Some southern parts of the district fall within the Mendip Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

[5] Following the Banham Review, the county of Avon was abolished in 1996, with the area being divided into unitary authorities responsible for both district and county-level functions.

Woodspring became one of the unitary authorities, and the government gave the district the new name "North West Somerset" as part of the reforms.

North Somerset's economy is traditionally based on agriculture, including sheep raised for wool on the Mendip Hills and dairy farming in the valleys.

Though tourism declined in the mid to late-20th century, in common with most British coastal resorts, this sector of the economy has stabilised.

Whilst the proportion of people in North Somerset who are under 45 is lower than the national average, population growth is predicted to be strongest in the 2034 age group.

Conversely North Somerset has a 4.2% higher percentage of older people (60+ female, 65+ male) than the rest of England and Wales.

[19] In 2001 there were 134,132 people of working age living in North Somerset and 91,767 were in employment; an economic activity rate of 68.4%.