Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a popular tourist destination; its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens and Betty's tearooms are world famous visitor attractions. The town originated in the 17th century, with High Harrogate and Low Harrogate as two separate settlements. It lies close to Knaresborough and is in the Nidd valley.
Harrogate spa water contains iron, sulphur and common salt. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries especially, these 'chalybeate' waters were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town.
Harrogate railway station and Harrogate bus station in the town centre provide transport connections. Leeds Bradford International Airport is 10 miles south west of Harrogate. The main road through the town is the A61, connecting Harrogate to Leeds and Ripon. Harrogate is also connected to Wetherby and the A1, by the A661. The town of Harrogate on its own had a population of around 70,000 at the 2001 UK census; the urban area comprising Harrogate and nearby Knaresborough had a population of 85,128, while the figure for the much wider Borough of Harrogate, comprising Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and a large rural area, was 151,339.
The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means "a citadel famous for its springs."
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