Norfolk
Main towns: Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn.
Demographics: Outside the main urban, Norfolk is rural in character. The county is made up of seven district councils; Great Yarmouth, Breckland, Broadland, Norwich City, South Norfolk, Kings Lynn and West Norfolk and North Norfolk. About 20 per cent of the population is aged over 65. This is higher than the national average of 16 per cent. More than 80 per cent of over 85s still live in their own home.
The number of minority ethnic languages spoken is large, and the proportion of residents from black and minority ethnic communities has risen to 6.1 per cent (up from 1.5 per cent in the 2001 census). This is due to the increasing numbers of migrant workers coming to work in the county, particularly from Portugal, Poland and other eastern European countries. Many migrant worker communities are geographically concentrated in Thetford and Great Yarmouth.
On the index of child poverty, Norfolk is the fifth most deprived county in England. Broadland is amongst the least deprived council areas at 301 out of 354 district and unitary authorities. The most deprived council area is Great Yarmouth which ranks at 58 out of 354, followed by Norwich City which ranks at 62. Average income levels are below the regional and national averages.
The highest unemployment rate is in Great Yarmouth at 4.8 per cent.
Overall, crime is low. The county is earmarked for major growth, with the fastest rate of housing development proposed since the 1970s. About 78,000 new homes and 55,000 new jobs are expected to come to Norfolk by 2021 under the Regional Spatial Strategy.
However, there is currently a shortage of affordable accommodation, with the cost of Norfolk house compared with the average salary up by 50 per cent between 2003 and
2006.
Population: The county is home to over 840,600 people across its 5,370 square kilometres and. This is estimated to rise to 875,800 by 2012 with the greatest increases being in older age groups.
Places of Interest: Tourism dominates Norfolk's economy. The most visited destination is The Broads. An attempt to have the area declared a National Park recently failed.
Historical sites, such as Norwich City centre also attracts tens of thousands of visitors.
The County boasts some of the best seaside resorts in the East of England, including Great Yarmouth and Cromer.
House/Flat Prices: The average property price in Norfolk today is £181,300. The average price five years ago, in 2004, was £148,400.
Planning issues: Some concern surrounds delays in road improvements. A campaign to dual the A47 has had some success, but the scheme has been put back until after 2015.
While lending support to A11 dualling and the Norwich northern bypass, the East of England Regional Assembly has ruled that dozens of other schemes, including the A47 Acle
Straight, Long Stratton bypass, and Yarmouth third river crossing, will have to go back for consideration beyond 2015.