Whitehaven

Whitehaven
Whitehaven Market Hall
Whitehaven Location in Copeland Borough Show map of the former Borough of Copeland Whitehaven Location within Cumbria Show map of Cumbria
Population	23,986 (2011)
OS grid reference	NX974181
Civil parish	Whitehaven[1]
Unitary authority	Cumberland
Ceremonial county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WHITEHAVEN
Postcode district	CA28
Dialling code	01946
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Copeland
List of places UK England Cumbria 54°32′53″N 3°35′08″W / 54.5480°N 3.5855°W / 54.5480; -3.5855

Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumberland, Cumbria, England. It lies by road 38 miles (61 km) south-west of Carlisle and 45 miles (72 km) to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It was the administrative seat of the former Borough of Copeland, and has a town council for the parish of Whitehaven. The population of the town was 23,986 at the 2011 census.^[2]

The town's growth was largely due to the exploitation of the extensive coal measures by the Lowther family, driving a growing export of coal through the harbour from the 17th century onwards. It was also a major port for trading with the American colonies, and was, after London, the second busiest port of England by tonnage from 1750 to 1772.^{[citation needed]} This prosperity led to the creation of a Georgian planned town in the 18th century which has left an architectural legacy of over 170 listed buildings. Whitehaven has been designated a "gem town" by the Council for British Archaeology due to the historic quality of the town environment.^[3]

Whitehaven was the site of a major chemical industry after World War II, but both that and the coal industry have disappeared, and today the major industry is the nearby Sellafield nuclear complex, which is the largest local employer of labour and has a significant administrative base in the town. Whitehaven includes a number of former villages, estates and suburbs, such as Mirehouse, Woodhouse, Kells and Hensingham, and is served by the Cumbrian coast railway line and the A595 road.