York Area Guide

Originally founded by the Romans in 71 AD and named Eboracum, York is one of the UK's most treasured historic cities.

Its capture by the Vikings in 866 AD called for a change of name, to Jorvik, with the introduction of the name we know today coming in the 13th Century.

Located on the River Ouse and set within city walls, its quaint cobbled streets lined with boutique, designer and high street stores lead to rather magnificent sights such as the iconic York Minster, which is in fact the largest Medieval Gothic cathedral north of the Alps.

A wealth of historic attractions, including the Jorvik Centre, York Castle Museum, the National Rail Museum – all of which can be viewed from the traditional seat of an open top bus - has made York a tourism hot-spot and so has boosted the local economy enormously.

Along with its well-preserved history, sport has been a major part of York life for many years. The city's football team is

currently playing in the Football Conference at the KitKat Crescent stadium, and its rugby leagues team, York City Knights, play at the Huntingdon stadium in National League Two.

But what the city is perhaps famed for the most is its racecourse, which was established in 1731 and from 1990 has been awarded Northern Racecourse of the Year for 17 consecutive years.

York is fast developing a flourishing, cutting-edge scene, growing in popularity with all generations. The university is continuously bringing young minds to the city meaning its strong Roman roots are being complimented with new and fresh initiatives to support its economic and cultural growth.

A vibrant café culture and string of friendly bars and pubs have made the River Ouse an attraction in itself, with daily boat trips very popular with both residents and visitors.

York residents benefit from excellent transport links, which span air, train and road travel

requirements. The city is located just a very handy 45 minute drive from Leeds Bradford International Airport.

Rail travel is very easy; the busy train station has regular links to all major cities, including 25 weekday direct trains to London which can take less than 2 hours.

By road, York can easily be accessed from all directions – which includes the M1, A1, M62 plus A1079 and A166 routes into the city.

For travel in and around the city, public transport is mainly busbased. The efficient and reliable service is popular with residents of all ages. A 'Park and Ride' is also available for visitors and residents who are wishing to travel into the centre from the city's outskirts.

With all of this, plus an active city council continuously working to engage the local community and understand what residents want and need from them, York is not only a great place to visit, but a great place to live.