Bradford is a place.
Bradford [ ˈbrædfərd ] is in the Metropolitan Borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire , England , in the foothills of the Pennines 8.6 mi west of Leeds , and 16 mi northwest of Wakefield . Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847 , and received its charter as a city in 1897 . It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution , and amongst the earliest industrialised settlements , rapidly becoming the `` wool capital of the world '' . Since this time , Bradford has emerged as a tourist destination , becoming the first UNESCO City of Film with attractions such as the National Science and Media Museum , Bradford City Park , the Alhambra theatre and Cartwright Hall .