Wakefield, ENG - Postcode - WF1 5RW

Description of Wakefield

Wakefield, a cathedral city on the banks of the Calder in West Yorkshire, England. In 2011, the city's population was counted at 99,251. The city serves as the seat of government for the City of Wakefield metropolitan district, which was home to an estimated 348,312 people as of the middle of 2019. This makes Wakefield the 21st most populous district in all of England. In addition to being a part of Yorkshire and the Humber, it is also considered to be a component of the West Yorkshire Built-up Area.

Having a cathedral helped it join a small group of other communities in 1888 that were elevated to city status. As the county town for both the West Riding of Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, the city serves as both the administrative center for the county borough and metropolitan borough and the county hall for both counties.

In the Wars of the Roses, the city of Wakefield was the site of the decisive Battle of Wakefield, and later, during the English Civil War, it served as a bastion for the Royalist cause. Wakefield capitalized on its location on the navigable River Calder to develop into an inland port, and it quickly rose to prominence as a market town and wool hub. Wakefield was a commercial hub in the 18th century due to its involvement in the agriculture, mining, and textile industries.

Geographical description of Wakefield

Wakefield sits in the lower Calder Valley, on the eastern side of the Pennines, 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Leeds, and 28 miles (45 km) south-west of York. The city's core may be found on a small hill on the north side of the River Calder, not far from the point where the river is crossed by a stone bridge with nine arches that dates back to the 14th century and a reinforced concrete bridge from the 1930s. There are significant north-south routes to Sheffield, Leeds, and Doncaster, and east-west ones to Huddersfield, Dewsbury, and Pontefract, all meeting there.

Wakefield is located on Carboniferous sandstones and coal measures in the center of the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire coalfield.

As coal mines and traditional manufacturing companies disappeared in the last quarter of the 20th century, Wakefield's economy weakened and unemployment rose. 14.35% of the district's lower super-output regions were among the most deprived 10% of England according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation in 2015.

Growth has been supported by inward investment from European and United Kingdom government funding, which has had an impact on the regeneration of the area, and employment increased by 12 percent between 1998 and 2003 as the economy recovered and enjoyed growth as the economic base of the district was diversified. Though its anticipated decline will continue, manufacturing will remain a significant source of employment, while distribution and the service industries will now rank among the top. 

According to the 2001 census, 33,521 Wakefield residents were working. Twenty-one percent worked in wholesale and retail trade, including auto repair; fourteen and a half percent were employed in manufacturing; eleven percent were employed in the health and social work sector; and six and a half percent worked in transportation, storage, and communication. For the purpose of sub-regional economic development, Wakefield is affiliated with the Leeds City Region Partnership, which serves a portion of the county of Yorkshire.