About Bradford

From a cultural urban centre, to sweeping landscapes and stunning heritage towns – we have something for everyone across approximately 141 square miles, stretching across Airedale, Wharfedale and the Worth Valley. those moving to the area could choose Bradford city and the towns of Bingley, Ilkley, Keighley and Shipley or one of many other communities including Addingham, Baildon, Burley in Wharfedale, Cullingworth, Denholme, Eastburn, Eccleshill, Haworth, Menston, Oxenhope, Queensbury, Silsden, Steeton and Thornton.

Please visit the Visit Bradford website or see some of what we have to offer in these videos:

• Visit Bradford
• Come and visit Bradford!

Find out:

• where the council buildings are
• more about schools
• travelling to Bradford and the Bradford district
• public transport in the region
• things to do in the district

The district

The Bradford Metropolitan District covers an area of approximately 141 square miles, stretching across Airedale, Wharfedale and the Worth Valley as well as Bradford city and the towns of Bingley, Ilkley, Keighley and Shipley. The district's many other communities include Addingham, Baildon, Burley in Wharfedale, Cullingworth, Denholme, Eastburn, Eccleshill, Haworth, Menston, Oxenhope, Queensbury, Silsden, Steeton and Thornton.

Although the Industrial Revolution transformed Bradford from a rural market town to an international trading centre, the ‘wool capital of the world', today over 70% of the district is clean, green, open space.

The city of Bradford is situated on the edge of the West Yorkshire urban conurbation, the wide open spaces of Baildon Moor and Rombalds Moor are close by, the wild Pennine moors around Haworth and the Bronte Country lie immediately to the west, and Ilkley Moor, of ‘baht ‘at' fame, is the gateway to the stunningly beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Bradford District features over 4,000 listed buildings. The impressive Victorian architectural heritage includes City Hall, the hub of the Council with its Italianate clock tower; the Wool Exchange in the heart of the city centre; and the hidden delights of Little Germany close by. One of the finest Victorian Gothic cemeteries in the UK is to be found at Undercliffe, full of obelisks, grand columns and statues of angels, and Manningham Mills and the industrial ‘model village' of Saltaire, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are other reminders of the district's industrial legacy.

The district has a fast growing and dynamic workforce, a high proportion of self-employment and new business start-ups and, unlike many other UK cities, our young population is growing – nearly a quarter are under 16 years of age. In addition, the district is home to the HQs of major companies including Morrisons, Yorkshire Building Society, Provident Financial, Hallmark Cards, Pace, Freeman Grattan Holdings and Yorkshire Water.

For more a detailed overview see Understanding Bradford District.

The city

While that Victorian past is celebrated, Bradford – city and district – is a thriving modern place to live, work and play. With a population of over 528,000 it is the fourth largest metropolitan district and has the eighth largest economy in England, worth over £8.7 billion.

Bradford is located at the centre of the UK, with the M606, a spur off the M62 motorway, connecting it to the national motorway network. It has direct rail connections to London and Leeds Bradford Airport is just six miles from the city centre.

The Council, in partnership with Leeds City Council, has secured a £14.4m investment from Super-Connected Cities funding to enable ultra fast broadband, giving existing local companies greater competitiveness in national and global markets, as well as attracting new companies and bringing additional jobs.

The multi award-winning City Park represents the most significant investment in the continuing regeneration of Bradford. Since it opened in March 2012 this flexible public space has been home to the Mirror Pool, the largest urban water feature in the UK; a beautifully lit fountain light display; and a thunderous 100ft water jet. It also has its own events programme which has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city centre.

A programme of Heritage Streets improvements is currently transforming the city centre to link City Park and the rest of the city centre with the new Broadway shopping centre. The Westfield-built centre opened on 5 November 2015 and is poised to attract an extra 9 million shoppers, create 3,000 new jobs and provide a £500 million boost to the district's economy.

Arts and Culture

Bradford is the world's first UNESCO City of Film, having long been home to the National Science and Media Museum, the country's largest visitor attraction dedicated to photography, broadcast media and the internet.

Bradford has been crowned Curry Capital of Britain for the last five years and Bombay Stores is the UK's largest Asian department store – reflecting the district's rich ethnic mix.

The Alhambra, one of the North's finest theatres, hosts major touring productions and West End shows, while St George's Hall is a highly regarded concert venue.

Art by Bradford-born David Hockney graces the 1853 Gallery at Salts Mill and sits alongside Francisco Goya, William Blake and Andy Warhol at Cartwright Hall. The Impressions Gallery in City Park is one of the leading independent venues in the country for contemporary photography.

Culture and history rub shoulders at Bradford Industrial Museum, the Brontë Parsonage in Haworth, Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley, and nearby East Riddlesden Hall. Bingley's Five-Rise Locks staircase, the most spectacular feature of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and the steam engines of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway offer another look back at the district's industrial past.

The Bradford district was given global prominence by two stages of the Tour de France Grand Départ passing through in July 2014.