Nine years later, the county was described as "a county enjoying the reputation of being one of the healthiest and pleasantest parts of England" although the towns were "of small importance" with the exceptions of Peterborough and Northampton. In summer, the county hosted "a great number of wealthy families... country seats and villas are to be seen at every step." [20] Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of the numbers of stately homes and ancient churches. [21] The county has an area of 2,364 km 2 (913 sq mi) and a population of 747,622. The latter is concentrated in the centre of the county, which contains the county's largest towns: Northampton (243,511), Corby (68,164), Kettering (63,144), and Wellingborough (54,412). The northeast and southwest are rural. The county contains two local government districts, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire, which are both unitary authority areas. The county historically included Market Harborough and the Soke of Peterborough.

Towcester: Famous mostly for its horse racing course, Towcester is an ancient town which was originally the Roman Lactodorum, getting its current name from the River Tove. Northamptonshire County Council 'should be split up', finds damning report". ITV News. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018 . Retrieved 30 May 2018. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ( link)Before nationalisation of the railways in 1948 and the creation of British Railways, three of the Big Four railway companies operated in Northamptonshire: the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, London and North Eastern Railway and Great Western Railway. Only the Southern Railway was not represented. As of 2019, it is served by Chiltern Railways, East Midlands Railway, Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains. English Partnerships - Northampton". 12 December 2004. Archived from the original on 12 December 2004 . Retrieved 20 January 2018.

Malte-Brun, C. Universal geography: or, A description of all parts of the world. 1832. Retrieved 5 September 2009. Northamptonshire | England, UK History & Facts". Britannica. 13 June 2023 . Retrieved 29 June 2023. Northamptonshire Map England: Interactive Google map of Northamptonshire, a county in the East Midlands region of England, United Kingdom.Johnston, Neil (2 August 2018). " 'Bankrupt' Northamptonshire county council may cut to legal minimum". The Times . Retrieved 9 September 2018. Hundreds of jobs are also at risk

From 1993 until 2005, Northamptonshire County Council, [42] for which each of the 73 electoral divisions in the county elect a single councillor, had been held by the Labour Party; it had been under no overall control since 1981. The councils of the rural districts – Daventry, East Northamptonshire, and South Northamptonshire – are strongly Conservative, whereas the political composition of the urban districts is more mixed. At the 2003 local elections, Labour lost control of Kettering, Northampton, and Wellingborough, retaining only Corby. Elections for the entire County Council are held every four years – the last were held on 5 May 2005 when control of the County Council changed from the Labour Party to the Conservatives. The County Council uses a leader and cabinet executive system and abolished its area committees in April 2006. The gap in the hills at Watford Gap meant that many south-east to north-west routes passed through Northamptonshire. Watling Street, a Roman Road which is now part of the A5, passes through here, as did canals, railways and major roads in later years. The Corby Radio Story". corbyradio.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016 . Retrieved 5 March 2016.Connecting Communities – Expanding Access to the Rail Network" (PDF). London: Association of Train Operating Companies. June 2009. p. 19 . Retrieved 7 September 2018.

Rushden: A town and civil parish located east of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, Rushden has a population of about 28,000, it grew as a town around the farming, lacemaking and shoemaking industries.

Stearns, Peter N., Langer. William L. The Encyclopedia of world history: ancient, medieval, and modern [ permanent dead link]. Retrieved 16 August 2009.