Middlesbrough
| |
|---|---|
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Shire county | Yorkshire (North Riding) |
| Council | Middlesbrough Council |
| Population | 148,285 (council area) |
Middlesbrough is a large industrial port town in the English county of Yorkshire and part of the statistical region North East England. The largest town in the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the south bank of the River Tees close to the Tees estuary. It is approximately 5 km from Teesport, the UK's second-largest port.
Middlesbrough was founded in 1830 as a port for the export of coal from the coalfields of County Durham, brought to the Tees by the Stockton & Darlington Railway, the earliest steam-powered public railway in the world. The town began to grow rapidly after iron ore was discovered in commercial quantities in the nearby Cleveland Hills in 1850; numerous ironworks were established in Middlesbrough and neighbouring settlements, and Middlesbrough itself was nicknamed Ironopolis and was described by Prime Minister William Gladstone as "an infant Hercules". In the late 19th century the discovery of salt reserves nearby brought the migration of much of the British chemical industry to the district; steel and chemicals, though no longer manufactured within the boundaries of Middlesbrough, remain staples of the economy of the Teesside conurbation.
Middlesbrough has a population (2001) of 134,847[1]
The main road in Middlesbrough is the A19, which links the town to Hartlepool, Sunderland and Tyneside to the north. To the south, it links Middlesborough to Thirsk, York and, via the A1, the south of England. The A66 also runs through the town, which meets the A19 at Stockton Road interchange, and links the town with Darlington and the Lake District.
