Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in Somerset, located on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, 21 miles south-east of Weston-super-Mare, 22 mi south-west of Bath and 23 mi south of Bristol. Although the population recorded in the 2011 census was only 10,536, and with a built-up area of just 3.244 km2, Wells has had city status since medieval times, because of the presence of Wells Cathedral.