About Cumbria

Cumbria is a very special place - its landscape, geography and most importantly its people.   The breathtaking scenery and strong, sustainable communities make Cumbria a great place to live and work.

Cumbria is the second largest county in England but less than 500,000 people live here (496,600, Mid-Year Population Estimates, 2008, ONS) and over 50% of these people live in rural communities, bringing with it diverse and unique challenges.

Cumbria joins the North West of England with the North East and Scotland, with road and rail networks north, south and east.   Cumbria enjoys a world class environment and landscape, presenting unrivalled opportunities for tourism, a highly motivated workforce, unique skills in nuclear technologies, and a good quality of life.  Unemployment rates across Cumbria have fallen over the past 5 years however there are still high levels of unemployment in Barrow and West Cumbria (link to unemployment).

Cumbria is made up of six districts: Allerdale, Barrow, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland.  Its largest urban areas are Barrow, in the South West of the county, and Carlisle in the North of the county.  There are high levels of deprivation within some parts of the county particularly in Barrow and in West Cumbria.  12 wards in Barrow, Carlisle and West Cumbria fall within the 10% most deprived nationally.  There are also smaller pockets of significant deprivation in some of the rural communities (link to deprivation).

Almost all of the issues facing Cumbria over the next 30 years are common to the UK – climate change, changing demographics (increasing numbers of older people), increasing single-person households and increasing culturally diverse households.   One of Cumbria’s biggest challenge is the number of young people leaving the county to find better employment and lifestyle opportunities elsewhere (link to Cumbria Community Strategy (external link)).   Survey work of the people of Cumbria identified youth provision, road maintenance and affordable housing as key issues for the county (Quality of Life Survey, 2006).

Cumbria is a safe place to live with low levels of crime which have fallen in recent years.   The fear of crime has also fallen, however, it still remains an issue for the people of Cumbria (link to Crime and disorder in Cumbria)

Cumbria is a world class tourism destination based around the Lake District, one of the most beautiful and unique landscapes anywhere in the world (link to Cumbria Tourism (external link))   Visitors come to the county not just to view the beautiful landscape but to enjoy an active and interesting experience.   

To find out more about Cumbria please use the menu on the left.