Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census,[1] making it a "large town" and one of the largest settlements in North East England.

[5] The so-called Durham Ox came from Darlington; born in the early 19th century, this steer became renowned for its excellent proportions which came to inform the standard for Shorthorn cattle.

[6] The Stockton and Darlington Railway ran steam locomotives designed for passengers and goods, built to a standard gauge, on a permanent main line with branches.

The town eventually developed three significant railway works: During the 19th century, Darlington Quaker families such as those of Pease and Backhouse emerged as major employers and philanthropists.

[citation needed] Darlington Mechanics Institute was opened in 1854 by Elizabeth Pease Nichol, who had donated towards its cost.

[4] During the period, George Gordon Hoskins was responsible for much of the town's architecture, designing buildings such as The King's Head Hotel.

[citation needed] Darlington Free Library, a Grade II listed building in Crown Street, was built for £10,000 by Edward Pease.

His daughter, Lady Lymington, opened the building on 23 October 1885 and presented it to the town council who agreed to operate it in perpetuity.

Facing the present Northern Echo building on Priestgate is the William Stead public house named for him.

McMullen heroically stayed at the controls while his crew parachuted to safety and directed the stricken aircraft away from the houses below.

It was intended to be the 50th member of the long withdrawn LNER Peppercorn Class A1 engine, called Tornado and numbered 60163, from scratch in the 1853 former Stockton and Darlington Railway Carriage Works at Hopetown.

[17][18][19] In 2001, Darlington became the first place in England to allow same-sex civil ceremonies[20] and as of 2022[update], it hosts an annual Gay Pride Festival at venues across the town.

[citation needed] A 2005 Darlington Borough Council project to pedestrianise areas of the town centre, this included some Victorian features along High Row.

[26][27] A body of improvement commissioners was established in 1823 to provide infrastructure to the more built-up parts of the Darlington township.

The enlarged borough was also reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district as part of the 1974 reforms, with Durham County Council once more providing county-level services to the town.

[32][33] Since 2016, the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority along with Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.

In the north are Harrowgate, Coatham Mundeville and Beaumont Hill and to the north-east are Whinfield and Haughton Le Skerne.

Finally, to the north-west are Branksome, Cockerton, Faverdale, The Denes, West Park, High Grange and Pierremont which is associated with the notable Henry Pease (MP).

Retailers in the area include: In November 2012, a deal was signed between Darlington Borough Council and developer Terrace Hill for a £30 million re-development of the site of the former Feethams bus depot.

The former Civic Theatre, now The Hippodrome, is a popular arts venue in the town, hosting a mix of musicals, dramas, plays and pantomimes.

Lucas is an international fine artist who gained credit for his early work dedicated to the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[58] Constituted as a charity under UK law in 1982,[59] the mosque offers worship facilities, as well as Islamic education, and has its own telecommunications mast for calls to prayer.

[60] Teesside International Airport is located 5 mi (8 km) east of Darlington town centre; it serves County Durham and North Yorkshire.

It was also chosen as one of six cycling demonstration towns in October 2005, receiving £3 million worth of funding from the government and local council money.

[citation needed] Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees from the Bilsdale TV transmitter.

Darlington FC is known as The Quakers because of the contributions made to the town by men such as Edward and Joseph Pease, members of the Religious Society of Friends.

Before the 2012 administration, played at the 25,000 capacity Darlington Arena (after 120 years at the Feethams ground) when it opened on Neasham Road in 2003.

Darlington Mowden Park play in National League 1, the third tier of English rugby union.

The club has also introduced further events to its athletics calendar in recent years, adding to the existing 'Pitstop' 10km race which has been running since 2001.

The other athletics-based event is the Darlington 10km and 3km road run, which is held every August; it attracts around 2,000 competitors and is managed by the local council.