City of Sunderland
Sunderland (/ˈsʌndərlənd/),[2] also known as the City of Sunderland, is a metropolitan borough with city status in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, spanning a far larger area, including nearby towns including Washington, Hetton-le-Hole and Houghton-le-Spring, as well as the surrounding villages and hamlets. The district also forms a large majority of Wearside which includes Chester-le-Street in County Durham.
For the individual settlement, see Sunderland.
City of Sunderland
1 April 1974
20 May 1992
Leader and Cabinet
53 sq mi (137 km2)
277,354 (Ranked 60th)
5,190/sq mi (2,003/km2)
- 53.2% Christianity
- 39.5% no religion
- 4.5% not stated
- 1.8% Islam
- 0.3% Sikhism
- 0.3% other
- 0.2% Hinduism
- 0.2% Buddhism
- 0.1% Judaism
0191
The district was formed in 1974 as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham. It was granted city status in 1992, the Ruby Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. The borough had a population of 575,400 at the time of the 2011 census, with the majority of the population (274,286) residing in Sunderland, making it the largest settlement in the north east of England.[3]
Twin towns[edit]
Sunderland is twinned with two cities: Essen, Germany, and Saint-Nazaire, France.[11] It also has Friendship Agreements with Washington, D.C., US; and Harbin and Nanjing, both in the People's Republic of China.[11]
Sunderland and Washington share historical links, as the ancestors of the first President of the United States of America, George Washington, lived in Washington Old Hall, which is within the municipal boundaries of Sunderland.
Sport[edit]
The only professional sporting team in Sunderland is the football team, Sunderland A.F.C., which was formed in 1879,[30] and plays home games at the 49,000-seat-capacity Stadium of Light.[31]
Sunderland also has the north-east's top women's football team, Sunderland A.F.C. Women, who have been financially separated from the men's team since summer 2005. They currently play in the top tier of English women's football, FA Women's Premier League National Division, despite their financial struggles.
Sunderland's longest stadium occupancy so far was of Roker Park for 99 years beginning in 1898, with relocation taking place due to the stadium's confined location and the need to build an all-seater stadium. The initial relocation plan had been for a stadium to be situated alongside the Nissan factory, but these were abandoned in favour of the Stadium of Light at Monkwearmouth on the site of a colliery that had closed at the end of 1993.[32]
Since the dissolution of Sunderland Nissan F.C., Sunderland itself now has only one non-league side, Sunderland Ryhope Community Association F.C. who now play in the Northern League Division One after a successful promotion campaign in the 2009/10 season.[33] However, Washington F.C. also hail from Washington in the city.
