city of Bradford

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 of Bradford 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.

File:The Brontë Sisters by Patrick Branwell Brontë restored.jpg, Emily, and Charlotte Brontë, by their brother Branwell (c. 1834).]]

The Brontë sisters, Emily, Anne, and Charlotte were born along with their brother Branwell at 74 Market Street in Thornton, now in Bradford, before moving to the parsonage at Haworth in the heart of West Yorkshire's Brontë Country where they wrote a range of classics of English literature including "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre".

The city played an important part in the early history of the Labour Party. A mural on the back end of Bradford Playhouse in Little Germany commemorates the centenary of the founding of the Independent Labour Party in Bradford in 1893.{{cite web |url=http://www.independentlabour.org.uk/main/2011/11/03/ilp-history-beginnings-in-bradford/ |title=ILP History: Beginnings in Bradford – ILP |publisher=Independentlabour.org.uk |date=3 November 2011 |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328015305/http://www.independentlabour.org.uk/main/2011/11/03/ilp-history-beginnings-in-bradford/ |archive-date=28 March 2015 }}

The Bradford Pals were three First World War Pals battalions of Kitchener's Army raised in the city. When the three battalions were taken over by the British Army they were officially named the 16th, 18th and 20th Battalions, The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment.

File:Bradford Cathedral (17309867756).jpg, one of the oldest churches in Bradford and its main cathedral]]

On the morning of 1 July 1916, an estimated 1,394 young men from Bradford and District The Bradford Pals, the 16th and 18th Battalions of the Prince of Wales Own West Yorkshire Regiment left their trenches in Northern France to advance across No Man's Land. It was the first hour of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Of the estimated 1,394 men who left the trenches 1,094 were either killed or injured during the ill-fated attack on the village of Serre.{{cite web|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/tahistory/featuresnostalgiapasttimes/11864363.Badges_tribute_to_Pals_and_City_fans_who_joined_up_and_died_together_in_World_War_One/|title=Badges tribute to Pals and City fans who joined up and died together in World War One|date=18 March 2015 |access-date=25 July 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304101443/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/tahistory/featuresnostalgiapasttimes/11864363.Badges_tribute_to_Pals_and_City_fans_who_joined_up_and_died_together_in_World_War_One/|archive-date=4 March 2016}}

Other Bradford Battalions involved in the Battle of the Somme were 1st/6th Territorial Battalion of The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment, based at Belle Vue barracks in Manningham and the 10th Battalion of The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment.{{cite web|url=http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/westyorkshireregiment6.php |title=6th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own ) in The Great War 1914–1918 |publisher=The Wartime Memories Project |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102095857/http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/westyorkshireregiment6.php |archive-date=2 November 2013 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/regts/w_yorks.htm |title=Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) |publisher=Warpath.orbat.com |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030912211414/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/regts/w_yorks.htm |archive-date=12 September 2003 }} The 1st/6th Territorial Battalion of The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment first saw action in 1915 at Neuve Chapelle before moving north to Yser Canal near Ypres.

The 10th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment was involved in the attack on Fricourt, the 10th West Yorks suffered the highest casualty rate of any battalion on the Somme on 1 July and perhaps the highest battalion casualty list for a single day during the entire war. Nearly 60% of the battalion's casualties were deaths.

In 1919 the Diocese of Bradford was founded, the Church of Saint Peter was then elevated to cathedral status.

File:Nationalmediamuseum 02dec2006.jpg

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).

