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About Derbyshire
Derbyshire is home to approximately 995,000 people
(Registrar Mid-Term Estimate). This population is set to rise to an estimated
1,098,000 by 2020 (ONS population projections). It is a county of contrast with
busy extended urban areas and rural countryside.
There are more than 1,000 square miles which includes the city
of Derby, many bustling market towns and picturesque villages. Much of the
Peak District National Park falls inside the county which covers 555 square
miles and attracts an estimated 22 million visitors each year; of these an
estimated 500,000 visit in an average summer week.
Derbyshire benefits from its central location and good
transport infrastructure with the M1 and other main road networks running
throughout the county.
Industries such as manufacturing, agriculture and tourism
contribute to the County’s economy. Economic growth is ongoing with the
recent redevelopment of the Derby city centre shopping complex Westfield, and
the Markham Vale industrial and commercial site in the Bolsover District.
The unemployment rate for Derbyshire is 3.4% compared with the
national average of 3.3% (Census 2001).
Some areas are amongst the most deprived in the country, these
areas particularly Derby City priority neighbourhoods have benefited from
Central Government regeneration programmes.
Derbyshire’s communities are diverse and multicultural with a
minority ethnic representation of 12.6% within Derby city and 1.5% across the
remaining areas of the county. (Census 2001).
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