You know when you're walking through town in a morning and everything is peaceful and calm, then suddenly you read something in a s***** free paper and realise you've had some journalist taking the p*** out of your city?

Well that happened to me today... allow me to fill you in.
If you get a copy of Today's Metro newspaper (August 24 2004) you'll notice as you turn to page 26 a big article aptly named 'I Love (heart) Leeds'.

Not much to worry about I hear you mumble under your breathes but please read the article until you reach the end of the first paragraph...


...got to it yet?

Well allow me to tell you what it says (and I quote):
Written on Page 26 of The Metro 24 August 2004
Leeds has a new life. Its pedestrian area is teeming with bars and street cafes, a new culture more usually associated with the continent than Yorkshires biggest city.
:o WTF?

Yorkshires biggest city my F'ing eye!
Now I don't know what information this journalist has based this farcicle information on, but I'm sure when I last checked Sheffield was Yorkshires biggest city? Otherwise Leeds would be the 4th largest city in England yes?

Am I wrong or am I right? Can we get proof somewhere and order those numbskulls to retract their claim.
OK Sheffield may be the land that time forgot, but

Got to agree with you there - as usual Sheffield just seems to have been forgotten about. Leeds always seems to be given more cred than Sheffield, and I can't see why. It's no better or no worse, just another Yorkshire city like Sheffield, people just seem to associate more with Leeds.

Has anyone tried punching in 'Yorkshires Biggest City' into google and seeing what comes up?

Try it!

What basis is he recording 'biggest' by? Area? Population? Most bars? Largest unemployment figures? Largest number of ethnic minorities? Largest number of students?

I hasten to add I don't have all the comparative figures at hand....many of these can be found on NOMIS (http://www.nomisweb.co.uk) or the Neighbourhood statistics website which is linked from NOMIS.

The thing is that when someone lives in Leeds, they're mindwashed into thinking that their city is the leading city of the region. There's been a lot of inward investment there, the regional development agency is based there, Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber is based there, Leeds Utd are there and they even spawned a Spice Girl. They truly have a flag to wave. I once heard on the radio that Sheffield is classed as Southern Leeds. :o

Nevertheless, this question is about the size of Leeds....or should that be about the size of the ego of the reporter or the size of his ignorance.

Sounds like another Journo we should be mailing our complaints to.

leeds has got a bigger and better city centre - hasn't it? It may not be bigger with regards to population but its a bigger city.
But i was always taught its not how big it is but what you do with it that counts. The above posts have more than just a hint of an inferiority complex! HE HE:D