Peterborough

Peterborough
Cathedral city and unitary authority
Skyline of north City Centre from Cathedral (2012) Bridge Street Cumbergate The Cathedral The Town Hall Fletton Quays The Guildhall
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  P'boro, P'borough, The Borough
Motto:  Upon this rock I will build my church
Peterborough shown within Cambridgeshire
Peterborough Location within England Show map of England Peterborough Location within the United Kingdom Show map of the United Kingdom Peterborough Location in Europe Show map of Europe
Coordinates: 52°33′58″N 00°14′11″W / 52.56611°N 0.23639°W / 52.56611; -0.23639
OS grid reference	TL 19204 98638[1]
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	East (Anglia)
Combined authority	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Ceremonial county	Cambridgeshire
Historic county	Northamptonshire
First settled	655 AD
City status	1541
Incorporated	1874
Unitary	1998
Named for	Saint Peter
Government [2]
• Type	Unitary authority
• Body	Peterborough City Council
• Control	Conservative
• Leader	Mohammad Farooq
• Mayor	Nick Sandford
• Chief Executive	Matt Gladstone
• House of Commons	2 MPs Paul Bristow (CON) Shailesh Vara (CON)
Area [3]
• Cathedral city and unitary authority	245 sq mi (634 km2)
• Land	132 sq mi (343 km2)
• Urban	16.90 sq mi (43.77 km2)
• Rank	105th
Population  (2022)[5]
• Cathedral city and unitary authority	217,705
• Rank	88th
• Density	1,640/sq mi (634/km2)
• Urban	215,673[4]
Demonym	Peterborian
Ethnicity (2021) [6]
• Ethnic groups	List 75.4% White 14.3% Asian 4.1% Black 3.5% Mixed 2.7% Other
Religion (2021) [6]
• Religion	List 46.3% Christianity 32.5% No religion 12.2% Islam 1.8% Hinduism 0.6% Sikhism 0.3% Buddhism 0.1% Judaism 0.5% Other 5.8% Not stated
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area	PE1-PE8
Dialling code	01733
ISO 3166 code	GB-PTE
GSS code	E06000031
ITL code	TLH11
GVA	2021 estimate[7]
• Total	£7.1 billion
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate[7]
• Total	£8.004 billion
Website	peterborough.gov.uk

Peterborough (/ˈpiːtərbərə, -bʌrə/ ^ⓘ PEE-tər-bər-ə, -⁠burr-ə) is a cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district of Cambridgeshire, England. The city and its surroundings, the Soke of Peterborough, had an independent county council between 1889 and 1965. It formed part of the short-lived Huntingdon and Peterborough between 1965 and 1974. Before 1889, it was a liberty of Northamptonshire.

The city is 74 miles (119 km) north of London, on the River Nene which flows into The Wash 27 miles (43 km) to the north-east; the cathedral city of Ely is 24 miles (39 km) east-southeast across the Fens and the university city of Cambridge is 30 miles (48 km) to the southeast. The local topography is flat, and in some places, the land lies below sea level, for example in parts of the Fens to the east and to the south of Peterborough. Human settlement in the area began before the Bronze Age, as can be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east of the current city centre, also with evidence of Roman occupation. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, Medeshamstede, which later became Peterborough Cathedral.

In 2020 the built-up area subdivision had an estimated population of 179,349. In 2021 the Unitary Authority area had a population of 215,671.^[8] The population grew rapidly after the railways along with industry, the town became known for brick manufacture, arrived in the 19th century. After the Second World War, industrial employment fell and growth was limited until its designation as a New Town in the 1960s. The town's main economic sectors are financial services and distribution.