Just over 50% of the population was located in the three main towns of Alnwick (7,600), Amble (6,100) and Rothbury (2,500), with the remainder dispersed across large and small villages, hamlets and isolated dwellings.

It was the second most racially homogeneous community in the country, in the terms measured in the 2001 census with 99.6% of the population recording their ethnicity as White.

The town dates back approximately to the 7th century, and is the ancestral seat of the Duke of Northumberland, who still resides at Alnwick Castle.

Historically, Alnwick was a fortified town, an agricultural centre and a staging post on the Great North Road between Edinburgh and London.

[citation needed] The historic port of Amble is located on the River Coquet estuary and is the southern gateway to Northumberland's Heritage Coast.