Like the neighbouring seats of Rydale, Richmond, and Skipton and Ripon - the other three seats to contribute voters to the Vale of York - this is a large and sprawling constituency. As the name implies, the countryside here is flatter and less dramatic than the more rugged seats to the north of the county, and is characterised by fertile farmland, prosperous small market and commuting towns and several small villages.

This blend of agriculture, small-town life and stately homes and other tourist traps, helped to create one of the Conservatives' safest seats in 1997.

Some light industry is undertaken in this seat, mostly in Thirsk, but farming aside there are few manual workers. The unemployment rate at 1.4% (January 2001) is amongst the lowest in the UK, and council housing here accounts for less than 10% of the total.