The District of Mansfield offers visitors and residents a wide range of facilities and activities to create an exciting work life balance.

History

The district is a historic place and was named in the Domesday book. To explore Mansfield's cultural heritage, visit the award winning Mansfield Museum, which also plays host to special exhibits throughout the year. Mansfield's heritage can be further explored by taking Mansfield District Council's free Mansfield Town Centre Heritage Trail. An audio version is also available to download from the Mansfield District Council website. The trail takes in our exciting architecture, monuments and statues giving an insight into Mansfield's bygone age.

Retail

Mansfield town centre has grown to become the main retail and service centre for the North Midlands with over 350,000 people within half an hours drive. Mansfield town centre is home many big names located in the Four Seasons shopping centre and distinctive local retailers on the high street. Mansfield is also home to a colourful market selling a variety of products and specialist markets are held throughout the week.

Entertainment & Leisure

Entertainment facilities in Mansfield are varied and include the Odeon multi-screen cinema, Superbowl ten pin bowling complex and the Palace Theatre offering multiple productions throughout the year.

Mansfield is home to many eating establishments from pavement bistros and cafes to pub lunches and restaurants catering for all tastes from Italian, British, Indian and Chinese. For lively nights out, Mansfield is home to many pubs and clubs while quieter wine bars provide a contrast.

Leisure pursuits in Mansfield are diverse and include a variety of sports centres and high tech gyms. The district is home to many award winning parks and green spaces contrasting with the urban centre. There are numerous walks and trails within the district at a variety of lengths to take in and enjoy the different landscapes and natural beauty of the district.

Log onto www.mansfield.gov.uk to find out more about Mansfield and events in around the District.

Housing

Mansfield's housing stock is varied and includes a variety of property types: from traditional terraced property to large spacious detached property, from town centre living to rural hideaways.

Council tax figures from 2006 revealed that there were 45,816 dwellings and recent housing developments have further increased this figure. Within the district, housing stock is predominantly semi-detached, with 18,915 (or 43.1% of property) dwellings falling into this category. This is 11.5% above the average for England and Wales. Detached property makes up the second largest percentage of housing stock at 27.1% (or 11,920 dwellings) which is 4.4% above the national average. Terraced property forms the third largest group at 21.1% (or 9,251 dwellings).

In June 2006, figures from the Office of National statistics revealed that the price indicator for all dwellings in the Mansfield District was £118,845 - 26% below the regional average (£160,220) and 42% below the national average (£206,175).

Notwithstanding the high quality of housing available, property prices remain lower than both regional and national averages. In 2007 (information from Hometrack), for-sale property averages for the main areas within the Mansfield District were as follows:

• NG18: £131,000
• NG19: £120,000
• NG20: £99,000
• NG21: £131,000

The Mansfield District proves to be an affordable place to live, benefiting not only from competitive house prices, but also from lower council tax bands. More than half of the district's property stock (56.65%) falls into the lowest category: Band A. With 19.24% in Band B and 12.68% in Band C, this means that almost 90% (88.57% - 40,578 dwellings) fall within the lowest 3 council tax bands.