City of Bradford
Encyclopedia
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire
, England
with the status of a city
and metropolitan borough
. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford
, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley
, Shipley
, Bingley
, Ilkley
, Haworth
, Silsden
and Denholme
. Bradford has a population of 501,700, making it the fourth-most populous metropolitan district and the sixth-most populous local authority district in England. It forms part of the West Yorkshire Urban Area
conurbation which in 2001 had a population of 1.5 million and the city is part of the Leeds-Bradford Larger Urban Zone (LUZ), which, with a population of 2,393,300, is the third largest in the United Kingdom after London and Manchester.
The city is situated on the edge of the Pennines
, and is bounded to the east by the City of Leeds
, the south east by the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees
and the south west by the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale
. The Pendle
borough of Lancashire
lies to the west, whilst the Craven
and Harrogate
boroughs of North Yorkshire
lie to the north west and north east of the city. Bradford
, the urban core is the 11th largest settlement in England, and the contiguous urban area to the north which includes the towns of Shipley and Bingley is heavily populated. The spa town
of Ilkley lies further north, whilst the town of Keighley lies to the west. Roughly two thirds of the district is rural, with an environment varying from moorland
s in the north and west, to valleys and floodplains formed by the river systems that flow throughout the district. More than half of Bradford’s land is green open space, stretching over part of the Airedale
and Wharfedale
Valleys, across the hills and the Pennine moorland between. The Yorkshire Dales
and the Peak District
are both in close proximity.
The City of Bradford has architecture designated as being of special or historic importance, most of which were constructed with local stone, with 5,800 listed buildings and 59 conservation area
s. The model village
of Saltaire
has been listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
. Central Bradford rose to prominence during the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture
, particularly wool
. The area's access to a supply of coal, iron ore and soft water facilitated the growth of Bradford's manufacturing base, which, as textile manufacture grew, led to an explosion in population and was a stimulus to civic investment. However, Bradford has faced similar challenges to the rest of the post-industrial area of northern England, including deindustrialisation, housing problems, and economic deprivation. Wool
and textiles still play an important part in the city's economy
, but today's fastest-growing sectors include information technology
, financial services, digital industries, environmental technologies, cultural industries, tourism
and retail headquarters and distribution. Bradford's reputation as a base for high technology, scientific and computer-based industries is growing, building on a long tradition of innovation, high skill levels and quality products.
Bradford has experienced significant levels of immigration throughout the 19th and 20th centurys.In the 1840s Bradford
's population was significantly increased by migrants from Ireland
, particularly rural Mayo
and Sligo
, and by 1851 about 10% of the population were born in Ireland
, the largest proportion in Yorkshire
. Around the same time there was also an influx of German Jewish migrants to the town.
In the 1950s there was large scale immigration from Pakistan
and to a lesser extent from Poland
. Bradford has the second highest proportion of Muslim
s in England and Wales
outside London
. An estimated 101,967 people of South Asia
n origin reside in the city, representing around 20.5% of the city's population, with this figure projected to rise to 28% by 2011.
The current city boundaries date from 1 April 1974, when the county borough
of Bradford was merged with the borough of Keighley
, the urban districts of Baildon, Bingley
, Denholme
, Ilkley
, Shipley
and Silsden
, along with the Queensbury
parts of Queensbury and Shelf Urban District and the parishes of Addingham
, and Steeton with Eastburn
from Skipton Rural District
. Kildwick
was part of Bradford at this time, but has since been moved into the Craven District (part of North Yorkshire).
In October 2007, Bradford was voted the greenest city in the United Kingdom
. The city was revealed to have the lowest environmental
impact of any British city, in spite of its undeniably large role in the Industrial Revolution
. Contrary to popular belief, Bradford's rivers were not polluted beyond redemption during this period in its history, and the streams surrounding the city are now a veritable haven of wildlife
. The City of Bradford has areas of green space
, and recycling
schemes.
, and is bounded to the east by the City of Leeds
, the south east by the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees
and the south west by the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale
. The Lancashire borough of Pendle
lies to the west, whilst North Yorkshire boroughs of Craven
and Harrogate
lie to the north west and north east respectively. Bradford district has 3636 hectares of upland heathland, including Ilkley Moor
where the peat bogs rise to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level. Less than 5% of the Bradford district is woodland. Greenspace
accounts for 73.8% of the City of Bradford's total area, domestic buildings and gardens comprise 12.1%, and the rest is made up of roads and non-domestic buildings.
Three river systems serve the City of Bradford, along with 23 km of canal. The Airedale
towns of Keighley
, Bingley
and Shipley
lie on the River Aire
. The River Wharfe
runs through Ilkley
and Burley in Wharfedale
, and tributaries of the River Calder
run through the district. Unusually for a major settlement, Bradford
is not built on any substantial body of water. The ford from which it takes its name (Broad-Ford) was a crossing of the stream called Bradford Beck.
is still unparished
, but there are parish and town councils for most of the outlying towns and villages in the District. From April 2004, the parishes are:
(MPs) for five separate parliamentary constituencies. Bradford East
is represented by David Ward
(Liberal Democrat), Bradford West
is represented by Marsha Singh
(Labour), Bradford South
is represented by Gerry Sutcliffe
(Labour), Shipley
is represented by Philip Davies
(Conservative), and
Keighley
is represented by Kris Hopkins
(Conservative).
The city played an important part in the early history of the Labour Party
. A mural on the back of the Priestley Centre For The Arts (visible from Leeds Road) commemorates the centenary of the founding of the Independent Labour Party
in 1893.
Bradford is within the Yorkshire and the Humber
European constituency, which is represented by one Conservative
, one Labour
, one UKIP
, two Liberal Democrat
and one BNP
MEPs
. The voting figures for Bradford in the European Parliament election
in June 2009 were: Conservative 24.7%, Labour 22.6%, UKIP 14.9%, Lib Dem 13.4%, BNP 9.4%, Green
8.8%.
was merged with the Borough of Keighley
, the Urban Districts of Baildon, Bingley
, Cullingworth
, Denholme
, Ilkley
, Shipley
and Silsden
, along with part of Queensbury and Shelf Urban District and part of Skipton Rural District
by the Local Government Act 1972
. The Council, which is based at Bradford City Hall
in Centenary Square, governs the whole metropolitan district.
The city is divided into 30 Electoral Wards
, each ward electing three Councillor
s. Elections are held in May, where one third of the 90 seats (one for each ward) are contested and the successful candidate is elected for a period of four years.
is based on that of the former City and County Borough Council, with additions to indicate the merger of eleven Yorkshire councils. The boar's head, as in the former city council's crest, refers to the legend of the boar of Cliffe Wood. This was a ferocious wild boar that terrorized the populace and caused much damage to land and property; so much so that the Lord of the Manor
offered a reward for anyone brave enough to slay the boar and bring its head to the Manor House. The mural crown is a frequent symbol of local government, but here also suggests a well head. The stag is derived from the device of the Denholme
Urban District Council and the arms of the former Borough of Keighley
, but represents the District as a whole. The white angora goat
is retained from the former arms, recalling that the wool of this animal was used in the local industries. The roses on the collars refer to the Yorkshire rose and the compartment resembles the area's hills and dales
.
