Market Rasen is a town and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The River Rase goes through it eastern to west, about 13 miles (21 km) north-east from Lincoln, 18 miles (29 kilometres) eastern from Gainsborough as well as 16 miles (26 km) south-west from Grimsby. The community is understood for Market Rasen Racecourse and also being close to the epicentre of a 2008 earthquake. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 3,904. Market Rasen is a small market town on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. The community lies on the highway in between Lincoln and also Grimsby, the A46 as well as gets on National Cycle Route 1 (part of EuroVelo 12) of the National Cycle Network. The place-name 'Market Rasen' is first confirmed in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it looks like Rase, Rasa and Resne. The name stems from the Old English ræsn significance 'slab', and is thought to refer to a plank bridge. The river name 'Rase' is a back-formation. Originally "Rasen", as it is known locally, was called "East Rasen", "Rasen Parva" or "Little Rasen". The town centre has a homogeneous 19th-century redbrick look of mostly Georgian as well as Victorian style, centred on a market place with a middle ages church, restored in the 19th century. The River Rase streams with the town and is crossed by Jameson Bridge, Caistor Road Bridge and Crane Bridge. Market days are Tuesdays, Fridays and also Saturdays. On each Tuesday there is a public auction of items and also produce, and also on the initial Tuesday of each month, a farmers' market. Every Friday the Women's Institute holds a nation market. Market Rasen's neighborhood fire and police station opened December 2005. It is one of the initial purpose-built consolidated fire and also police headquarters in the UK. In 2011 it was one of the towns chosen for the Portas Testimonial of sectarian retailing organisation.