The course of the River Thames

The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London. It does not include the source of the Thames at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, central or east London or the outflowing of the Thames into the Thames Estuary.

The phrase Thames Valley Region should not be confused with the term M4 Corridor which denotes the route of the M4 motorway which provides East/West travel on a more southerly route extending from Hammersmith through Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire and over the River Severn via the Second Severn Crossing Toll Bridge into South Wales.

Economy [edit]

The Thames Valley region is one of the wealthiest regions in the European Union, aided by a skilled workforce and advantageous geography proximate to London. Historic trades have been replaced by modern knowledge-based industries: primarily information and communications technology and life sciences.

Productivity measured at £49,000 per worker in 2006, which is £8,600 higher than the average for the wider south-east region. 29 per cent of employment is in the knowledge economy, compared with the national average of 17%, and 37% of people in employment hold a degree. 20% of Thames Valley workers are employed in managerial and senior positions, for which the UK-wide average is 15%.^{[citation needed]} The direct labour force amounts to 1 million people, but the total workforce within an hour of the Thames Valley towns is close to 3.7 million.^{[citation needed]}

Since 2002, the Thames Valley has been the UK’s fastest growing region, averaging 3.5% economic growth after inflation, well ahead of the 2.5% national average.^{[citation needed]} Its economy was valued at £32 billion in 2007.^[1]

Tourism [edit]

The Thames Valley region is a major tourist destination in the United Kingdom, both for domestic and international tourists. Some major attractions include:

• Cliveden, Buckinghamshire
• Eton and its college, Berkshire
• Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire
• Marlow, Buckinghamshire
• Runnymede, Surrey
• The City of Oxford, Oxfordshire
• Windsor and its castle, Berkshire

Policing [edit]

The Thames Valley Police cover the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Other forces cover the rest of the Thames Valley region.

Major towns and cities [edit]

• Basingstoke
• Bracknell
• High Wycombe
• Maidenhead
• Newbury
• Oxford
• Reading
• Slough
• Swindon
• Wokingham

Universities [edit]

• Buckinghamshire New University
• Oxford Brookes University
• Oxford University
• Reading University
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London
• University of West London

See also [edit]

• Great Western Main Line
• South Wales Main Line
• Golden Valley Line
• Cherwell Valley Line
• M4 Corridor

References [edit]

Coordinates: 51°30′N 1°00′W / 51.5°N 1.0°W / 51.5; -1.0