Scunthorpe, United Kingdom

Scunthorpe lies on an escarpment of ridged land (the Lincoln Cliff) which slopes down towards the Trent. The surrounding environs are largely low-lying hills and plains. Although the town itself is heavily industrial it is surrounded by fertile farmland and wooded areas. In terms of general location it lies a mile east of the River Trent, 8 miles (13 km) south of the Humber Estuary, 15 miles (24 km) west of the Lincolnshire Wolds and 25 miles (40 km) north of Lincoln. The town is situated at the terminus of the M181, 42 miles (68 km) from Sheffield.

Nearby towns and cities are Hull (18 miles northeast), Doncaster (20 miles west), Grimsby (22 miles east) and York (46 miles northwest).

Scunthorpe is approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of South Yorkshire and 8 miles (13 km) south by south west to the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Like most of the United Kingdom, Scunthorpe has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).

Average temperatures are around 20 °C (68 °F) in the summer, and can be as low as −2 °C (28 °F) in the winter.

Notable suburban areas of Scunthorpe are Ashby, Crosby, Frodingham and Yaddlethorpe. The town of Bottesford forms part of the built-up area.

The Iron industry in Scunthorpe was established in the mid 19th century, following the discovery and exploitation of middle Lias ironstone east of Scunthorpe. Initially iron ore was exported to iron producers in South Yorkshire. Later, after the construction of the Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway (1860s) gave rail access to the area iron production in the area rapidly expanded using local ironstone and imported coal or coke. Rapid industrial expansion in the area led directly to the development of the town of Scunthorpe, eventually incorporating several other former hamlets and villages, in a formerly sparsely populated entirely agricultural area.

From the early 1910s to the 1930s the industry consolidated, with three main ownership concerns formed – the Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company, part of the United Steel Companies; the Redbourn Iron Works, part of Richard Thomas and Company of South Wales (later Richard Thomas and Baldwins); and John Lysaght's Normanby Iron Works, part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.

The North Lincolnshire Museum is on Oswald Road, near the railway station. The former church of St John the Evangelist is now the 20–21 Visual Arts Centre. The Plowright Theatre, named after Joan Plowright, is on Laneham Street (off the west end of High Street and also near the railway station). It was built in 1958 as Scunthorpe Civic Theatre. The Baths Hall, reopened in 2011, a 1,700 capacity venue also hosts visiting musical and theatrical events.

The Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir from Scunthorpe won the title of BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year 2008 at the Grand Finals on 7 December 2008 at the Royal Festival Hall, London. The main choir is made up of 90 members aged between 9 and 19 years whilst also having two training choirs taking children as young as 3 years old. They have made several CDs, performed numerous concerts in the area and further afield, have been subject of documentaries and are internationally renowned as having travelled the world.

Scunthorpe was the setting of a 2012 Cultural Olympiad community opera called Cycle Song, about past steel-worker and Olympic cyclist Lal White. It was composed by Tim Sutton and the librettist was Ian McMillan. The Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir, Proper Job Theatre Company and over a thousand locals participated.

Primary schools include: Frodingham Infant School; Scunthorpe CofE Primary School; Oasis Academy Henderson Avenue; Bushfield Road Infant School; Crosby Primary School; Saint Augustine Webster Catholic Voluntary Academy; Berkeley Primary School; Oasis Academy Parkwood; Lincoln Gardens Primary School; Priory Lane Community School; St. Bernadette's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy; Westcliffe Primary School; The Grange Primary School; Oakfield Primary School; Willoughby Road Primary Academy; Enderby Road Infant School; Leys Farm Junior School; St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School; and Holme Valley Primary School.

Secondary schools within Scunthorpe include: The St Lawrence Academy; Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire; Outwood Academy Brumby; Outwood Academy Foxhills; Melior Community Academy; St Bede's Catholic Voluntary Academy; and Frederick Gough School.

John Leggott Sixth-Form College (JLC) is on West Common Lane and North Lindsey College is close by on Kingsway (A18). The University Campus North Lincolnshire, located in the former Scunthorpe Civic Centre, offers undergraduate courses to approximately 1,500 students.

There are three schools within this category: St Luke's Primary School; St Hugh's Special School; and Trent View College.