The National Science and Media Museum (formerly the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television) was established in the city in 1983. One of the first cinema shows outside London took place on the site where the museum now stands, in a music hall known as the People's Palace.{{cite web |url=http://bradford-city-of-film.co.uk/ |title=Bradford City of Film |publisher=Bradford City of Film |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20131209065024/http://bradford-city-of-film.co.uk/ |archive-date=9 December 2013 }} Today, the National Science and Media Museum hosts the annual Widescreen Weekend film festival.{{cite web |url=https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/whats-on/widescreen-weekend |title=Widescreen Weekend |publisher=National Science and Media Museum |access-date=18 May 2018 }}

With a large influx of South Asian immigrants and the Bradford Council's pursuit of a policy of multiculturalism in the 1980s, separatism between ethnic communities became an issue, an issue highlighted by Bradford headteacher Ray Honeyford. In 1989, a section of the Muslim community led a campaign against Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, and caught the attention of the international media by publicly burning a copy of the book.Goodhart, David. The British Dream. Atlantic Books, London (2013): p. 157{{cite news|title=What happened to the book burners?|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7883308.stm/|access-date=27 October 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=13 February 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219022930/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7883308.stm|archive-date=19 February 2009}} In July 2001, ethnic tensions led to rioting. The Ouseley Report, written shortly before the riots broke out, noted that Bradford had become deeply divided by segregated schooling, with communities deeply ignorant of each other, and there was widespread fear of crime and violence which West Yorkshire Police had insufficiently tackled for fear of being branded racist.{{cite news|title=Death of former head teacher Ray Honeyford sparks schooling debate|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/9525569.Death_of_former_head_teacher_Ray_Honeyford_sparks_schooling_debate/|access-date=26 October 2013|newspaper=Telegraph & Argus|date=11 February 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193441/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/9525569.Death_of_former_head_teacher_Ray_Honeyford_sparks_schooling_debate/|archive-date=29 October 2013}}{{cite news|title=Blueprint for 'divided' Bradford|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1435390.stm|access-date=27 October 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=12 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225015112/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1435390.stm|archive-date=25 February 2007}}

In one case, a Bradford man whose car was set on fire following his conversion complained to police, but the officer advised him to "stop being a crusader and move to another place."{{citation | last1 = Miller| first1 = Duane Alexander| title = Living among the Breakage: Contextual Theology-Making and Ex-Muslim Christians | publisher = Ph.D. Thesis, School of Divinity, University of Edingburg| place = Edinburg, UK | year = 2014}}, page 60, see the footnote

In response to the Ouseley Report, approximately £3 million was provided by the Home Office and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to regenerate the city.Community Cohesion in Crisis: New Dimensions of Diversity and Difference ed. John Flint, David Robinson. The Policy Press (2008): p. 42 A further £2 billion was invested in regenerating the city centre, building a banqueting hall, new housing, and leisure facilities.Flint & Robinson (2008): p. 43

File:Saltaire Salts Mill 1.jpg]]

In December 2001, Saltaire was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This means that the government has a duty to protect the site. The buildings belonging to the model village are individually listed, with the highest level of protection given to the Congregational church (since 1972 known as the United Reformed Church) which is listed as Grade I. The village which includes Salts Mill (pictured right) has survived remarkably complete with Roberts Park on the north side of the river recently restored by Bradford Council.{{cite web |url=http://www.saltairevillage.info/ |title=Saltaire World Heritage Site |publisher=Saltairevillage.info |date=1 January 2004 |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204214148/http://www.saltairevillage.info/ |archive-date=4 December 2013 }}

