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Garforth
*** Shopping-Tip: Garforth
Modern Garforth
'''Garforth''' is a mildly affluent town at the eastern edge of the metropolitan '''
City of Leeds,'''
West Yorkshire, around 7 miles from the city centre. Technically separate from Leeds - there are smaller towns and green spaces between the two, Garforth does have some elements of
suburb or dormer town in terms of its relationship with the city to the west. Crime and unemployment are lower than average for Leeds, and the secondary school has been highly thought of at times, so Garforth has been seen as quite a decent, if slightly sleepy, place to live.
The 2001
Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for '''
Leeds.''' Garforth itself has around 15,000 of those people, and is the largest centre of population in the parliamentary constituency of '''
Elmet.'''
It owes its size to expansion in the 17th and 18th centuries during which the local land-owning Gascoigne family ran several coalmines in the area. The surrounding settlements of '''Micklefield''',
Kippax, West Yorkshire Kippax,
Swillington,
Methley and
Allerton Bywater are all villages that prospered and grew as a result of the coal industry. Nowadays manufacturing and motor-vehicle repair account for more than a third of the work force in the area.
More recent expansion can also be traced to a combination of overall economic success in Leeds, and the fact that Garforth is well served by transport links. The
A1 road (Britain) A1 and
M1 motorway (England) M1 are minutes away, and have been recently linked by a large road which passes close to the west of the town. There are''' two''' railway stations, '''Garforth''' and '''East Garforth''', both on the mainline route between
Leeds and
York. Effectively, people can commute to, or visit, a wide variety of destinations quite easily, and still live in a self-contained town surrounded by green.
In terms of sport, Garforth folk tend to follow either
rugby league or
association football football (soccer). Although rugby is the traditional sport of the area, it’s fair to say that football is increasingly popular in Garforth, especially with younger people.
Rugby loyalties are split between the
Leeds Rhinos and the
Castleford Tigers, historically big clubs that are nearby. Sadly for them, the latter were relegated from the
Super League in
2004, whilst Leeds Rhinos won the
Super League in
2004 and the
World Club Challenge in
2005.
As for
soccer football (Association) supporters, you will find a majority of
Leeds United F.C. fans, as well sizeable followings for other big English clubs. Many people were surprised to see Brazilian football legend
Sócrates playing for non-league
Garforth Town AFC at the end of 2004.
Category:Leeds environs
Category:Towns in West Yorkshire
no:Garforth
sv:Garforth
Garforth Community College
Garforth Community College is located on Lidgett Lane in Garforth.
*** Shopping-Tip: Garforth
