North Yorkshire, county (2011 pop. 598,376), 3,209 sq mi (8,313 sq km), N England. The county comprises the districts of Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, and Selby. York, a former district, is now independent of the county. The county seat is Northallerton. North Yorkshire consists of two upland areas: the Pennines and deep valleys engulf the western regions, while in the east are limestone and sandstone. The above terrain is separated by the Vale of York, a lower land consisting of clay soil. The economy is mainly agricultural. Sheep are raised on the upland hills. There is also some light industry, such as food processing and light engineering.

The area was occupied by the Roman military until the 7th cent. York flourished under the Anglians in the 8th cent. until invasions led to occupation by Scandanavians. William I the Conqueror destroyed many settlements there. During the Middle Ages the county was governed by wealthy landowners. It was later ravaged during the 15th cent. (see Roses, Wars of the) and in the mid-17th-century English civil war. Many castle ruins remain. The Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors national parks located within the county attract a growing number of tourists.

Yorkshire, North. The county of North Yorkshire was created by the Local Government Act of 1972. It was substantially different from the old North Riding, losing a slice to Cleveland, including Middlesbrough, Guisborough, and Yarm, gaining Filey and Norton from the East Riding, and adding a large part of the former West Riding, including Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Skipton, Selby, and Tadcaster. The county town is Northallerton. It retained its county status in the local government reorganization of the 1990s, with York as a unitary authority.

J. A. Cannon

North Yorkshire County in n England; the administrative centre is York. Other major towns include Scarborough, Whitby, and Harrogate. In the 9th century, Scandinavian invasions destroyed a thriving culture. In the Middle Ages, the region became noted for its monastic foundations. In the w of the county are the Pennines. In the e are the North Yorkshire Moors. North Yorkshire is agricultural, with dairy farming, cereals, and hill sheep farming. There is some manufacturing industry. Area: 8309sq km (3208sq mi). Pop. (1996 est.) 558,800.

North Yorkshire. See Yorkshire, North.