In October 2007, Bradford was voted the greenest city in the United Kingdom.{{cite news|last=Meneaud|first=Marc|title=City tops green list|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/1775015.City_tops_green_list/|access-date=24 October 2012|newspaper=Bradford Telegraph & Argus|date=20 October 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611231600/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/1775015.City_tops_green_list/|archive-date=11 June 2013}} In the Sustainable Cities Index, compiled by Forum for the Future, the city was revealed to have the lowest environmental impact of any British city.{{cite book|title=the sustainablecities index|year=2007|publisher=Forum for the Future|location=UK|url=http://www.forumforthefuture.org/sites/default/files/images/Forum/Projects/Sustainable_Cities_Index/sustainablecities07.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603001446/http://www.forumforthefuture.org/sites/default/files/images/Forum/Projects/Sustainable_Cities_Index/sustainablecities07.pdf|archive-date=3 June 2013|access-date=15 December 2018}} In spite of its undeniably large role in the Industrial Revolution, Bradford's rivers were not polluted beyond redemption, and the streams surrounding the city are now a haven of wildlife.{{cite news|title=And the winner of the award for the greenest city in Britain is ... Bradford|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/oct/20/communities|access-date=24 October 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=20 October 2007|first1=Alison |last1=Benjamin|first2=Martin |last2=Wainwright|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005212731/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/oct/20/communities|archive-date=5 October 2014}} The City of Bradford has areas of green space, and recycling schemes.{{cite web|url=http://www.hippyshopper.com/2007/10/bradford_voted.html|title=Bradford – greenest city|publisher=hippy shopper|access-date=3 November 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230080248/http://www.hippyshopper.com/2007/10/bradford_voted.html|archive-date=30 December 2010}}

Bradford became the world's first UNESCO City of Film in 2009. The designation recognises Bradford's aim to use this history and the local popularity and accessibility of film as a major tool for regeneration, cultural development and social inclusion.{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org.uk/bradford,_unesco_city_of_film |title=UK National Commission for UNESCO :: Bradford, UNESCO City of Film |publisher=Unesco.org.uk |date=30 September 2013 |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214072845/http://www.unesco.org.uk/bradford%2C_unesco_city_of_film |archive-date=14 December 2013 }}

The cinema connections in the city (which is also the home of the National Science and Media Museum) are both historical and contemporary, with ongoing efforts to preserve, promote, and enrich the city's heritage of film. Bradford has been a film location since the beginning of cinema, with its indigenous film industry being traced back to the years around the First World War. By then the residents of Bradford had already witnessed important contributions to cinema development, such as the invention of the Cieroscope in Manningham in 1896.

In April 2021, Little Germany was one of the areas where scenes for the second series of All Creatures Great and Small were being filmed. Some child and adult actors from the theatre school Articulate were to appear in some episodes.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/19218727.bradford-youngsters-join-new-face-creatures-great-small/|title=Bradford youngsters join new face in All Creatures Great and Small|website=Telegraph and Argus|date=10 April 2021 |access-date=11 April 2021}}

The City of Bradford is situated on the edge of the Pennines, and is bounded to the east by the City of Leeds, the south by the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, and the southwest by the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale. The Lancashire Borough of Pendle lies to the west, whilst North Yorkshire districts 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 {{convert|402|m|ft|abbr=on}} 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.{{cite web|title=Key Figures for Physical Environment –Area: Bradford (Local Authority)|work=Neighbourhood Statistics|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=276807&c=bradford&d=13&e=8&g=379385&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1260316584812&enc=1|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=17 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613084754/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=276807&c=bradford&d=13&e=8&g=379385&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1260316584812&enc=1|archive-date=13 June 2011}}

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.

While most of Bradford is unparished, there are parish and town councils for most of the outlying towns and villages in the District. From 2009, the parishes are:

{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|

• Addingham
• Baildon
• Burley
• Clayton
• Cullingworth
• Denholme
• Harden
• Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury
• Ilkley
• Keighley
• Menston
• Oxenhope
• Sandy Lane
• Silsden
• Steeton with Eastburn
• Trident
• Wilsden
• Wrose

}}

File:Bradford City Hall 025.jpg Tower and Flagpole]]

{{update section|date=July 2016}}

The residents of Bradford are represented in the British Parliament by Members of Parliament (MPs) for five separate parliamentary constituencies. Bradford East is represented by Imran Hussain (Labour), Bradford West is represented by Naz Shah (Labour), Bradford South is represented by Judith Cummins (Labour), Shipley is represented by Philip Davies (Conservative), and

