There are 55 cities in England as of November 2022.
While the term "city" often conjures images of large, bustling urban areas, in the United Kingdom, city status is officially conferred by the Crown. This status carries no special rights or privileges but is seen as a marker of prestige and civic pride.
It is important to note that simply being a large town does not automatically qualify a place for city status. The designation is granted through a competitive process, often linked to significant royal events such as jubilees. Applications are reviewed and recommendations are made to the monarch, who ultimately decides which towns will be granted city status.
Therefore, while places like Birmingham or Manchester readily come to mind as cities, smaller places like Chichester or Salisbury also hold the same official city status in England.
