Hull is a city and unitary authority in East Yorkshire of some 250,000 people on the north side of the Humber Estuary. The city has a long history as a strategically important port and garrison as well as a centre of industry.
Although the town has suffered from a reputation of being socially deprived, in recent times the economy has shifted from one largely based on fishing and industry to include more retail and transport jobs and as a result unemployment figures have fallen. Hull will also be the the UK City of Culture in 2017 and host the prestigious Turner Prize.