Keighley is represented by Robbie Moore (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.{{cite web|url=http://www.cityforpeace.org.uk/htdocs/site12-14.html |title=bradford: city for peace/site12-14 |publisher=Cityforpeace.org.uk |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007214258/http://www.cityforpeace.org.uk/htdocs/site12-14.html |archive-date=7 October 2011 }}

{{main|City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council}}

In 1974, City Of Bradford Metropolitan District Council was created to administer the newly formed metropolitan borough. 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 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 was granted the right on 18 September 1907 to elect a Lord Mayor.{{London Gazette|issue=28065|pages=6575–6575|date=1 October 1907}}

The city is divided into 30 Electoral Wards, each ward electing three Councillors. 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.

{{clear}}

The Metropolitan District is divided into 30 electoral wards.

Between 2020 and 2022 there was a campaign led by Philip Davies and Robbie Moore, the Conservative MPs for Shipley and Keighley, for their constituencies to break away from Bradford. They claimed the council's focus was too much on Bradford urban area, to the detriment of the smaller centres of Bingley, Ilkley, Keighley, and Shipley, which they said suffered a lack of investment and service cuts as well as council tax hikes. The move for independence was criticised by Bradford City Council.{{cite news |url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/18628213.its-time-shipley-keighley-break-away-bradford-council/|title='It's time for Shipley and Keighley to break away from Bradford Council' |work=The Telegraph and Argus|date=5 August 2020|accessdate=17 September 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/19393350.campaign-break-shipley-keighley-constituencies-away-bradford-council-gathers-pace/|title=Campaign to break Shipley and Keighley constituencies away from Bradford Council gathers pace |work=The Telegraph and Argus|date=23 June 2021|accessdate=17 September 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/mp-bids-to-take-keighley-ilkley-and-shipley-out-of-bradford-council-control-3579225|title= Robbie Moore to put plan to take Keighley, Ilkley and Shipley out of Bradford Council control to Parliament|work=Yorkshire Post|date=22 February 2022|accessdate=17 September 2022}} Moore promoted a private member's bill which would have allowed a referendum to be held on the matter, but it did not proceed beyond its second reading in the House of Commons in 2022.{{cite web |title=Local Authority Boundaries (Referendums) Bill |url=https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2922/news |website=UK Parliament |access-date=7 March 2024}}

File:Coat of Arms of Bradford City Council.svg

The coat of arms of Bradford City council is based on that of the former City and County Borough Council, with additions to indicate the merger of eleven Yorkshire councils.{{cite web |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/wriding_ob.html#bradford%20cbc |title=Civic Heraldry Of England And Wales – Yorkshire, West Riding (Obsolete) |publisher=Civicheraldry.co.uk |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414065410/http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/wriding_ob.html#bradford%20cbc |archive-date=14 April 2010 }} 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 terrorised 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 wellhead.{{cite web |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/yorkshire.html |title=Civic Heraldry Of England And Wales – Yorkshire |publisher=Civicheraldry.co.uk |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414064510/http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/yorkshire.html |archive-date=14 April 2010 }} 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 original Bradford Coat of Arms had the Latin words 'LABOR OMNIA VINCIT' below it, meaning Work conquers all.

{{Main|Demographics of Bradford}}

File:Population Density Bradford Metropolitan District Council Area 2011 Census.png

At the 2011 UK census, the City of Bradford had a population of 522,452.{{cite web|url=http://www.bradford.gov.uk/bmdc/government_politics_and_public_administration/2011_census|title=2011 Census results|publisher=Bradford Metropolitan District Council |access-date=25 July 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729183215/http://www.bradford.gov.uk/bmdc/government_politics_and_public_administration/2011_census|archive-date=29 July 2013}} Of the 180,246 households 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/00cx.asp |title=Census 2001 – Profiles – Bradford |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |date=13 February 2003 |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310070009/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/00CX.asp |archive-date=10 March 2010 }}

