Ipswich

Ipswich

Borough of Ipswich
Ipswich Borough of Ipswich
Town and borough
	Christchurch Mansion Ipswich Minster Ipswich Waterfront Orwell Bridge Ipswich Town Centre
	Coat of arms
	Motto(s): Munia civitatis decus civium; (The functions of citizenship are the glory of the citizens)
	Location within Suffolk
	Ipswich Location within England Ipswich Location within the United Kingdom
	Coordinates: 52°3′34″N 1°9′20″E / 52.05944°N 1.15556°E
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	East of England
County	Suffolk
District	Ipswich
Areas of the town	List California; Castle Hill; Chantry; Gainsborough; Greenwich; Ipswich Village; Ipswich Waterfront; Kesgrave (Part); Maidenhall Estate; Pinewood (Part); Purdis Farm (Part); Ravenswood; Rushmere; Stoke; Stoke Park; Westbourne; Whitehouse; Whitton;
Government
• Type	Leader and Cabinet
• Body	Ipswich Borough Council
• MPs	Jack Abbott (L); Patrick Spencer (C)
Area – District ranked 262nd
• Total	15.22 sq mi (39.42 km2)
Population
• Total	District ranked 170th; 133,384
• Density	9,200/sq mi (3,551/km2)
• The town, 2011 census	144,957
• Built up area, 2011 census	178,835
Ethnicity (2021)
• Ethnic groups	List 84.3% White ; 5.5% Asian ; 4.6% Mixed ; 3.5% Black ; 2.1% other ;
Religion (2021)
• Religion	List 45.3% no religion ; 42.2% Christianity ; 8.6% other ; 3.9% Islam ;
Postcode	IP
Area code	01473
Vehicle registration area code	AV, AW, AX, AY
ONS code	42UD
Website	ipswich.gov.uk

Ipswich (/ˈɪpswɪtʃ/ ^ⓘ) is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, after Peterborough and Norwich. It is 65 miles (105 km) northeast of London and in 2011 had a population of 144,957. The Ipswich built-up area is the fourth-largest in the East of England and the 42nd-largest in England and Wales. It includes the towns and villages of Kesgrave, Woodbridge, Bramford and Martlesham Heath.

Ipswich was first recorded during the medieval period as Gippeswic, the town has also been recorded as Gyppewicus and Yppswyche. It has been continuously inhabited since the Saxon period, and is believed to be one of the oldest towns in the United Kingdom. The settlement was of great economic importance to the Kingdom of England throughout its history, particularly in trade, with the town's historical dock, Ipswich Waterfront, known as the largest and most important dock in the Kingdom.

Ipswich is divided into various quarters, with the town centre and the waterfront drawing the most footfall. The town centre features the retail shopping district and the historic town square, known as the Cornhill. The waterfront, south of the town centre on a meander of the River Orwell, offers a picturesque setting with a marina, luxury yachts, high-rise apartment buildings, and a variety of restaurants and cafes. The waterfront is also home to the University of Suffolk campus.

Ipswich is adjacent to the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape AONB and is close to Dedham Vale AONB. The town has a tourist sector, with 3.5 million people reported to have visited the town in 2016. In 2020, Ipswich was ranked as an emerging global tourist destination by TripAdvisor.