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 / 53.750; -1.667
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)
UK Parliament	List of MPs
Police	West Yorkshire Police
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant	Edmund Anderson
High Sheriff	Adeeba Malik (2024-2025)[1]
Area	2,029 km2 (783 sq mi)
• Rank	29th of 48
Population  (2022)[2]	2,378,148
• Rank	4th of 48
Density	1,172/km2 (3,040/sq mi)
Ethnicity	76.6% White 15.9% Asian 3.1% Black 2.8% Mixed 1.7% Other [3]
Metropolitan county
Government	West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Mayor	Tracy Brabin (L)
Admin HQ	Leeds
GSS code	E11000006 (county) E47000003 (city region)
ITL	TLE4
Website	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.