Leicester
City and unitary authority area in England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Leicester (/ˈlɛstər/ (
listen) LEST-ər)[4] is a city, unitary authority area, unparished area and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
Leicester
City of Leicester | |
|---|---|
 Leicester landmarks: (clockwise from top-left) Jewry Wall, National Space Centre, Arch of Remembrance, Central Leicester, Curve theatre, Leicester Cathedral and Guildhall, Welford Road Stadium, Leicester Market | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Shown within Leicestershire | |
  Leicester Location within the East Midlands  Leicester Location within the United Kingdom  Leicester Location within Europe | |
| Coordinates: 52°38′04″N 1°07′55″W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Ceremonial county | Leicestershire |
| Founded | AD c. 47 as Ratae Corieltauvorum |
| City status restored | 1919 |
| Administrative headquarters | Leicester Town Hall |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | Leicester City Council |
| • Leadership | Mayor and cabinet |
| • Executive | Labour Party |
| • Lord Mayor | George Cole |
| • City Mayor | Peter Soulsby (Lab) |
| Area | |
| • City | 28.3 sq mi (73.3 km2) |
| • Urban | 87 sq mi (225 km2) |
| • Metro | 290 sq mi (750 km2) |
| Elevation | 205 ft (62.5 m) |
| Population (2021[1]) | |
| • City | 368,600 |
| • Density | 12,000/sq mi (4,500/km2) |
| • Urban | 508,916[2] |
| • Urban density | 5,900/sq mi (2,260/km2) |
| • Metro | 836,484[3] |
| • Metro density | 3,070/sq mi (1,185/km2) |
| • Ethnicity (2021) |
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| Postcode areas | |
| Dialling codes | 0116 |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-LCE |
| ONS code | 00FN (ONS) E06000016 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SK584044 |
| NUTS 3 | UKF21 |
| Primary airport | East Midlands Airport (Outside of Leicester) |
| Councillors | 54 |
| MPs | List of MPs |
| Website | leicester.gov.uk |
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National Forest.[5] It is situated to the north-east of Birmingham and Coventry, south of Nottingham and west of Peterborough.
The population size has increased by 38,800 (
11.8%) from around 329,800 in 2011 to 368,600 in 2021.[6] The associated urban area is also the 11th most populous in England and the 13th most populous in the United Kingdom.[7]
Leicester is at the intersection of two railway lines: the Midland Main Line and the Birmingham to London Stansted Airport line. It is also at the confluence of the M1/M69 motorways and the A6/A46 trunk routes. Leicester is the home to football club Leicester City and rugby club Leicester Tigers.