Stafford

county town of Staffordshire in the West Midlands, England

Stafford is the county town of the ceremonial county of Staffordshire in England. It is situated around 16 miles (26 km) north of Wolverhampton, 18 miles (29 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent and 24 miles (39 km) north-west of Birmingham.

Stafford
Stafford town centre
Stafford town centre
A map of the county of Staffordshire, with a red dot showing the position of Stafford
A map of the county of Staffordshire, with a red dot showing the position of Stafford
Stafford
Location within Staffordshire
Population68,472 (2011 census)
OS grid referenceSJ922232
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTAFFORD
Postcode districtST16 - ST21
Dialling code01785
PoliceStaffordshire
FireStaffordshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
52°48′N 2°07′W / 52.80°N 2.12°W / 52.80; -2.12

The town's 2011 population of 68,472 makes it the fifth largest town in Staffordshire by population, behind Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Burton-upon-Trent.

The name Stafford means "ford" by a "staithe" (a landing place).

Stafford knot

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The town is famous for the Stafford knot, sometimes called the Staffordshire knot. It is a distinctive three-looped knot that is the traditional symbol of Staffordshire and Stafford itself. It is used by many local organisations on logos and buildings and also gives its name to a pub.

Transportation

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The town has a busy railway station on the West Coast Main Line. The station provides direct local trains to Crewe, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton and Manchester, longer-distance trains to London, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and cross-country trains to Manchester and Bristol.

Sports

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The town has a semi-professional football club, Stafford Rangers, who currently compete in the Northern Premier League Division One North West. They play their home games at Marston Road.