, the City of Bradford had a population of 467,665. Of the 180,246 household
s in Bradford, 36.5% were married couples living together, 28% were one-person households, 10.8% were lone parents and 8.4% were co-habiting
couples, following a similar trend to the rest of England.
The population density
was 1,290 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,341/sq mi) and for every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. Of those aged 16–74, 24.5% had no academic qualifications, lower than the 28.9% in all of England. 11.8% of Bradford residents were born outside the United Kingdom, higher than the England average of 9.2%.
In 2006, it was estimated that 74.9% of the city's population was White
(72.2% White British
, 0.7% White Irish and 2.1% as Other White), 2.9% Mixed Race, 20.5% Asian
or Asian British, 1.6% Black
and 0.6% from other races. 16.8% of the population are of South Asia
n origin, representing the second highest proportion in England and Wales
outside London
, in terms of both population (behind Birmingham
) and percentage (behind Blackburn with Darwen
). Nearly half of all Asians living in Yorkshire and the Humber
live in Bradford, with one district, Frizinghall, having the highest concentration of Pakistanis in England and Wales, making up 73% of the local population. Accordingly, 60.14 of the population of the city identified themselves as Christian in the 2001 census, 16.08 were Muslim, 1.02% Sikhs
, 0.95% Hindus
and 13.3% were identified as having no religion. The percentage of Jews
, Buddhists
and those following other religions each amounted to fewer than 0.5% of the city's population.
The ONS Regional Trends report, published in June 2009, showed that most of the urban core and 41% of the district as a whole were among the most deprived in the country, it also showed that 11% of the district as a whole were among the least deprived in the country. Bradford has one of the highest unemployment rates in England, with the economic inactivity rates of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups standing at over 50% of the working age population.
The crime rate in Bradford is significantly higher than the national average, but lower than that of similar cities such as Manchester
or Leeds
. In July 2006, the think tank
Reform
calculated rates of crime for different offences, relating this to populations of major urban areas (defined as towns over 100,000 population). The study ranked Bradford as the second most dangerous city in England and Wales
with 98.3 serious offences per 1,000 population, behind Nottingham
. The city was shown to have the highest level of gun violence
in the country with 12.53 crimes per 10,000 residents, followed by Leeds (12.45) and Northampton (10.24), and was amongst the top 5 for incidents of burglary, rape, assault and vehicle crime.
Brontë Country
is an area to the west of Bradford which includes the town of Haworth
and the village of Thornton, the birth place of the Brontë sisters.
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
, Ilkley’s Cow and Calf Rocks, Bradford’s National Media Museum, Cartwright Hall
, Little Germany
, Saltaire
village (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Salts Mill
are key attractions that draw visitors from across the globe.
The City of Bradford has also become the first UNESCO City of Film
.
Annual events such as the Bradford Mela, Bingley Music Live
, Ilkley Literature Festival
, Haworth’s 1940s weekend, Saltaire Festival
and special Christmas events take place across the district.
The value of tourism to the district’s economy stands at more than £500 million a year, with an estimated 8.6 million day trips within the district. The impact of this is more than 13,500 jobs supported by the tourism and retail sector.
output, and making the district the third largest after Leeds
and Sheffield
in Yorkshire & Humber. Traditionally based on the wool
and textile
industries, manufacturing is still strong, accounting for around 1 in 5 jobs. The city’s service-sector economy accounts for 77% of the district's 195,000 jobs, with today's fastest-growing sectors including information technology
, financial services
, tourism
and retail
headquarters and distribution. The district is home to a number of large businesses with recognised brands operating on a national and international scale such as Morrisons
, Pace Plc and Hallmark Cards
. Three of the UK’s biggest financial institutions are based in Bradford: Yorkshire Building Society
, Bradford & Bingley Building Society and Provident Financial
. It is also home to nationally outstanding cultural businesses, a strong group of new media companies, and a significant national institution in the National Media Museum. Tourism
is worth over £400 million to the local economy, and employs over 10,000 people. Bradford’s exports are worth almost £700 million.
The city’s working-age population has risen by 3.3% since 2000—faster than any UK city outside London, whilst the population of the city itself is growing by twice the national average. Bradford has a younger age profile than the Yorkshire & Humber regional average and the national average, with the younger age groups forming a greater proportion of the population in comparison. Bradford has been named by research group OMIS as one of the top six cities in the UK equipped for future growth, and the CBI
reports that business confidence is higher in Bradford than in the UK as a whole, whilst £1.5 billion of construction work is transforming Bradford in a bid to attract further investment.
As of the 2001 UK census, Bradford had 326,774 residents aged 16 to 74. 2.5% of these people were students with jobs, 7.6% looking after home or family, 6.1% permanently sick or disabled and 4.5% economically inactive for other reasons. The City of Bradford has a lower economic activity rate than West Yorkshire, the regional average for Yorkshire and the Humber and the national average. Conversely Bradford has a higher economic inactivity rate than all these areas and also has a lower employment rate.
Manufacturing
is still strong in Bradford and accounts for almost 12% of all jobs, and the city’s service-sector economy accounts for 82% of the district's 192,000 jobs. The entrepreneurial spirit is more present in Bradford than generally in the UK, with start-ups accounting for 12% of the business community.
Bradford’s GVA
is over £6 billion.
. There are also a number of independent (private) schools, such as Bradford Grammar School
and Bradford Girls' Grammar School
. Bradford College and the University of Bradford
are the main further and higher education providers.
. Most local train services are run by Northern Rail
, with longer-distance routes served by Grand Central and National Express East Coast
.
Shipley railway station
is the hub of the district's railway network, which is served by four lines.
The Wharfedale line
connects Shipley
with Ilkley
, Ben Rhydding
, Burley-in-Wharfedale
, Menston
and Baildon
railway stations to the north, and Frizinghall
and Bradford Forster Square
stations to the south. The Airedale Line
connects the stations at Steeton and Silsden
, Keighley
, Crossflatts
, Bingley
, and Saltaire
with Shipley
, continuing to either Frizinghall
and Bradford Forster Square
or to Leeds to the east of the district. Both Bradford Forster Square
and nearby Bradford Interchange
stations are served by the Leeds-Bradford line routes. Bradford Interchange
, via the Caldervale Line
, also connects to stations to the south and west.
There are bus stations in Bradford
, Ilkley
, Keighley
and Shipley
. The majority of services are provided by First Bradford
and Transdev Keighley & District
.
The M606
, a spur off the M62 motorway
, connects the district with the national motorway network. The M606
was originally laid out to reach the centre of Bradford and beyond, but connects instead to the A6177
Bradford outer ring road, making the motorway one of the shortest in the country at less than three miles (5 km) long. Another motorway was planned in the 1970s, envisaging a link between Bradford, the Aire valley in the north of the district and the M65
at Colne, roughly mirroring the existing A650 road. It has since been upgraded to dual carriageway along much of its length, bypassing the towns of Bingley
and Keighley
. The A658 road passes through a tunnel underneath the main Leeds-Bradford airport
runway as it heads north-east from Bradford to Knaresborough
.
