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. One of 361 district 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.
The administrative boundary of Darlington can 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
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.
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.
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.)
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)
More local statistics and data for Darlington can be found on the ONS statistics for Darlington.