Somerset

**Somerset** is a county in South West England.

The main town of Somerset was Somerton, but it is now Taunton. There are two cities in Somerset. They are Bath and Wells.

## History

The name "Somerset" comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase _Sumorsaete,_ which was used to describe people from Somerton.

In the past, the northern border of Somerset was the River Avon. However, as the city of Bristol has grown, the border moved south.

In 1974 parts of north Somerset, the city of Bristol and parts of south Gloucestershire were joined into a new county. This county was named Avon. In 1996 Avon was split into 4 parts, which are now unitary authorities. People usually say that 2 of these parts (named North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset) are part of Somerset, even though they have their own councils.

The oldest prison in England which is still used is in a town named Shepton Mallet in Somerset. Somerset also has the world's oldest road which people built. It is called the Sweet Track; it was built in about 3800 BC.

## Industry and tourism

There is not much large industry in Somerset, but Bridgwater is a port, and Yeovil is important in building helicopters.

Tourism is an important industry in the county; in 2001 about 23,000 people worked in tourism. Tourists like Somerset because it is very beautiful, with much countryside and few big towns. Somerset has many places to visit:
- Part of the Exmoor National Park is in Somerset.
- Another popular place is Glastonbury, which has a popular music festival every year.
- The Cheddar Gorge has caves which are popular with visitors, and locally made cheese.

Farming is an important industry in Somerset, but not as many people work in this industry today. Somerset is famous for its cider (an alcoholic apple drink) and it has many apple orchards.

### Interesting places in Somerset

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### Districts of Somerset

The numbers on the map are linked to the numbers below.

1. South Somerset
1. Taunton Deane
1. West Somerset
1. Sedgemoor
1. Mendip
1. Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary)
1. North Somerset (Unitary)

## Cities, towns, and villages

This is a list of the main towns and cities in Somerset:

## Other websites

- BBC Somerset
- Somerset County Council
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- North Somerset Council
- Travel Information

## Infobox (english county)

- **official name**: Somerset
- **image caption**: The Somerset Levels from Glastonbury Tor; St Mary's Church, Bruton; and Pulteney Bridge, Bath, Somerset, Bath
- **locator map**:
- **region**: South West England
- **established date**: Historic counties of England, Ancient
- **county town**: Taunton
- **largest city**: Bath, Somerset, Bath
- **lord lieutenant office**: Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
- **lord lieutenant name**: Mohammed Saddiq
- **high sheriff office**: High Sheriff of Somerset
- **high sheriff name**: Janet Montgomery
- **ethnicity**: 87.4% White British (2021)
- **unitary council**: Somerset Council
- **admin hq**: Taunton
- **iso code**: GB-SOM
- **gss code**: E06000066
- **nuts code**: TLK23
- **districts map**:
- **districts key**: Unitary
- **districts list**: # Somerset
# Bath and North East Somerset
- **mps**: List of parliamentary constituencies in Somerset, 9 MPs
- **police**: Avon and Somerset Police
- **unitary council1**: Somerset Council
- **unitary council2**: Bath and North East Somerset Council
- **unitary council3**: North Somerset Council