Middlesbrough is changing and adapting to the world around it.
Over 143,000 people call Middlesbrough home and as a council we put those who live in the town first.
We protect our most vulnerable, provide essential services that everyone relies on and work hard to make sure Middlesbrough can thrive.
Where we are
Middlesbrough is perfectly positioned to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the Tees Valley, North Yorkshire, and County Durham.
Our town is well connected whether you're travelling for business or leisure.
Just 15 minutes away from Teesside International Airport, Middlesbrough now boasts its best domestic and international transport links in a generation.
Flights to major European holiday destinations and key business hubs such as Amsterdam Schiphol take off daily.
Direct rail services from Middlesbrough were relaunched in 2021 and the station is undergoing a huge £34m transformation in a joint project between the council, Tees Valley Combined Authority, and Network Rail.
Our history
In 1862, Chancellor William Gladstone christened us 'the infant Hercules'. Our boom was based on industry and the migration it attracted.
Middlesbrough became a global industrial giant thanks to the extension of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The line had international significance and Middlesbrough was the first planned railway town anywhere on the planet.
St Hilda's became the name for the earliest part of the new town as well as its new church built in the 1840s.
Influential parishioners there included Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan, names which resonate through Middlesbrough's history.
The pair lucratively discovered iron ore in the nearby Cleveland Hills.
Middlesbrough became a borough by Royal charter in 1853 and saw rapid expansion with ironworks and mills popping up on the banks of the River Tees.
Middlesbrough in 2023
Middlesbrough is an education capital. We are home to first class institutions with Teesside University, Middlesbrough College, and the Northern School of Art bringing more than 20,000 students to the town centre each day.
We're busy remodelling our town centre so it has the right mix of homes, businesses and reasons for people to visit. As the world of retail changes, we're investing in leisure and attracting investment from big players in the hospitality sector.
Everything you need to know about investment and regeneration here can be found on the Invest in Middlesbrough website.
You can find out what's on and where to visit, eat and enjoy your free time on the We are Middlesbrough website.
In 2022, the Financial Times named Middlesbrough as the joint third best small city in Europe for its foreign direct investment strategy.
Middlesbrough's global reputation for innovation lives on. Our booming digital sector has firms working with international names including Amnesty International, FIFA, Microsoft, and Newscorp.
Later in 2023 will see the completion of Boho X, a £26.5m purpose-built complex for the tech sector complete with its own gym, bar, event space, and lecture theatre.
Middlesbrough still boasts manufacturing and transportation prowess too.
The council's project to build the Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park was a huge success. The site is now fully let and home to a range of dynamic industry leaders.
The nearby Port of Middlesbrough is headquarters of AV Dawson and one of the best-connected docks in the North of England, importing and exporting freight around the world.