Darlington is a market town in County Durham, in the North East of England and is also part of the Tees Valley region. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Darlington, with a resident population of 106,000 in 2011. The town lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. The town owes much of its development to the influence of local Quaker families during the Victorian era, and it is famous as the terminus of the world's first passenger railway. Darlington railway station is a stop on the East Coast Main Line. Darlington is currently represented at the UK Parliament by Jenny Chapman MP.