Leeds Bradford International Airport
itself is located in Yeadon
, about 10 miles (16.1 km) to the north-east of the city centre, and has both charter and scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus Egypt
, Pakistan
, Turkey
and the USA. There are connections to the rest of the world via London Heathrow Airport
, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
There are also navigable waterways that run through the district. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal
passes through numerous towns and villages in the borough, with the Grade I listed Five Rise Locks
at Bingley
generally considered to be one of the finest
feats of canal engineering in the country. There are also proposals to restore and re-open the Bradford Canal
, which closed in 1922, as part of a wider regeneration of the city.
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with the status of a city
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
and metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, Shipley
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
, Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
, Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, Haworth
Haworth
Haworth is a rural village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is located amongst the Pennines, southwest of Keighley and west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope...
, Silsden
Silsden
Silsden is a town and civil parish situated in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the northern slope of the Aire Valley between Keighley and Skipton. It is about from the river. Along the lower edge of the town is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
and Denholme
Denholme
Denholme is a small town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Bradford, from Keighley and roughly the same distance from Halifax. Administratively, it is part of the Bingley Rural ward of the City of Bradford...
. Bradford has a population of 501,700, making it the fourth-most populous metropolitan district and the sixth-most populous local authority district in England. It forms part of the West Yorkshire Urban Area
West Yorkshire Urban Area
The West Yorkshire Urban Area is a term used by the Office for National Statistics to refer to a conurbation in West Yorkshire, England, based around the cities of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, and the large town of Huddersfield...
conurbation which in 2001 had a population of 1.5 million and the city is part of the Leeds-Bradford Larger Urban Zone (LUZ), which, with a population of 2,393,300, is the third largest in the United Kingdom after London and Manchester.
The city is situated on the edge of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
, and is bounded to the east by the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, the south east by the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees
Kirklees
The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
and the south west by the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale
Calderdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, through which the upper part of the River Calder flows, and from which it takes its name...
. The Pendle
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...
borough of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
lies to the west, whilst the Craven
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
and Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
boroughs of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
lie to the north west and north east of the city. Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, the urban core is the 11th largest settlement in England, and the contiguous urban area to the north which includes the towns of Shipley and Bingley is heavily populated. The spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
of Ilkley lies further north, whilst the town of Keighley lies to the west. Roughly two thirds of the district is rural, with an environment varying from moorland
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
s in the north and west, to valleys and floodplains formed by the river systems that flow throughout the district. More than half of Bradford’s land is green open space, stretching over part of the Airedale
Airedale
Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley of the River Aire . The valley stretches from the river's origin in Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Keighley and Bingley, through Leeds and Castleford and on to join the Humber...
and Wharfedale
Wharfedale
Wharfedale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. It is the valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale include Buckden, Kettlewell, Conistone, Grassington, Hebden, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Arthington, Collingham, and Wetherby...
Valleys, across the hills and the Pennine moorland between. The Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
and the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
are both in close proximity.
The City of Bradford has architecture designated as being of special or historic importance, most of which were constructed with local stone, with 5,800 listed buildings and 59 conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
s. The model village
Model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...
of Saltaire
Saltaire
Saltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
has been listed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. Central Bradford rose to prominence during the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture
Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution changed the nature of work and society. Opinion varies as to the exact date, but it is estimated that the First Industrial Revolution took place between 1750 and 1850, and the second phase or Second Industrial Revolution between 1860 and 1900. The three key drivers in...
, particularly wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
. The area's access to a supply of coal, iron ore and soft water facilitated the growth of Bradford's manufacturing base, which, as textile manufacture grew, led to an explosion in population and was a stimulus to civic investment. However, Bradford has faced similar challenges to the rest of the post-industrial area of northern England, including deindustrialisation, housing problems, and economic deprivation. Wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and textiles still play an important part in the city's economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
, but today's fastest-growing sectors include information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, financial services, digital industries, environmental technologies, cultural industries, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and retail headquarters and distribution. Bradford's reputation as a base for high technology, scientific and computer-based industries is growing, building on a long tradition of innovation, high skill levels and quality products.
Bradford has experienced significant levels of immigration throughout the 19th and 20th centurys.In the 1840s Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
's population was significantly increased by migrants from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, particularly rural Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
and Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, and by 1851 about 10% of the population were born in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the largest proportion in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Around the same time there was also an influx of German Jewish migrants to the town.
In the 1950s there was large scale immigration from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and to a lesser extent from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Bradford has the second highest proportion of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
outside London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. An estimated 101,967 people of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n origin reside in the city, representing around 20.5% of the city's population, with this figure projected to rise to 28% by 2011.
History
Bradford was granted the status of a city in 1897. Bradford was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1847, covering the parishes of Bradford, Horton and Manningham. It became a county borough with the passing of the Local Government Act 1888. The county borough was granted city status by Letters Patent in 1897. Bradford was expanded in 1882 to include Allerton, Bolton, Bowling, Heaton, Thornbury and Tyersall. In 1899 it was further expanded by adding North Bierley, Eccleshill, Idle, Thornton, Tong and Wyke. Clayton was added in 1930.The current city boundaries date from 1 April 1974, when the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Bradford was merged with the borough of Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, the urban districts of Baildon, Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
, Denholme
Denholme
Denholme is a small town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Bradford, from Keighley and roughly the same distance from Halifax. Administratively, it is part of the Bingley Rural ward of the City of Bradford...
, Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, Shipley
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
and Silsden
Silsden
Silsden is a town and civil parish situated in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the northern slope of the Aire Valley between Keighley and Skipton. It is about from the river. Along the lower edge of the town is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
, along with the Queensbury
Queensbury, West Yorkshire
Queensbury is a village in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Perched on a high vantage point above Clayton and Thornton and overlooking Bradford itself, Queensbury is one of the highest parishes in England, with fine views beyond the West Yorkshire conurbation to the...
parts of Queensbury and Shelf Urban District and the parishes of Addingham
Addingham
Addingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of West Yorkshire. It is situated on the A65, west of Ilkley, north west of Bradford and around north west of Leeds. It is located in the valley of the River Wharfe and is only from the Yorkshire Dales National Park...
, and Steeton with Eastburn
Steeton with Eastburn
Steeton with Eastburn is a civil parish within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,277. The parish includes the villages of Steeton and Eastburn....
from Skipton Rural District
Skipton Rural District
Skipton was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1894 to 1974. It was named after Skipton, which constituted an urban district on its southern border....
. Kildwick
Kildwick
Kildwick, or Kildwick-in-Craven, is a village and civil parish of the District of Craven in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Skipton and Keighley and has a population of 191...
was part of Bradford at this time, but has since been moved into the Craven District (part of North Yorkshire).
In October 2007, Bradford was voted the greenest city in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The city was revealed to have the lowest environmental
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
impact of any British city, in spite of its undeniably large role in the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. Contrary to popular belief, Bradford's rivers were not polluted beyond redemption during this period in its history, and the streams surrounding the city are now a veritable haven of wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
. The City of Bradford has areas of green space
Greenway (landscape)
A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
, and recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
schemes.
Geography
The City of Bradford is situated on the edge of the PenninesPennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
, and is bounded to the east by the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, the south east by the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees
Kirklees
The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
and the south west by the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale
Calderdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, through which the upper part of the River Calder flows, and from which it takes its name...
