Darlington
§ This page gives an overview of the Darlington local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Darlington in County Durham is renowned for its railway heritage as the birthplace of the passenger railway, with attractions such as the Head of Steam Railway Museum and historic station buildings. The town centre features Victorian architecture, markets, and shopping streets, while the River Skerne runs through. Surrounding villages and farmland form a rural backdrop, with scenic countryside stretching towards the Tees Valley. Parks and green spaces add to the town’s appeal, blending heritage with modern living.
Darlington Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Darlington local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Darlington can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Darlington.
Key Facts about Darlington
What region is Darlington in? Darlington is in the North East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Darlington in? Darlington is in the county of County Durham.
Is Darlington a city? No, Darlington is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Darlington? The local government for this district is: Darlington Borough Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Darlington Borough Council 🔗 darlington.gov.uk
Which police force covers Darlington? Policing in Darlington is provided by Durham Constabulary 🔗 durham.police.uk, which serves 2 local authority districts: County Durham ⁞ Darlington.
Darlington in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Darlington is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) North East
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Tees Valley
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Darlington
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Darlington
Darlington is divided into 2 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Darlington
Darlington is divided into 20 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bank Top & Lascelles
- Brinkburn & Faverdale
- Cockerton
- College
- Eastbourne
- Harrowgate Hill
- Haughton & Springfield
- Heighington & Coniscliffe
- Hummersknott
- Hurworth
- Mowden
- North Road
- Northgate
- Park East
- Park West
- Pierremont
- Red Hall & Lingfield
- Sadberge & Middleton St George
- Stephenson
- Whinfield
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Darlington
Darlington is part-parished: 24 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Archdeacon Newton
- Barmpton
- Bishopton
- Brafferton
- Coatham Mundeville
- Denton
- East and West Newbiggin
- Great Burdon
- Great Stainton
- Heighington
- High Coniscliffe
- Houghton le Side
- Hurworth
- Killerby
- Little Stainton
- Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent
- Middleton St George
- Morton Palms
- Neasham
- Piercebridge
- Sadberge
- Summerhouse
- Walworth
- Whessoe
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Darlington
Below is a list of post towns in Darlington, grouped by postcode area:
DL ▸ Darlington (DL1 / DL2 / DL3 / DL98)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Darlington
Darlington covers 11 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Beaumont Hill
- Darlington *
- Heighington
- Hurworth-on-Tees *
- Merrybent
- Middleton St George *
- Newton Aycliffe *
- Sadberge
- School Aycliffe *
- Shildon *
- Stillington (Stockton-on-Tees) *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Darlington.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Darlington
Darlington is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Darlington Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- London North Eastern Railway ▸ Darlington (DL1 4AA)
- Northern Trains ▸ Dinsdale (DL2 1AA) ⁞ North Road (Darlington) (DL3 6ST) ⁞ Teesside Airport (DL2 1NL)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Darlington compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Darlington compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Darlington has 20 electoral wards.
Darlington has a population of 112,489 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Darlington
This chart shows the population trend for Darlington from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Darlington can be found on the ONS statistics for Darlington.