The population density was {{convert|1,290|/km2|/mi2|disp=preunit|inhabitants |inhabitants|}} 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 the 2021 census, it stated that 61.1% (334,004) of the city's population was White (All White ethnic groups), 2.7% (15,006) (Mixed ethnic groups), 32.1% (175,664) (All Asian ethnic groups), 2% (10,978) (All Black ethnic groups) and 2% (10,760) (all other ethnic groups).{{cite web |title=Ethnic group – Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/1/filter-outputs/d2f0a39a-75b6-4995-b4bd-a5b68ff79027#get-data |access-date=29 November 2022 |website=www.ons.gov.uk}}

The ONS Regional Trends report, published in June 2009, showed that most of the urban core{{cite web |url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4457556.District_s_Haves_and_Have_Nots_revealed/?action=complain&cid=7789328 |title=Bradford one of most deprived cities in region (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus) |publisher=Thetelegraphandargus.co.uk |date=25 June 2009 |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629215710/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4457556.District_s_Haves_and_Have_Nots_revealed/?action=complain&cid=7789328 |archive-date=29 June 2009 }} 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.[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/RegionalTrends/RT41-Article3.pdf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824071641/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/RegionalTrends/RT41-Article3.pdf|date=24 August 2009}} Bradford has one of the highest unemployment rates in England,{{cite web |url=http://showcase.hcaacademy.co.uk/case-study/accent-community-partnerships-bradford.html#background |title=Accent Community Partnerships, Bradford |publisher=Showcase.hcaacademy.co.uk |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510091118/http://showcase.hcaacademy.co.uk/case-study/accent-community-partnerships-bradford.html#background |archive-date=10 May 2017 }} with the economic inactivity rates of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups standing at over 50% of the working age population.{{cite web|url=http://www.westyorkshireeconomicpartnership.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C02E32CD-AF2F-477E-9E57-3E0FE9EF9DD5/0/SEA_District_SummariesJan_2007.pdf |title=Bradford District |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731042835/http://www.westyorkshireeconomicpartnership.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C02E32CD-AF2F-477E-9E57-3E0FE9EF9DD5/0/SEA_District_SummariesJan_2007.pdf |archive-date=31 July 2009 }}[http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/doc/1162085.doc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813211545/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/doc/1162085.doc|date=13 August 2012}}

The crime rate in the City of Bradford is significantly higher than the national average,{{cite web |url=http://www.upmystreet.com/local/crime-in-bradford.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617110755/http://www.upmystreet.com/local/crime-in-bradford.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 June 2009 |title=Bradford Crime Statistics & Policing | Local Crime Rates & Stats |publisher=UpMyStreet |access-date=17 July 2010 }} but lower than that of similar cities such as Manchester{{cite web |url=http://www.upmystreet.com/local/crime-in-manchester.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425154536/http://www.upmystreet.com/local/crime-in-manchester.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 April 2009 |title=Manchester Crime Statistics & Policing | Local Crime Rates & Stats |publisher=UpMyStreet |access-date=31 August 2010 }} or Leeds.

File:Bronte Parsonage Museum.JPG, Haworth}}]]

Brontë Country is an area including Western parts of the city as well as the area to the west. The City of Bradford includes the town of Haworth and the village of Thornton, the birthplace of the Brontë sisters.{{cite web|url=http://www.visitbradford.com/Bronte_Country/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130090158/http://www.visitbradford.com/bronte%5Fcountry/|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 January 2011|title=Discover Bradford District|access-date=25 July 2016}}

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Ilkley's Cow and Calf Rocks, Bradford's National Science and Media Museum, Bradford City Park, Cartwright Hall, Saltaire village (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Salts Mill are key attractions that draw visitors from across the globe.{{cite web|url=http://www.visitbradford.com/saltaire-airedale/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071126092341/http://www.visitbradford.com/saltaire-airedale/|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 November 2007|title=Discover Bradford District|access-date=25 July 2016}}

