Rufforth is a village in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies about west of York. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and dates from Saxon times. Rufforth is the larger village in the civil parish of Rufforth with Knapton. The parish also includes the village of Knapton, and the Trenchard Road Estate on the edge of Acomb, York. According to the 2001 census the parish of Rufforth with Knapton had a population of 950 of which 560 lived in Rufforth. In the 2011 census the parish of Rufforth with Knapton had a population of 1,029 of which 633 lived in Rufforth. History The first record of a mill at Rufforth goes back to 1671. In 1868 J. Clayton, Esq. is recorded as being the lord of the manor and the chief landowner. According to the census of 1881, the population was 272. RAF Rufforth was a purpose-built bomber airfield built to Class A specification. It was constructed during 1941 and opened on 10 June 1942 for use by Operational Training Units and later a Heavy Conversion Unit flying Halifaxes. The site remained in RAF hands until they finally departed in 1974. In July 1981 the site was sold and is now the site of the York Gliding Centre. and a microlight flying club. Rufforth was historically a parish in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1974 it was transferred to the Harrogate district in the new county of North Yorkshire. In 1988 the civil parish absorbed the civil parish of Knapton, and the parish was subsequently renamed Rufforth with Knapton. In 1996 the parish was transferred to the City of York. Governance Rufforth lies within the Rural West York ward of the City of York Unitary Authority. As of the 2019 elections it is represented by Councillors Anne Hook and James Barker who are both members of the local Liberal Democrat Party. It is a part of the UK Parliamentary Constituency of York Outer. Until January 2020 it also fell within the boundaries of the Yorkshire and the Humber European Parliament constituency. Rufforth forms part of the Rufforth with Knapton Parish Council area and elects five of the eight councillors. Economy Rufforth was a traditional farming community with seven farms during the 1970s, but because of agricultural decline there are now only two left within the village curtilage. The village