Essex

This article is about the county of Essex in England. For other places named Essex, see Essex (disambiguation).

Essex

Geography
Status:	Ceremonial & (smaller) Administrative County
Region:	East of England
Area: - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area	Ranked 11th 3,670 km² Ranked 11th 3,465 km²
Admin HQ:	Chelmsford
:	GB-ESS
ONS code:	22
NUTS 3:	UKH33
Demographics
Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 6th 1,622,403 442 / km² Ranked 2nd 1,318,408
Ethnicity:	96.8% White 1.2% S.Asian
Politics
Essex County Council http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/
Executive:	Conservative
Members of Parliament
David Amess, John Baron, Simon Burns, Mark Francois, Alan Haselhurst, Ivan Henderson, Alan Hurst, Bernard Jenkin, Eleanor Laing, Andrew Mackinlay, Eric Pickles, Bill Rammell, Bob Russell, Angela Smith, Bob Spink, Teddy Taylor, John Whittingdale
Districts
Harlow Epping Forest Brentwood Basildon Castle Point Rochford Maldon Chelmsford Uttlesford Braintree Colchester Tendring Thurrock (Unitary) Southend-on-Sea (Unitary)

Essex is a county located northeast of London, part of the East of England region. Because of its proximity to London and the economic magnetism which that city exerts, many of Essex's settlements function as dormitory towns or villages where London workers raise their families. As well as Greater London it borders on Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, and has a defined boundary with Kent in the centre of the River Thames.

The name of the county is derived from the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Essex.

In 1998 the districts of Southend-on-Sea (pop. 160,300) and Thurrock (pop. 143,000) separated from the county of Essex becoming unitary authority areas. Until 1965 the county included also the present-day London boroughs of Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Newham (except for the small enclave of North Woolwich, formerly in Kent).

The Lakeside Shopping Centre at Thurrock was one of England's first out-of-town shopping centres; it remains popular despite congestion on the nearby M25 motorway and competition from newer, more glamorous destinations.

Essex also contains Stansted Airport and several smaller aerodromes that have evolved from bomber or fighter bases constructed during World War II.

The port of Tilbury remains important and, despite the road crossing to Dartford in Kent across the River Thames, a pedestrian ferry to Gravesend still operates from Tilbury during limited hours.

The reputation of the County has been maligned in recent years by rather unfortunate associations. White stilettos and a garish fashion sense have come to represent the vulgar "Essex Girl", while the Ford Escort has come to represent the carnal Essex Man. The Essex stereotype was coined in the 1980s as the County homed the many upwardly-mobile children of the Thatcher generation, parodied by the Harry Enfield character "Loadsa Money". These stereotypes do not reflect the County's history or its "Little England" atmosphere.

Table of contents

1 Towns and villages
2 Places of Interest
3 See also

Towns and villages

Basildon
Billericay
Braintree
Brentwood
Chelmsford (the county town)
Chigwell
Colchester (the home of the University of Essex)
Epping
Grays
Great Baddow
Great Dunmow
Harlow
Harwich
Maldon
Rayleigh
Rochford
Saffron Walden
Shelley
Shenfield
Shoeburyness
Southend-on-Sea
Witham
Wivenhoe