North Milton Keynes is an Office of National Statistics designated urban sub-area (map).

The Central Milton Keynes urban sub-area and the North Milton Keynes urban sub-area together approximate to that part of the former Newport Pagnell Rural District

Newport Pagnell Rural District

Newport Pagnell was a rural district in the administrative county of Buckinghamshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. The rural district took over the responsibilities of the disbanded Newport Pagnell Rural Sanitary District...

 that is west of the River Ouzel.

The provenance of "North Milton Keynes", and of its boundary with the Central Milton Keynes urban sub-area, are unclear. The sub-area consists of the modern part of Bradwell

Bradwell, Milton Keynes

Bradwell is an ancient village and modern civil parish that is part of Milton Keynes . For a time, although it predates it, Bradwell was the supporting village for Bradwell Abbey, a Benedictine priory, founded in 1155 and dissolved in about 1540.The village name is an Old English language word...

, Rooksley, half of Bradwell Common, Linford Wood, half of Downs Barn, Downhead Park, Willen

Willen

Willen is a district of Milton Keynes, England and is also one of the ancient villages of Buckinghamshire to have been included in the designated area of the New City in1967...

 and Tongwell

Tongwell

Tongwell is a district and ancient hamlet in the civil parish of Great Linford in Milton Keynes, England.Historically, it was in the parish of Newport Pagnell but today it is separated from Newport Pagnell by the M1 motorway and has become part of Milton Keynes. Just a few farms remained before...

.