St Ives (, meaning
St Ia's cove) is a seaside
town,
civil parish and port in
Cornwall,
England. The town lies north of
Penzance and west of
Camborne on the coast of the
Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial emphasis, and the town is now primarily a popular
holiday resort, notably achieving the title of
Best UK Seaside Town from the British Travel Awards in both 2010 and 2011. St Ives was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1639. St Ives has become renowned for its number of artists. It was named best seaside town of 2007 by the
Guardian newspaper. It should not be confused with
St Ive, a
village and
civil parish in south-east
Cornwall.