West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
Metropolitan and Ceremonial county
	Aspley Basin on the Broad Canal (Huddersfield), the Piece Hall (Halifax) and Ilkley Moor (near Ilkley)
	West Yorkshire within England
	Coordinates: 53°45′N 1°40′W / 53.750°N 1.667°W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Established	1 April 1974
Preceded by	West Riding of Yorkshire
Origin	Local Government Act 1972
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Members of Parliament	List of MPs
Police	West Yorkshire Police
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant	Edmund Anderson
High Sheriff	Jonathan Thornton (2020–21)
Mayor	Tracy Brabin
Area	2,029 km2 (783 sq mi)
• Ranked	29th of 48
Population (2022)	2,320,214
• Ranked	4th of 48
Density	1,143/km2 (2,960/sq mi)
Ethnicity	76.6% White; 15.9% S. Asian; 3.1% Black; 2.8% Mixed; 1.7% Other;
Metropolitan county
Government	• Type; Combined authority; • Body; West Yorkshire Combined Authority; • Mayor; Tracy Brabin (L)
Admin HQ	Leeds
ONS code	2F
GSS code	E11000006
ITL	UKE4
Website	www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk
Districts
	; Districts of West Yorkshire; Metropolitan districts
Districts	Leeds; Wakefield; Kirklees; Calderdale; Bradford;

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire to the south, Greater Manchester to the south-west, and Lancashire to the west. The city of Leeds is the largest settlement.

The county, established in 1974, has an area of 2,029 km² (783 sq mi) and a population of 2.3 million, making it the fourth-largest ceremonial county by population. Large parts of West Yorkshire are urban; many settlements are part of the West Yorkshire built-up area, which has a population of 1.78 million. The largest settlements are Leeds (516,298), Bradford (366,187), Huddersfield (162,949), and Wakefield (109,766). The west of the county is more rural. The county is governed by five metropolitan boroughs: City of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, City of Leeds and City of Wakefield, which collaborate through West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The western part of West Yorkshire is in the South Pennines, and contains a small part of the Peak District National Park. It is characterised by steep valleys and is the source of the River Calder, which flows past Wakefield before meeting the Aire, which flows through Leeds, near Castleford. The landscape becomes flatter in the east, and the county boundary is on the edge of the Vale of York.

Remnants of strong coal, wool and iron ore industries remain in the county, having attracted people over the centuries, and this can be seen in the buildings and architecture. Several railways and the M1, M621, M606, A1(M) and M62 motorways traverse the county.

^ "No. 62943". The London Gazette. 13 March 2020. p. 5161.
^ "West Yorkshire Demographics | Age, Ethnicity, Religion, Wellbeing". Varbes. Retrieved 10 February 2023.

[1] "No. 62943". The London Gazette. 13 March 2020. p. 5161.

[2] "West Yorkshire Demographics | Age, Ethnicity, Religion, Wellbeing". Varbes. Retrieved 10 February 2023.

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