. The Lancashire borough of Pendle
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...
lies to the west, whilst North Yorkshire boroughs of Craven
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
and Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
lie to the north west and north east respectively. Bradford district has 3636 hectares of upland heathland, including Ilkley Moor
Ilkley Moor
Ilkley Moor is part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. The peat bogs rise to 402 m above sea level...
where the peat bogs rise to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level. Less than 5% of the Bradford district is woodland. Greenspace
Open space reserve
Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...
accounts for 73.8% of the City of Bradford's total area, domestic buildings and gardens comprise 12.1%, and the rest is made up of roads and non-domestic buildings.
Three river systems serve the City of Bradford, along with 23 km of canal. The Airedale
Airedale
Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley of the River Aire . The valley stretches from the river's origin in Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Keighley and Bingley, through Leeds and Castleford and on to join the Humber...
towns of Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
and Shipley
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
lie on the River Aire
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
. The River Wharfe
River Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
runs through Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
and Burley in Wharfedale
Burley in Wharfedale
Burley-in-Wharfedale, is a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Menston, Burley is part of Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford . It lies on the A65, approximately fourteen miles north-west of the centre of Leeds and nine miles north of...
, and tributaries of the River Calder
River Calder, West Yorkshire
The River Calder is a river in West Yorkshire, in Northern England.The Calder rises on the green eastern slopes of the Pennines flows through alternating green countryside, former woollen-mill villages, and large and small towns before joining the River Aire near Castleford.The river's valley is...
run through the district. Unusually for a major settlement, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
is not built on any substantial body of water. The ford from which it takes its name (Broad-Ford) was a crossing of the stream called Bradford Beck.
Parishes
Most of BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
is still unparished
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, but there are parish and town councils for most of the outlying towns and villages in the District. From April 2004, the parishes are:
- AddinghamAddinghamAddingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of West Yorkshire. It is situated on the A65, west of Ilkley, north west of Bradford and around north west of Leeds. It is located in the valley of the River Wharfe and is only from the Yorkshire Dales National Park...
- Baildon
- BurleyBurley in WharfedaleBurley-in-Wharfedale, is a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Menston, Burley is part of Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford . It lies on the A65, approximately fourteen miles north-west of the centre of Leeds and nine miles north of...
- ClaytonClayton, West YorkshireClayton is a civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, situated 3 miles to the west of the city centre. It is listed in the Domesday Book, meaning it dates back to at least the 11th century and was privately owned from 1160 to 1866. It was noted for its...
- CullingworthCullingworthCullingworth is a village and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England, between Bradford and Haworth. The village is well known locally for holding events such as the Brontë Vintage Gathering every year and the Great Yorkshire Bike Show in 2005. The surrounding countryside is mainly used for sheep...
- DenholmeDenholmeDenholme is a small town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Bradford, from Keighley and roughly the same distance from Halifax. Administratively, it is part of the Bingley Rural ward of the City of Bradford...
- HardenHarden, West YorkshireHarden is a civil parish and village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, west of Bingley. It has a population of 1,615.-Facilities:...
- HaworthHaworthHaworth is a rural village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is located amongst the Pennines, southwest of Keighley and west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope...
, Cross Roads and Stanbury - IlkleyIlkleyIlkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
- KeighleyKeighleyKeighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
- MenstonMenstonMenston is a village and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, Menston is part of Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford. It has a population of 4,660.-Landmarks:...
- OxenhopeOxenhopeOxenhope is a village and civil parish with a population of 2,476 in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, near Keighley. Oxenhope railway station is the terminus for the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway...
- Sandy LaneSandy Lane, West YorkshireSandy Lane is a village and civil parish to the north of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.It is situated between Wilsden, Allerton and Nab Wood.- History :...
- SilsdenSilsdenSilsden is a town and civil parish situated in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the northern slope of the Aire Valley between Keighley and Skipton. It is about from the river. Along the lower edge of the town is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
- Steeton with EastburnSteeton with EastburnSteeton with Eastburn is a civil parish within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,277. The parish includes the villages of Steeton and Eastburn....
- WilsdenWilsdenWilsden is a village and civil parish to the west of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. Wilsden is close to the Aire Valley and the nearby villages of Cullingworth, Harden, Cottingley and Allerton. Wilsden re-acquired civil parish status in 2004...
- WroseWroseWrose is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, about three miles north of Bradford city centre, and south-east of Shipley. It sits on top of a hillside at a height of around 600 feet above sea level, overlooking the Aire valley and...
Parliamentary constituencies
The residents of Bradford are represented in the British Parliament by Members of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs) for five separate parliamentary constituencies. Bradford East
Bradford East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bradford East is the name of a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency originally existed from 1885 to 1974 and was recreated for the 2010 general election, electing one Member of Parliament by the first past the post...
is represented by David Ward
David Ward (politician)
David Ward is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Bradford East.-Early life:He attended Boston Grammar School in Boston, Lincolnshire...
(Liberal Democrat), Bradford West
Bradford West (UK Parliament constituency)
Bradford West is a borough constituency in England which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
is represented by Marsha Singh
Marsha Singh
Marsha Singh is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Bradford West since 1997....
(Labour), Bradford South
Bradford South (UK Parliament constituency)
Bradford South is a borough constituency in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
is represented by Gerry Sutcliffe
Gerry Sutcliffe
Gerard "Gerry" Sutcliffe is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bradford South since 1994, and was the Minister for Sport and Tourism in the Brown Government.- Biography :...
(Labour), Shipley
Shipley (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1910s:...
is represented by Philip Davies
Philip Davies
Philip Andrew Davies is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Shipley in West Yorkshire.-Early life:...
(Conservative), and
Keighley
Keighley (UK Parliament constituency)
Keighley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
is represented by Kris Hopkins
Kris Hopkins
Kristan Frederick Hopkins is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Keighley in West Yorkshire.-Political career:...
(Conservative).
The city played an important part in the early history of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. A mural on the back of the Priestley Centre For The Arts (visible from Leeds Road) commemorates the centenary of the founding of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
in 1893.
Bradford is within the Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire and the Humber is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
European constituency, which is represented by one Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, one Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, one UKIP
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
, two Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
and one BNP
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
. The voting figures for Bradford in the European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
in June 2009 were: Conservative 24.7%, Labour 22.6%, UKIP 14.9%, Lib Dem 13.4%, BNP 9.4%, Green
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
8.8%.
Council
In 1974, City Of Bradford Metropolitan District Council was created to administer the newly formed metropolitan borough. The county borough of BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
was merged with the Borough of Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, the Urban Districts of Baildon, Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
, Cullingworth
Cullingworth
Cullingworth is a village and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England, between Bradford and Haworth. The village is well known locally for holding events such as the Brontë Vintage Gathering every year and the Great Yorkshire Bike Show in 2005. The surrounding countryside is mainly used for sheep...
, Denholme
Denholme
Denholme is a small town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Bradford, from Keighley and roughly the same distance from Halifax. Administratively, it is part of the Bingley Rural ward of the City of Bradford...
, Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, Shipley
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
and Silsden
Silsden
Silsden is a town and civil parish situated in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the northern slope of the Aire Valley between Keighley and Skipton. It is about from the river. Along the lower edge of the town is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
, along with part of Queensbury and Shelf Urban District and part of Skipton Rural District
Skipton Rural District
Skipton was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1894 to 1974. It was named after Skipton, which constituted an urban district on its southern border....
by the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. The Council, which is based at Bradford City Hall
Bradford City Hall
Bradford City Hall is a Grade I listed, 19th century town hall in Centenary Square, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and is notable for its landmark bell/clock tower.- As town hall :The building was designed by Lockwood and Mawson, and opened in 1873....
in Centenary Square, governs the whole metropolitan district.
The city is divided into 30 Electoral Wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
, each ward electing three Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s. Elections are held in May, where one third of the 90 seats (one for each ward) are contested and the successful candidate is elected for a period of four years.
| Party | Seats | Current Council (2010–11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
37 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
35 | 39 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lib Dems Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
13 | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greens Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including... |
3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BNP British National Party The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982... |
2 | 2 |
Electoral wards
The Metropolitan District is divided into 30 Electoral Wards, with each ward electing three Councillors.| Ward name | Area (ha Hectare The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2... )/mi2 |
Population | Population density (people per hectare) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baildon | 1086 hectares (4.2 sq mi) | 12,067 | 14.33 | |
| Bingley Bingley (ward) Bingley is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the town of Bingley around which it is centred.... |
1241 hectares (4.8 sq mi) | 13,675 | 11.01 | |
| Bingley Rural Bingley Rural Bingley Rural is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.It encompasses the villages of Harden, Wilsden, Cottingley, Cullingworth and Denholme.- References :* * *... |
3164 hectares (12.2 sq mi) | 15,142 | 4.79 | |
| Bolton and Undercliffe Bolton and Undercliffe Bolton and Undercliffe is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, England.Bolton and Undercliffe covers the area east of Bradford Beck, between Shipley & Wrose to the north and central Bradford to the south... |
326 hectares (1.3 sq mi) | 15,445 | 47.38 | |
| Bowling and Barkerend Bowling and Barkerend Bowling and Barkerend is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.Bowling and Barkerend covers the area immediately east and south of Bradford centre. It includes the areas known as Barkerend, Bowling, East Bowling, Swaine Green, Cutler Heights and Goose Hill... |
190 hectare (0.733594101325817 sq mi) | 17.917 | 94.3 | |
| Bradford Moor Bradford Moor Bradford Moor is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. It is in the BD3 postcode area.The ward covers the areas of Bradford known as Bradford Moor, Laisterdyke and Thornbury... |
238 hectare (0.918923137450233 sq mi) | 17,497 | 73.52 | |
| City City (ward) City is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan District of Bradford.City covers the centre of Bradford within the inner ring road and the areas of Shearbridge, Lister Hills, Brown Royd, Dirk Hill, Little Horton Green and part of Lidget Green all to the west of the commercial center.It is part of the... |
464 hectares (1.8 sq mi) | 18,485 | 39.80 | |
| Clayton and Fairweather Green Clayton, West Yorkshire Clayton is a civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, situated 3 miles to the west of the city centre. It is listed in the Domesday Book, meaning it dates back to at least the 11th century and was privately owned from 1160 to 1866. It was noted for its... |
579 hectares (2.2 sq mi) | 15,191 | 26.24 | |
| Craven Craven (Bradford Ward) Craven is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, West Yorkshire, England.It encompasses the villages of Steeton in the south, Silsden in the centre and Addingham in the north.... |
5008 hectares (19.3 sq mi) | 15,875 | 3.17 | |
| Eccleshill | 285 hectares (1.1 sq mi) | 13.278 | 46.58 | |
| Great Horton Great Horton Great Horton is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England.The ward covers the area west of Bradford ring road and east of the village of Clayton. The areas covered include Great Horton, Scholemore, Paradise Green, Lidget Green and Pickles Hill... |
317 hectares (1.2 sq mi) | 16,019 | 50.47 | |
| Heaton Heaton, West Yorkshire Heaton is a Ward of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It includes the villages of Frizinghall, Heaton and Daisy Hill, extending to Chellow Heights reservoir on the western edge and the Bradford-Shipley railway line on the eastern edge... |
613 hectares (2.4 sq mi) | 16,913 | 27.59 | |
| Idle and Thackley Idle and Thackley Idle and Thackley is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the villages of Idle and Thackley around which it is drawn.... |
685 hectares (2.6 sq mi) | 14,366 | 20.97 | |
| Ilkley Ilkley Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe... |
1907 hectares (7.4 sq mi) | 13,828 | 7.25 | |
| Keighley Central Keighley Central Keighley Central is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England.-References:* **... |
508 hectares (2 sq mi) | 16,426 | 32.33 | |
| Keighley East Keighley East Keighley East is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England.Within the Ward of Keighley East are the villages of East and West Morton.-References:* *... |
2345 hectares (9.1 sq mi) | 15,000 | 6.4 | |
| Keighley West Keighley West Keighley West is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England.This had been a major electoral target for the extreme right-wing British National Party who briefly held a seat, but thanks to a concerted effort by the local Labour Party , the BNP... |
939 hectares (3.6 sq mi) | 16,281 | 17.33 | |
| Little Horton Little Horton Little Horton is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the de -Horton family,who were once Lords of the Manor.... |
309 hectares (1.2 sq mi) | 16,431 | 53.17 | |
| Manningham Manningham, Bradford Manningham is an area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, approximately a mile north of the city centre and is seen as the centre of the city's south Asian population.- Geography :... |
358 hectares (1.4 sq mi) | 17,522 | 48.94 | |
| Queensbury Queensbury, West Yorkshire Queensbury is a village in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Perched on a high vantage point above Clayton and Thornton and overlooking Bradford itself, Queensbury is one of the highest parishes in England, with fine views beyond the West Yorkshire conurbation to the... |
948 hectares (3.7 sq mi) | 17,573 | 18.54 | |
| Royds | 347 hectares (1.3 sq mi) | 15,266 | 43.99 | |
| Shipley Shipley, West Yorkshire Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds.... |
596 hectares (2.3 sq mi) | 13,822 | 23.19 | |
| Thornton and Allerton Thornton and Allerton Thornton and Allerton is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the villages of Thornton and Allerton around which it is drawn.... |
1376 hectares (5.3 sq mi) | 15,108 | 10.98 | |
| Toller Toller Toller is a ward in the City of Bradford metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.Councillor Imran Hussain is one of the current representatives for this ward. He is a Labour councillor and Deputy Leader of Bradford Council's Labour Group. He was first elected in 2002 with a majority of... |
270 hectares (1 sq mi) | 18,951 | 70.24 | |
| Tong Tong, West Yorkshire Tong is a Ward in City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, named after Tong village which is its oldest settlement.- Geography :... |
1348 hectares (5.2 sq mi) | 13,823 | 10.25 | |
| Wharfedale Wharfedale (ward) Wharfedale is a ward in the north east of the City of Bradford metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England and is situated in the Upper Wharfedale one of the Yorkshire dales... |
1573 hectares (6.1 sq mi) | 11,126 | 7.07 | |
| Wibsey Wibsey Wibsey is a ward in the Metropolitan Borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. Wibsey is named after Wibsey village which makes up the main part of the ward... |
278 hectares (1.1 sq mi) | 13,447 | 48.35 | |
| Windhill and Wrose Windhill and Wrose Windhill and Wrose is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the districts of Windhill and Wrose around which it is drawn.... |
448 hectares (1.7 sq mi) | 15,244 | 34.03 | |
| Worth Valley Worth Valley Worth Valley is a ward on the western extremity of the Bradford Metropolitan District area. In the north it is bounded by North Yorkshire, in the west by Lancashire and in the south by Calderdale District. It contains the Keighley villages of Oakworth, Oldfield, Haworth, Cross Roads, Oxenhope and... |
5989 hectares (23.1 sq mi) | 15,546 | 2.6 | |
| Wyke Wyke Wyke is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the village of Wyke.... |
867 hectares (3.3 sq mi) | 15,897 | 18.33 |
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Bradford City councilCoat of arms of Bradford
The Coat of arms of Bradford City Council was granted in 1976. The present City of Bradford was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 and is one of five metropolitan boroughs of West Yorkshire...
