Borough of Middlesbrough
Geography
Status:	Unitary, borough
Region:	North East England
Ceremonial County:	North Yorkshire
Area: - Total	Ranked 296th 53.87 km²
Admin. HQ:	Middlesbrough
ONS code:	00EC
Demographics
Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density	Ranked 129th 133,886 2,485 / km²
Ethnicity:	93.7% White 4.6% S.Asian
Politics
Middlesbrough Council http://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/
Leadership:	Mayor & Cabinet
Mayor:	Ray Mallon (Independent)
MPs:	Stuart Bell, Ashok Kumar

Middlesbrough is a town in North-East England, with a resident population in 2001 of 134,855.

It is historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but in 1974 became part of the new administrative county of Cleveland. In 1996 Cleveland was abolished, and Middlesbrough became a unitary authority, though it is still part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes.

Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly-elected mayor, currently Ray Mallon. Mr Mallon was previously an officer in Cleveland Constabulary, and was noted for a zero-tolerance approach to crime.

Situated on the south bank of the river Tees, it became a town in 1830 as a result of industrial expansion connected with iron production and the growth of railways, including the development of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The Pease family of Cleveland, landowners with major iron interests, are seen as largely responsible for the explosion of Middlesbrough from little more than a hamlet into a fully-fledged town. It is still an industrial town, with chemicals, fertilizers, iron and steel as its main industries. The Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia was constructed by a Middlesbrough firm.

Middlesbrough has a large and comprehensive shopping centre made up of several smaller centres. The Premiership football team, Middlesbrough F.C., owned by local entrepreneur and Bulkhaul boss Steve Gibson (of Middlesbrough), is based on the outskirts of Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge is a famous piece of engineering, one of only three in Britain and the largest operational bridge of this kind in the world.

Captain James Cook was born in Marton, Middlesbrough, which is now close to Middlesbrough. Famous people from the town include comedian Bob Mortimer, film directors Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, musician Chris Rea, magician Paul Daniels, rugby player Rory Underwood, and footballers Don Revie and Brian Clough.

In 2004, the town received a high Chav rating of 864.5 per 1000 population, placing it 3rd in the country.

External links

• Statistics (http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/AreaProfileFrames.asp?aid=175803&hid=14&tid=13) about Middlesbrough from the Office of National Statistics Census 2001

Districts of England - North East England
Alnwick - Berwick-upon-Tweed - Blyth Valley - Castle Morpeth - Chester-le-Street - Darlington - Derwentside - Durham - Easington - Gateshead - Hartlepool - Middlesbrough - Newcastle upon Tyne - North Tyneside - Redcar and Cleveland - Sedgefield - South Tyneside - Stockton-on-Tees - Sunderland - Teesdale - Tynedale - Wansbeck - Wear Valley
1974 counties: Cleveland - County Durham - Northumberland - Tyne and Wear

eo:Middlesbrough