WITH its beautiful countryside, good transport links and excellent schools, it is undoubtedly a top place to live - and new figures show more people are now living in North Yorkshire than ever before.
The statistics reveal that the county's population has grown by five per cent over the past decade to just over 570,000. There has also been a smaller, 2.3 per cent, rise in the City of York area to just over 181,000.
A couple of hot spots stand out in North Yorkshire where the number of residents has soared even faster.
The population of picturesque Ryedale has soared by more than nine per cent over the past ten years to 50,900.
And Harrogate has seen a rise of more than seven per cent - boosted by growing numbers of Americans working at the Menwith Hill spy base.
But Scarborough has seen a reverse of the trend, with a three per cent drop over the ten years to 52,000, while the county town Northallerton has increased by only two per cent to 17,500.
The mid-year population estimates have been produced by North Yorkshire County Council, using statistics provided by the 2001 census.
Mike Moore, director of environmental services, said the increased number of Americans at Menwith Hill was having a marked impact on the figures for Harrogate, as was the re-development of the Army Apprentice College. The council was unable to say how many Americans were now at Menwith, but the number is thought to run into many thousands.
Mr Moore said Harrogate remained the largest town in the county, with more than 69,000 residents, while the Harrogate district as a whole had a population of 152,000.
A colleague, Colin Bainbridge, said the population growth in Ryedale had been almost entirely in the towns of Malton, Norton, Helmsley and Pickering.
"Ryedale is now seen as an ideal area to live, with many people commuting to work in York and other larger towns in North Yorkshire."
In the York unitary authority area, the population rose from almost 174,000 in 1991 to more than 181,000 in 2002.
Updated: 12:05 Friday, January 03, 2003
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article