is based on that of the former City and County Borough Council, with additions to indicate the merger of eleven Yorkshire councils. The boar's head, as in the former city council's crest, refers to the legend of the boar of Cliffe Wood. This was a ferocious wild boar that terrorized the populace and caused much damage to land and property; so much so that the Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
offered a reward for anyone brave enough to slay the boar and bring its head to the Manor House. The mural crown is a frequent symbol of local government, but here also suggests a well head. The stag is derived from the device of the Denholme
Denholme
Denholme is a small town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Bradford, from Keighley and roughly the same distance from Halifax. Administratively, it is part of the Bingley Rural ward of the City of Bradford...
Urban District Council and the arms of the former Borough of Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, but represents the District as a whole. The white angora goat
Angora goat
The Angora goat is a breed of domestic goat that originated in Ankara , Turkey and its surrounding region in central Anatolia...
is retained from the former arms, recalling that the wool of this animal was used in the local industries. The roses on the collars refer to the Yorkshire rose and the compartment resembles the area's hills and dales
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
.
Demographics
As of the 2001 UK censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the City of Bradford had a population of 467,665. Of the 180,246 household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
s in Bradford, 36.5% were married couples living together, 28% were one-person households, 10.8% were lone parents and 8.4% were co-habiting
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
couples, following a similar trend to the rest of England.
The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,290 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,341/sq mi) and for every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. Of those aged 16–74, 24.5% had no academic qualifications, lower than the 28.9% in all of England. 11.8% of Bradford residents were born outside the United Kingdom, higher than the England average of 9.2%.
In 2006, it was estimated that 74.9% of the city's population was White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
(72.2% White British
White British
White British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
, 0.7% White Irish and 2.1% as Other White), 2.9% Mixed Race, 20.5% Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
or Asian British, 1.6% Black
Black British
Black British is a term used to describe British people of Black African descent, especially those of Afro-Caribbean background. The term has been used from the 1950s to refer to Black people from former British colonies in the West Indies and Africa, who are residents of the United Kingdom and...
and 0.6% from other races. 16.8% of the population are of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n origin, representing the second highest proportion in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
outside London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in terms of both population (behind Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
) and percentage (behind Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...
). Nearly half of all Asians living in Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
live in Bradford, with one district, Frizinghall, having the highest concentration of Pakistanis in England and Wales, making up 73% of the local population. Accordingly, 60.14 of the population of the city identified themselves as Christian in the 2001 census, 16.08 were Muslim, 1.02% Sikhs
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
, 0.95% Hindus
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and 13.3% were identified as having no religion. The percentage of Jews
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Buddhists
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and those following other religions each amounted to fewer than 0.5% of the city's population.
The ONS Regional Trends report, published in June 2009, showed that most of the urban core and 41% of the district as a whole were among the most deprived in the country, it also showed that 11% of the district as a whole were among the least deprived in the country. Bradford has one of the highest unemployment rates in England, with the economic inactivity rates of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups standing at over 50% of the working age population.
The crime rate in Bradford is significantly higher than the national average, but lower than that of similar cities such as Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
or Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
. In July 2006, the think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
Reform
Reform (think tank)
Reform is a British centre-right, liberal, think tank based in London, whose declared mission is to set out a better way to deliver public services and economic prosperity via private sector involvement and market de-regulation. Reform describes itself as independent and non-partisan...
calculated rates of crime for different offences, relating this to populations of major urban areas (defined as towns over 100,000 population). The study ranked Bradford as the second most dangerous city in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
with 98.3 serious offences per 1,000 population, behind Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. The city was shown to have the highest level of gun violence
Gun violence
Gun violence defined literally means the use of a firearm to threaten or inflict violence or harm. Gun violence may be broadly defined as a category of violence and crime committed with the use of a firearm; it may or may not include actions ruled as self-defense, actions for law enforcement, or...
in the country with 12.53 crimes per 10,000 residents, followed by Leeds (12.45) and Northampton (10.24), and was amongst the top 5 for incidents of burglary, rape, assault and vehicle crime.
Tourism
The Bradford District contains some of the most visited ‘hotspots’ in the UK and the numbers descending on them are increasing every year.Brontë Country
Brontë Country
The Brontë Country is a name given to an area of south Pennine hills west of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The name comes from the Brontë sisters, who wrote such literary classics as Jane Eyre , Wuthering Heights , and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall while living in the area.The geology of the...
is an area to the west of Bradford which includes the town of Haworth
Haworth
Haworth is a rural village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is located amongst the Pennines, southwest of Keighley and west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope...
and the village of Thornton, the birth place of the Brontë sisters.
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a long branch line that served mills and villages in the Worth Valley and is now a heritage railway line in West Yorkshire, England. It runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the national rail network line at Keighley railway station...
, Ilkley’s Cow and Calf Rocks, Bradford’s National Media Museum, Cartwright Hall
Cartwright Hall
Cartwright Hall is the civic art gallery in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, situated about a mile from the city centre in the Manningham district....
, Little Germany
Little Germany, Bradford
Little Germany, Bradford is an area of particular historical and architectural interest in central Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.- History and information :The buildings within Little Germany date back to the 19th century....
, Saltaire
Saltaire
Saltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
village (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Salts Mill
Salts Mill
Salt's Mill is an art gallery, shopping and restaurant complex located in Saltaire, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is inside a former mill, built by Sir Titus Salt. The 1853 gallery takes its name from the date of the building in which it is housed...
are key attractions that draw visitors from across the globe.
The City of Bradford has also become the first UNESCO City of Film
City of Film
A City of Film is a city that has joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as notable in filmmaking. On June 11, 2009, Bradford, England, United Kingdom, was named the first City of Film....
.
Annual events such as the Bradford Mela, Bingley Music Live
Bingley Music Live
Bingley Music Live is an annual music festival held in Myrtle Park, Bingley, West Yorkshire, England. The festival features a range of musical genres including rock, alternative rock, indie rock and pop music...
, Ilkley Literature Festival
Ilkley Literature Festival
The Ilkley Literature Festival is the north of England's oldest and largest literature festival.-Introduction:The Ilkley Literature Festival is an annual event in the spa town of Ilkley and has become one of the UK's top arts festivals...
