Area Information

Leicester is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National Forest. It is situated to the north-east of Birmingham and Coventry, south of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. The 2016 mid-year estimate of the population of the City of Leicester unitary authority was 348,300, an increase of approximately 18,500 (Increase 5.6%) from the 2011 census figure of 329,839, making it the most populous municipality in the East Midlands region. The associated urban area is also the 11th most populous in England and the 13th most populous in the United Kingdom. Leicester is at the intersection of two major railway lines: the north/south Midland Main Line and the east/west Birmingham to London Stansted CrossCountry 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.