The City of Bradford has also become the first UNESCO City of Film.{{cite web| url=http://www.bradford-city-of-film.com/shared/cms/interface/view.aspx?id=1| title=Bradford City of Film| access-date=31 July 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708090502/http://www.bradford-city-of-film.com/shared/cms/interface/view.aspx?id=1| archive-date=8 July 2011}}

Annual events such as the Bradford Literature Festival, Bradford Film Festival, [http://www.bradfordfestival.org.uk/ Bradford Festival], 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.{{cite news| last=Mead| first=Helen| title=Why tourism is on the increase in the Bradford district| url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/news_behind/9121256.Why_tourism_is_on_the_increase_in_the_Bradford_district/| access-date=14 September 2011| newspaper=Telegraph & Argus| date=5 July 2011| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111161550/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/news_behind/9121256.Why_tourism_is_on_the_increase_in_the_Bradford_district/| archive-date=11 January 2012}}

File:Ls straight (5)-2.jpg|National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, the world's first UNESCO City of Film

File:Saltaire from Leeds and Liverpool Canal.jpg|Salts Mill in Saltaire, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

File:IlkleyCowandCalfRocks.jpg| Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley

File:Main Street, Haworth, West Yorkshire.jpg| Haworth village centre

{{See also|List of companies based in Bradford}}

The economy of Bradford is worth around £9.5 billion, contributing around 8.4% of the region's output, and making the district the third largest after Leeds and Sheffield in Yorkshire & Humber.{{cite web|url=http://www.leedscityregionatmipim.co.uk/wp-content/themes/MIPIM/images/MIPIM%202013%20Bradford%20Brochure.pdf |title=Bradford a city redefined |access-date=8 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222060604/http://www.leedscityregionatmipim.co.uk/wp-content/themes/MIPIM/images/MIPIM%202013%20Bradford%20Brochure.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2014 }} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.yorkshire-forward.com/our-wonderful-region/our-cities/bradford-the-facts |title=Bradford: the facts and figures |publisher=Yorkshire Forward |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701091618/http://www.yorkshire-forward.com/our-wonderful-region/our-cities/bradford-the-facts |archive-date=1 July 2010 }} 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, Santander Group and Vanquis Banking Group. It is also home to nationally outstanding cultural businesses, a strong group of new media companies, and a significant national institution in the National Science and 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.[http://bradfordeconomy.com/facts_and_figures/people/current_population] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303175945/http://bradfordeconomy.com/facts_and_figures/people/current_population|date=3 March 2009}} 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.

At 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/00cx.asp#work |title=Census 2001 – Profiles – Bradford |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |date=13 February 2003 |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310070009/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/00CX.asp#work |archive-date=10 March 2010 }} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.bradfordinfo.com/census/pdfs/Key_Stats_Initial_Response.pdf |title=First Key Census Statistics for Bradford district |website=www.bradfordinfo.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220124535/http://www.bradfordinfo.com/census/pdfs/Key_Stats_Initial_Response.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2006}}

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.

Education in the city is provided for by a number of schools and colleges. State schooling is managed by Bradford local education authority. There are also a number of independent (private) and free schools, such as Bradford Grammar School, Woodhouse Grove School and Bradford Girls Grammar School. Bradford College and the University of Bradford are the main further and higher education providers.

In terms of television, the area is served by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire both broadcast from nearby Leeds.

The radio stations that broadcast to the area are:{{cite web |url=https://bestradios.co.uk/yorkshire-radio-stations/ |title=Yorkshire Radio Stations|access-date=27 April 2024}}

BBC Local Radio

• BBC Radio Leeds

Independent Local Radio

• Heart Yorkshire
• Capital Yorkshire
• Hits Radio West Yorkshire
• Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire

Community Radio

• Sunrise Radio (for the Asian community)
• BCB 106.6fm
• Drystone Radio (covering Wharfedale)

Local newspapers for the area:

• Telegraph & Argus
• The Yorkshire Post
• Yorkshire Evening Post

Public transport in Bradford is co-ordinated by Metro. Most local train services are run by Northern, with longer-distance services to London King's Cross railway station served by Grand Central from Bradford Interchange and London North Eastern Railway from Bradford Forster Square station.