, Haworth’s 1940s weekend, Saltaire Festival
Saltaire Festival
The Saltaire Festival occurs each September in the village of Saltaire, Bradford, West Yorkshire.The Festival was founded in 2003 to celebrate 200 years since the birth of Titus Salt and the 150 year anniversary since he created Saltaire...
and special Christmas events take place across the district.
The value of tourism to the district’s economy stands at more than £500 million a year, with an estimated 8.6 million day trips within the district. The impact of this is more than 13,500 jobs supported by the tourism and retail sector.
Economy
The economy of Bradford is worth around £7 billion, contributing around 8.4% of the region'sYorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
output, and making the district the third largest after Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in Yorkshire & Humber. Traditionally based on the wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industries, manufacturing is still strong, accounting for around 1 in 5 jobs. The city’s service-sector economy accounts for 77% of the district's 195,000 jobs, with today's fastest-growing sectors including information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, financial services
Financial services
Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...
, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
headquarters and distribution. The district is home to a number of large businesses with recognised brands operating on a national and international scale such as Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, Pace Plc and Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
. Three of the UK’s biggest financial institutions are based in Bradford: Yorkshire Building Society
Yorkshire Building Society
The Yorkshire Building Society is the second largest building society in the UK, with its headquarters in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Assets now exceed £20 billion....
, Bradford & Bingley Building Society and Provident Financial
Provident Financial
Provident Financial plc is a financial services group based in Bradford, UK. It specialises in Home Collected Credit and also owns Vanquis which offers credit cards...
. It is also home to nationally outstanding cultural businesses, a strong group of new media companies, and a significant national institution in the National Media Museum. Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is worth over £400 million to the local economy, and employs over 10,000 people. Bradford’s exports are worth almost £700 million.
The city’s working-age population has risen by 3.3% since 2000—faster than any UK city outside London, whilst the population of the city itself is growing by twice the national average. Bradford has a younger age profile than the Yorkshire & Humber regional average and the national average, with the younger age groups forming a greater proportion of the population in comparison. Bradford has been named by research group OMIS as one of the top six cities in the UK equipped for future growth, and the CBI
CBI
- Places and installations :* Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, Canada* Center for Biomedical Imaging, a research facility of Boston University Medical Center* Central Bukidnon Institute, a secondary school in the Philippines...
reports that business confidence is higher in Bradford than in the UK as a whole, whilst £1.5 billion of construction work is transforming Bradford in a bid to attract further investment.
As of the 2001 UK census, Bradford had 326,774 residents aged 16 to 74. 2.5% of these people were students with jobs, 7.6% looking after home or family, 6.1% permanently sick or disabled and 4.5% economically inactive for other reasons. The City of Bradford has a lower economic activity rate than West Yorkshire, the regional average for Yorkshire and the Humber and the national average. Conversely Bradford has a higher economic inactivity rate than all these areas and also has a lower employment rate.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
is still strong in Bradford and accounts for almost 12% of all jobs, and the city’s service-sector economy accounts for 82% of the district's 192,000 jobs. The entrepreneurial spirit is more present in Bradford than generally in the UK, with start-ups accounting for 12% of the business community.
Bradford’s GVA
Gross value added
Gross Value Added ' is a measure in economics of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy...
is over £6 billion.
Education
Education in the city is provided for by a number of schools and colleges. State schooling is managed by Bradford local education authorityLocal Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
. There are also a number of independent (private) schools, such as Bradford Grammar School
Bradford Grammar School
Bradford Grammar School is a co-educational, independent school in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire. Headmaster, Stephen Davidson is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference . The school was founded in 1548 and granted its Charter by King Charles II in 1662...
and Bradford Girls' Grammar School
Bradford Girls' Grammar School
Founded in 1857, Bradford Girls' Grammar School is an independent senior school for girls aged 11 – 18 with co-educational preparatory school and nursery, called Lady Royd Preparatory School for boys and girls aged 2 – 11 years....
. Bradford College and the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
are the main further and higher education providers.
Transport
Public transport in Bradford is co-ordinated by MetroWest Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
. Most local train services are run by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
, with longer-distance routes served by Grand Central and National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
.
Shipley railway station
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
is the hub of the district's railway network, which is served by four lines.
The Wharfedale line
Wharfedale Line
The Wharfedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Rail. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3 - 5...
connects Shipley
Shipley railway station
Shipley railway station serves the town of Shipley in West Yorkshire, England.Train services are mostly commuter services between Leeds and Bradford, the Airedale Line , and the Wharfedale Line...
with Ilkley
Ilkley railway station
Ilkley railway station is a railway station in Ilkley, in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, who also manage the station.-Services:...
, Ben Rhydding
Ben Rhydding railway station
Ben Rhydding railway station is a railway station in Ben Rhydding, situated a mile to the east of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line between Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford Forster Square, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, who also manage the...
, Burley-in-Wharfedale
Burley-in-Wharfedale railway station
Burley-in-Wharfedale railway station is a railway station in Burley-in-Wharfedale, in the City of Bradford metropolitan district, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line between Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford Forster Square, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, who...
, Menston
Menston railway station
Menston railway station is a railway station in Menston, in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line between Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford Forster Square, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, who also manage the station.-Services:During Monday to...
and Baildon
Baildon railway station
Baildon railway station serves the town of Baildon near Shipley in West Yorkshire, England. The station re-opened on 5 January 1973, having been closed for exactly 20 years, and is north of Bradford Forster Square on the Wharfedale Line...
railway stations to the north, and Frizinghall
Frizinghall railway station
Frizinghall railway station is situated in the Frizinghall district of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The station, an unstaffed halt north of Bradford Forster Square is on the Airedale Line, and all trains serving it are operated by Northern Rail....
and Bradford Forster Square
Bradford Forster Square railway station
Bradford Forster Square station is a railway station in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The majority of services to/from the station use Class 333 electrified trains operated by Northern Rail, on the Airedale Line to Skipton, the Wharfedale Line to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford Line to Leeds.The...
stations to the south. The Airedale Line
Airedale Line
The Airedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton in the North of England. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle...
connects the stations at Steeton and Silsden
Steeton and Silsden railway station
Steeton and Silsden railway station serves the village of Steeton and the town of Silsden in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated closer to Steeton than to Silsden, and is on the Airedale Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail. Steeton & Silsden closed on...
, Keighley
Keighley railway station
Keighley railway station serves the town of Keighley in West Yorkshire, England.First opened in March 1847 by the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway , the station is located on the Airedale Line north west of Leeds. It is managed by Northern Rail, who operate most of the passenger trains...
, Crossflatts
Crossflatts railway station
Crossflatts railway station serves the Crossflatts area of Bingley, north of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Airedale Line, north west of Leeds and north west of Bradford Forster Square. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail.The...
, Bingley
Bingley railway station
Bingley railway station serves the town of Bingley in West Yorkshire, England, and is away from Leeds and away from Bradford Forster Square on the Airedale Line operated by Northern Rail.-History:...
, and Saltaire
Saltaire railway station
Saltaire railway station serves the village of Saltaire near Shipley in West Yorkshire, England.-History:The original station was opened in May 1856 by the Midland Railway, which had absorbed the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway between Shipley and Colne in 1851...
with Shipley
Shipley railway station
Shipley railway station serves the town of Shipley in West Yorkshire, England.Train services are mostly commuter services between Leeds and Bradford, the Airedale Line , and the Wharfedale Line...
