Stafford

Stafford
Stafford town centre
Stafford
Location within Staffordshire
Population	68,472 (2011 census)
OS grid reference	SJ922232
Unitary authority	Borough of Stafford
Ceremonial county	Staffordshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STAFFORD
Postcode district	ST16 - ST21
Dialling code	01785
Police	Staffordshire
Fire	Staffordshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Stafford
List of places UK England Staffordshire 52°48′N 2°07′W / 52.80°N 2.12°W / 52.80; -2.12

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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