Once an industrial powerhouse that played a major role in the textiles and mining industries, modern West Yorkshire, with its principal city of Leeds, is now one of the most important financial and retailing centers in Europe. With this economic transformation has also come a transition that has seen many traditionally working class neighborhoods and towns begin to cater toward business and professional interests. Larger estates, however, have always existed in the less dense parts of the county, which includes the metropolitan boroughs of Wakefield, Kirklees, Calderdale, Bradford, and the aforementioned Leeds, and so homes that are built along both traditional and modern architectural lines can be found among its listings.

Owing to the age of this largely urban area and its preeminence in England's north, many estates of note can, of course, be found among its well-maintained roads. Harewood House, a Grade 1 listed house currently held in trust, is an example of the stately properties that not only mark the extent to which architecture within West Yorkshire developed, but also the degree to which the upper environs of English society once went to establish residences that reflected the full power and economic might of the nation. Harewood House, however, is just one part of the region's rich history, as other landmarks, like the medieval Kirkstall Abbey and Sandal Castel, both largely in picturesque ruin, are but a part of the many sites that give West Yorkshire its bold character.

History, however, is only part of what makes the county of note, as at the center of Leeds one finds a thoroughly modern city, complete with all the amenities expected of a world class metropolis. Beyond its numerous transportation connections, the city also possesses a brilliant night life that is complete with contemporary dining, cultural, and other recreational options.

West Yorkshire's charm is not entirely derived from its urban districts, though, as Emley Moor, parts of Ilkley Moor, and the New Swillington Ings Nature Reserve also fall within its borders. Indeed, though the county is largely metropolitan, it is the immediate neighbor of rustic North Yorkshire, noted for its river valleys and extensive moors, and within a short drive of Cumbria, world famous, in turn, for its Lake District and border country. An inhabitant of downtown Leeds, while immersed in all that contemporary society can provide within an urban setting, can therefore make his or her way out to the wilderness reserves that make northern England unique among European locales with ease. In this sense, West Yorkshire truly offers what can be said to be the best of both worlds.