, continuing to either Frizinghall
Frizinghall railway station
Frizinghall railway station is situated in the Frizinghall district of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The station, an unstaffed halt north of Bradford Forster Square is on the Airedale Line, and all trains serving it are operated by Northern Rail....
and Bradford Forster Square
Bradford Forster Square railway station
Bradford Forster Square station is a railway station in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The majority of services to/from the station use Class 333 electrified trains operated by Northern Rail, on the Airedale Line to Skipton, the Wharfedale Line to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford Line to Leeds.The...
or to Leeds to the east of the district. Both Bradford Forster Square
Bradford Forster Square railway station
Bradford Forster Square station is a railway station in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The majority of services to/from the station use Class 333 electrified trains operated by Northern Rail, on the Airedale Line to Skipton, the Wharfedale Line to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford Line to Leeds.The...
and nearby Bradford Interchange
Bradford Interchange railway station
Bradford Interchange is a combined railway, coach and bus station in Bradford, England. Designed in 1962 and hailed as a showpiece of European design, the building was opened in 1971.-Bus station:...
stations are served by the Leeds-Bradford line routes. Bradford Interchange
Bradford Interchange railway station
Bradford Interchange is a combined railway, coach and bus station in Bradford, England. Designed in 1962 and hailed as a showpiece of European design, the building was opened in 1971.-Bus station:...
, via the Caldervale Line
Caldervale Line
The Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...
, also connects to stations to the south and west.
There are bus stations in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
and Shipley
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
. The majority of services are provided by First Bradford
First Bradford
First Bradford is one of the bus companies serving the area of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of FirstGroup. The company operates the majority of services in the Bradford area, covered by Metro, a public body responsible for helping to co-ordinate public transport services in the West...
and Transdev Keighley & District
Keighley & District
Keighley & District is a bus company based in Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Blazefield Group which is itself owned by the international transport company Transdev....
.
The M606
M606 motorway
The M606 Bradford Spur motorway in England leaves the M62 motorway at junction 26, near Cleckheaton, and heads into Bradford, to join the A6177 Bradford Ring Road...
, a spur off the M62 motorway
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
, connects the district with the national motorway network. The M606
M606 motorway
The M606 Bradford Spur motorway in England leaves the M62 motorway at junction 26, near Cleckheaton, and heads into Bradford, to join the A6177 Bradford Ring Road...
was originally laid out to reach the centre of Bradford and beyond, but connects instead to the A6177
A6177 road
The A6177 is a ring road around Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is mostly formed from existing roads and save for its southern section is single-carriageway.-Route Description:...
Bradford outer ring road, making the motorway one of the shortest in the country at less than three miles (5 km) long. Another motorway was planned in the 1970s, envisaging a link between Bradford, the Aire valley in the north of the district and the M65
M65 motorway
The M65 is a motorway in Lancashire, England. It runs from just south of Preston through the major junction of the M6 and M61 motorways, east past Darwen, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and ends at Colne.-History:...
at Colne, roughly mirroring the existing A650 road. It has since been upgraded to dual carriageway along much of its length, bypassing the towns of Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
and Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
. The A658 road passes through a tunnel underneath the main Leeds-Bradford airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
runway as it heads north-east from Bradford to Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
.
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
itself is located in Yeadon
Yeadon, West Yorkshire
Yeadon is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. It is home to Leeds Bradford International Airport.-History:...
, about 10 miles (16.1 km) to the north-east of the city centre, and has both charter and scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and the USA. There are connections to the rest of the world via London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
There are also navigable waterways that run through the district. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
passes through numerous towns and villages in the borough, with the Grade I listed Five Rise Locks
Bingley Five Rise Locks
Bingley Five Rise Locks is a staircase lock on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Bingley . As the name implies, a boat going up the lock is lifted in five stages.-Description:...
at Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
generally considered to be one of the finest
feats of canal engineering in the country. There are also proposals to restore and re-open the Bradford Canal
Bradford Canal
The Bradford Canal was a English canal which ran from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Shipley into the centre of Bradford. It opened in 1774, and was closed in 1866, when it was declared to be a public health hazard. Four years later it reopened with a better water supply, and closed for the...
, which closed in 1922, as part of a wider regeneration of the city.
Twin towns
The City of Bradford, and the various towns and villages that make up the Metropolitan District, have Twin Town and Sister City Friendship Agreements with a number of communities throughout the world. Each was originally twinned with a place within the City of Bradford prior to its creation in 1974.| Country | lace | ounty / District / Region / State | riginally twinned with | ate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
Verviers Verviers Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. The Verviers municipality includes the old communes of Ensival, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Heusy... |
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Liège Liège (province) Liège is the easternmost province of Belgium and belongs to the Walloon Region. It is an area of French and German ethnicity. It borders on the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and in Belgium the provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, Walloon Brabant , and those of Flemish Brabant and Limburg . Its... |
Bradford | 1970 |
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France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Coutances Coutances Coutances is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town took the name of Constantia in 298 during the reign of Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus... |
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Manche Manche Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790... |
Ilkley | 1969 |
| |
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Eppeville Eppeville Eppeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Eppeville is situated on the D932 road, on the banks of the river Somme, some southwest of Saint Quentin.-Population:-External links:*... |
Somme Somme Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France.... |
Wilsden | 1982 | |
| |
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Poix-du-Nord Poix-du-Nord -References:*... |
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Nord | Keighley | 1919 |
| |
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Roubaix Roubaix Roubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:... |
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Nord | Bradford | 1969 |
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Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Hamm Hamm Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway... |
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North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the... |
Shipley | 1976 |
| |
Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.... |
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North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the... |
Bradford | 1971 |
 |
Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... |
Galway Galway Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the... |
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Connacht Connacht Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for... |
Bradford | 1987 |
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Republic of Macedonia Republic of Macedonia Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991... |
Skopje Skopje Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre... |
Skopje Skopje statistical region The Skopje Statistical Region is one of eight arbitrary statistical regions in the Republic of Macedonia. Skopje, located in northern Macedonia, borders Kosovo to the north... |
Bradford | 1963 | |
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Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... |
Mirpur |  |
Azad Kashmir Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir... |
Bradford | 1998 |
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Peru Peru Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.... |
Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for... |
Cusco Cusco Region Cusco is a region in Peru. It is bordered by the Ucayali Region on the north; the Madre de Dios and Puno regions on the east; the Arequipa Region on the south; and the Apurímac, Ayacucho and Junín regions on the west... |
Haworth | 2005 | |
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USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Haworth Haworth, New Jersey Haworth is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,382.Haworth was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 24, 1904, from portions of both Dumont and Harrington Townships.-Geography:Haworth is... |
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New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... |
Haworth | 2004 |
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USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the... |
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South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... |
Keighley | 1993 |
External links
- City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
- Key Statistics (PDF 1.2 MB) from the 2001 census
- Official Statistics (PDF 1.8 MB) (hint: search for 'Bradford' for pertinent figures)
- Visit Bradford website for visitor information. The site is managed by Bradford Metropolitan District Council