Garforth
Garforth is a mildly affluent town at the western 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 east. 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 23892 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, 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 and 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, 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 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 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 Socrates playing for non-league Garforth Town AFC [www.garforthtown.com] at the end of 2004 - he was persuaded to visit by manager Simon Clifford, who also runs and international football training organisation [www.icfds.com].