The Wharfedale line connects direct to Ilkley, Ben Rhydding, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Menston, Guiseley, Baildon, Shipley and Frizinghall railway stations with Bradford Forster Square. The Airedale line connects the stations at Morecambe, Lancaster, Settle, Carlisle, Skipton, Steeton & Silsden, Keighley (change for the Brontë Country and the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway), Crossflatts, Bingley, Saltaire (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Shipley, continuing to either Frizinghall and Bradford Forster Square or to Leeds to the east of the district. Both Bradford Forster Square and the district's major and busiest railway station Bradford Interchange are served by the Leeds–Bradford lines with direct routes to Leeds, Selby, York, Brough and Hull. Bradford Interchange, via the Calder Valley line, also connects direct to stations at Manchester, Halifax, Rochdale, Burnley, Blackburn, Preston, Poulton-le-Fylde, Blackpool, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Doncaster, Chester, Warrington, and London King's Cross.

There are bus stations in Bradford, Ilkley, Keighley and Shipley. The majority of services are provided by First Bradford and Keighley Bus Company.

Leeds Bradford Airport itself is located in Yeadon, about {{convert|10|mi|km}} to the north-east of the city centre, and has both charter and scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus the United States, Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey. There are connections to the rest of the world via London Heathrow, 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.bradford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/07DB2BEE-9BEB-4D78-91D9-66FDFA96A351/0/LeedsLiverpoolCanalMap14.pdf |title=Assessment |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615130748/http://www.bradford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/07DB2BEE-9BEB-4D78-91D9-66FDFA96A351/0/LeedsLiverpoolCanalMap14.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2011 }} 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.[http://www.waterways.org.uk/Restoration/WaterwaysPlannedforRestoration/BradfordCanal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429233452/http://www.waterways.org.uk/Restoration/WaterwaysPlannedforRestoration/BradfordCanal|date=29 April 2009}}

The M606, a spur of 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 {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} 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 be a 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.

{{Excerpt|Bradford Clean Air Zone}}

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 several other communities.{{cite web|author=Bradford Metropolitan District Council |url=http://www.bradford.gov.uk/life_in_the_community/twin_towns_and_villages |title=Bradford Metropolitan District Council | Twin Towns and Villages | Twin Towns and Villages Overview |publisher=Bradford.gov.uk |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628181712/http://www.bradford.gov.uk/life_in_the_community/twin_towns_and_villages |archive-date=28 June 2009 }} Each was originally twinned with a place within the City of Bradford.

• Bradford District Museums & Galleries
• List of people from Bradford
• Grade I listed buildings in City of Bradford
• List of Pals battalions
• Listed buildings in Bradford
• Timeline of Bradford history

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20041202200705/http://www.bradfordinfo.com/ bradfordinfo.com] has a range of statistical and other information about the District, and includes a Geographic information system accessible from [https://web.archive.org/web/20040219215945/http://www.mapsandstats.com/ mapsandstats.com]

{{EB1911 poster|Bradford (Yorkshire)|Bradford}}

• [http://www.bradford.gov.uk/ City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060220124535/http://www.bradfordinfo.com/census/pdfs/Key_Stats_Initial_Response.pdf Key Statistics (PDF 1.2 MB)] from the 2001 census
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090514052941/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_ua_ew_part1.pdf Official Statistics (PDF 1.8 MB)] (hint: search for 'Bradford' for pertinent figures)
• [http://www.visitbradford.com Visit Bradford website] for visitor information. The site is managed by Bradford Metropolitan District Council

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