devon Postcodes — England (ENG)

Devon

Devon is a county in South West England. The counties of Cornwall and Somerset form its western border, while Dorset forms its northern and eastern ones. East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, and West Devon make up Devon County, together with the county town of Exeter. Plymouth and Torbay, two other major urban centers, are both located within Devon but are independently governed. Its combined ceremonial county area is 6,707 km2 (2,590 sq mi), and its population is close to 1.2 million.

The name of the county of Devon comes from the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia (the shift from m to v is a typical Celtic consonant shift). The Dumnonii Brittonic Celts called this area home during the British Iron Age, Roman Britain, and the early Middle Ages. When the Angles and Saxons arrived in Britain, Dumnonia was gradually absorbed into the Kingdom of Wessex in the eighth and ninth century. In 936, King thelstan established the River Tamar as the western border between Cornwall and his realm. At a later date, the county of Devon was officially recognized by the English crown and organized as a shire.

Both the northern and southern coasts of Devon boast cliffs and sandy beaches, and the bays of the county are home to seaside resorts, fishing villages, and ports. The interior of England is rural, hilly, and less densely populated than the coastal regions. Dartmoor is 954 km2 (368 sq mi) in size, making it the largest open space in southern England, its moorland covers a vast area of granite. North of Dartmoor are the Culm Measures and Exmoor. The Exe, Culm, Teign, Dart, and Otter are just few of the rivers that help keep the valleys and lowlands of south and east Devon irrigated and healthy.

The agricultural sector of the Devon economy is important, but tourism also plays a significant role. Devon is a popular place for English vacationers because of its temperate climate, beautiful coastline, and varied scenery. The Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks, the resort towns of the south coast (together known as the English Riviera), the Jurassic Coast, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in North Devon, and the rural areas of Cornwall and West Devon all draw significant numbers of tourists each year.

Several dishes have the county's name because of its prominence in cooking. It is generally agreed that Devon is the birthplace of the cream tea, which consists of scones, jam, and clotted cream (though other counties have also staked claim to this honor).  Some argue that Plymouth, England, in 1509 is when the pasty was originally documented, rather than Cornwall.

Climate

The North Atlantic Drift largely determines Devon's cool oceanic environment. While there are exceptions, it is rare for it to snow in the winter far from higher ground. The county experiences rather cold, rainy summers with occasional heated bursts. The average high temperature in January is only 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit), making the county's winters among the mildest in the world despite its high latitude. In certain parts of Dartmoor, annual precipitation exceeds 2,000 millimeters (79 inches), while in the rain shadow of the coast in southeastern Devon and around Exeter, annual precipitation averages only about 750 millimeters (30 inches). The amount of sunshine varies greatly as well; whereas the moors are typically overcast, the southeast coast between Salcombe and Exmouth is among the sunniest regions of the United Kingdom (a generally cloudy region). The area around Torbay and Teignmouth is sheltered by high ground, so when west or south-westerly winds and high pressure hit, the weather is usually pleasant and bright for extended periods (Foehn wind).

Economy

In 2019, Devon's economy produced more than £26 billion, making it bigger than either Manchester or Edinburgh.

Historically, much like its western neighbor Cornwall, Devon has lagged behind other parts of Southern England economically due to the demise of a number of primary sectors, most notably fishing, mining, and farming, although the region's economy is now much more diversified. Since the 19th century, agriculture has been one of Devon's primary industries. When the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic hit the United Kingdom in 2001, it was a devastating blow to the farming community. Since then, however, there have been signs of diversification and recovery in the agricultural sector, particularly in the form of a robust local food sector and a proliferation of artisan producers. Even Nevertheless, low wholesale milk prices supplied by larger dairies and notably huge retail chains continued to be a problem for the dairy industry in 2015.

Attractive regional amenities are luring businesses that are less dependent on location than in the past. There has been a considerable uptick in the number of people living in Dartmoor who work in computer technology and finance. In 2003, Exeter became home to the Met Office, the United Kingdom's and the world's official weather agency. The Range, the only major national retail brand with headquarters in Devon, opened its first store in Plymouth, where it also maintains its corporate headquarters.

Tourism has been vital to Devon's economy ever since the development of seaside resorts in the 19th century. Since the middle of the twentieth century, the county's economy has followed the same pattern as that of British beach resorts, but recent years have seen a revitalization and regeneration of its resorts, especially those associated with camping, surfing, cycling, sailing, and heritage. Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks, as well as the Jurassic Coast and the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, have played an important role in this renaissance. Spending by tourists in the county was around $2.5 billion in 2019.  Food and drink, including restaurants with sea views in North West Devon (like the one owned by Damien Hurst), hiking the South West Coast Path, cycling the Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route and other cycle routes like the Tarka Trail and the Stover Trail, water sports, surfing, indoor and outdoor folk music festivals all over the county, and sailing in the 5-mile (8.0 km) inlet surrounded by hills are among the most popular tourist draws.

There is a wide range of incomes, although the average is boosted by the large number of wealthy retirees. Although the South Hams and the communities around Exeter and Plymouth have median or above-median incomes, there are still pockets of extreme poverty where wages are among the lowest in the country.

Population shifts between the 2001 and 2011 censuses are also broken down by census tract in the table below. As of August 2012, the most recent month for which data is available, the national average percentage of residents relying on lowest income and/or joblessness benefits was 4.5%. East Devon is the most populous area of Devon, but only if Torbay and Plymouth are disregarded. Torbay has a little more people, and Plymouth has around twice as many. The population was lowest in West Devon with 63,839 in the 2011 census.