Northumberland role in the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century on. Many coal mines operated in Northumberland until the widespread closures in the 1970s and 1980s. Collieries operated at Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Choppington, Netherton, Ellington and Pegswood. The region's coalfields fuelled industrial expansion in other areas of Britain, and the need to transport the coal from the collieries to the Tyne led to the development of the first railways. Shipbuilding and armaments manufacture were other important industries before the deindustrialisation of the 1980s. Northumberland remains largely rural, and is the least-densely populated county in England. In recent years the county has
Garfield County, Washington Garfield County, Washington Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,266, making it the least populous county in Washington; with about , it is also the least densely populated county in Washington. The county seat and only city is Pomeroy. The area delineated by the future Washington state boundary began to be colonized at the start of the nineteenth century, both by Americans and British. However, the majority of British exploration and interest in the land was due to the fur trade, whereas American settlers were principally