Essex
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- This article is about the county of Essex in England. For other places named Essex, see Essex (disambiguation).
| Essex | |
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| Geography | |
| Status: | Ceremonial & (smaller) Administrative County |
| Region: | East of England |
| Area: - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area | Ranked 11th 3,670 km² Ranked 11th 3,465 km² |
| Admin HQ: | Chelmsford |
| ISO 3166-2: | GB-ESS |
| ONS code: | 22 |
| NUTS 3: | UKH33 |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2003 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop. | Ranked 6th 1,629,647 443 / km² Ranked 2nd 1,324,092 |
| Ethnicity: | 96.8% White 1.2% S.Asian |
| Politics | |
| Missing image Arms-essex.jpg Arms of Essex County Council Essex County Council http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/ | |
| Executive: | Conservative |
| Members of Parliament | |
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David Amess, John Baron, Simon Burns, Douglas Carswell, James Duddridge, Mark Francois, Alan Haselhurst, Bernard Jenkin, Eleanor Laing, Andrew Mackinlay, Brooks Newmark, Eric Pickles, Bill Rammell, Bob Russell, Angela Smith, Bob Spink, John Whittingdale | |
| Districts | |
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Essex is a county in the East of England. It borders Greater London to the south west, Hertfordshire by the River Stort to the west, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk by the River Stour to the north and Kent by the River Thames to the south.
The county town is Chelmsford and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley near the Hertfordshire border, which reaches 147m/482ft.
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History
- Main article: History of Essex
The name Essex derives from the Kingdom of Essex or Kingdom of the East Seaxe which was founded around 500 AD, occupying territory to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lee.
Population and settlement
Because of its proximity to London and the economic magnetism which that city exerts, many of Essex's settlements function as dormitory towns or villages where London workers raise their families. Essex is known for being the origin of the political term Essex man.
The pattern of settlement in the county is diverse. The London Green Belt has effectively prevented of the further sprawl of the metropolis into the County, although it contains the new towns of Basildon and Harlow, originally developed to resettle Londoners following the destruction of London housing in World War II but since much expanded. Part of the south east of the county, already containing the major population centres of Southend and Thurrock, is within the Thames Gateway and designated for further development. To the north of the Green Belt, with the exception of major towns such as Chelmsford, the county is rural, with many small towns, villages and hamlets largely built in the traditional materials of timber and brick, with clay tile or thatched roofs. Colchester in the north east of the county is Britain's oldest recorded town, dating back to Roman times, and has a rich history.
In 1998 the districts of Southend-on-Sea (pop. 160,300) and Thurrock (pop. 143,000) separated from the county of Essex becoming unitary authority areas.
Transport, commerce and industry
The Lakeside Shopping Centre at Thurrock was one of England's first out-of-town shopping centres; it remains popular despite congestion on the nearby M25 motorway and direct competition from Bluewater Shopping Centre.
Essex also contains Stansted Airport and several smaller aerodromes that have evolved from bomber or fighter bases constructed during World War II.
The port of Tilbury is one of Britain's three major ports, while the port of Harwich links the county to the Hook of Holland. Despite the road crossing to Dartford in Kent across the River Thames, a pedestrian ferry to Gravesend, Kent still operates from Tilbury during limited hours.
Industry is largely limited to the south of the county, with the majority of the land elsewhere being given over to agriculture. Harlow is a centre for electronics, science and pharmaceutical companies, while Basildon is home to the Ford Motor Company and many related businesses. Chelmsford has been an important location for electronics companies since the industry was born, and is also the location for a number of insurance and financial services organisations, and is the home of the soft drinks producer Britvic. Other businesses in the county are dominated by light engineering and the service sector.
Towns and villages
See the List of places in Essex
Places of Interest
- Abberton Reservoir
- Colchester Castle, Colne Valley Railway
- East Anglian Railway Museum
- Hedingham Castle
- Mangapps Railway Museum (Burnham-on-Crouch), Mistley towers
- St Peter-on-the-Wall
- University of Essex (Wivenhoe Park, Colchester)
- Waltham Abbey
See also
- Earl of Essex
- GHQ Line - World War II fortification
- UK topics
- Association of British Counties
External links
- A Bull's Eye View (http://www.phoenixfm.com/bullseyeview.php) - a humorous look at Essex life from a resident
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