Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the County Council. The city is on the River Exe, about northeast of Plymouth, and southwest of Bristol. According to the 2011 Census, its population in that year was 117,773.Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain. Exeter Cathedral, founded in the early 12th century, became Anglican at the time of the 16th-century Reformation.The city's transport hubs include Exeter St Davids railway station, Exeter Central railway station, the M5 motorway and Exeter International Airport connecting the city both nationally and internationally.HistoryPrehistoric and Roman timesThe favourable location of Exeter, on a dry ridge ending in a spur overlooking a navigable river teeming with fish, and fertile land nearby, suggests the site was occupied early. The discovery of coins dating from the Hellenistic period in the city indicates the existence of a settlement trading with the Mediterranean region as early as 250 BC.