Talk:Leeds/Archives/2009/July

Change to opening text

I have changed the text as I would not consider either Wetherby or Otley to be rural. Both towns have grown in the post war years and effectively become commuter towns and are now in effect more suburban then rural towns. Perhaps the last mark of the towns' former status as local agricultural centres was the cattle markets. Wetherby's closed in 1997, and Otley's a few years later. Mtaylor848 (talk) 16:45, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

I agree, they are certainly not rural but suburban towns on the commuter belt. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.209.243.9 (talk) 23:54, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Capital of the North

This nickname seems to be based on very dubious sources. The National Express link makes no mention of the nickname. The BBC article merely states Capital of the North as a question. It is the astrologer that uses the term. Are astrologers considered reliable sources now? The other link is to a NHS post graduate deanery who seem to be getting their info from wikipedia. Unless any reliable sources can be found then it should be removed. Eckerslike (talk) 17:36, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Hiya. Firstly, the National Express link just two days ago said something along the lines of "Visit Leeds, capital of the North", but it has just changed to a blurb geared towards the summer. Secondly, the BBC article about astrology has the headline "Why is Leeds often considered Capital of the North". However I do agree there should be more sources, of which 100s can easily be found on google. Nicknames by their nature are very subjective. The fact that lots of sources dub or refer to Leeds as the capital of the north, does not mean it *is* the capital of the north. However this is irrelevent. If a wide range of people and sources, choose to refer to Leeds as capital of the north, by way of nickname, this should be reflected in the article. Our job as wikipedians isnt to interpret these sources as to whether the viewpoint is merited or not, but solely to have an article that reflects interpretation, and if sometimes Leeds has the nickname or is dubbed or reffered to as capital of the north, this should be reflected, in exactly the same way it is refelected on the York wiki page for example. A nickname is just that, a nickname, and so there is no single official "capital of the north". Numerous places can indeed have this nickname if such nicknames are truely used by people or companies etc. And remember sources are not to prove the credibiity of whether Leeds actually *is* capital of the north, but they just have to show that independent entities do indeed nickname Leeds "capital of the north" when referencing the city.

Anyway.. just a couple of examples

Radissson Hotels "The Radisson SAS Hotel, Leeds is located within the heart of the city. Leeds is home to some of the country's best-known financial institutions and holds the position of the largest financial sector outside of London. Growth is key and investment in the city is on the increase as businesses become aware of the opportunities available in this capital of the north" This is on the main visitor page to Radisson Leeds. Radisson have hotels all across the country, yet they have chosen to refer to their Leeds hotel as being in the capital of the north.

ConferenceGuideUK.com - a national independent conference website ConferenceGuide "This refreshingly different, 5 star townhouse hotel, has a unique location, with the advantage of a peaceful setting overlooking the river Aire and being only a few minutes walk from the city centre and is great for conferences and meetings. After an exhausting day in the Capital of the North, welcome to the perfect place to relax.

Waterscape.com "Britain's Official Guide to Canals, Rivers and Lakes" "Newly emerging as a centre for commerce and leisure, Leeds is an attractive city on the banks of the River Aire. Not for nothing has Leeds been christened the ‘capital of the north’"

I can list many more similar examples if need be. Finally, before removing the statement as someone had done here it is better etiquette to wait for the discussion about it here on talk:leeds to reach consensus and closure

--Razorlax (talk) 01:23, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

"Capital of the North" is a claimed title, not a nickname, in the same way that Manchester claims the title of "Second City" as a nickname. A very few cities do have nicknames, notably The Big Apple, Brum, The Smoke, Auld Reekie, Cottonopolis (though apart from the first two they are going out of fashion) which identify them unequivocally and are used in general conversation. I would not object to cities generally having another section in the infobox "other titles".Chemical Engineer (talk) 15:21, 19 July 2009 (UTC)

I have just checked. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the above names for the relevant cities. Also Beantown for Boston. It states that "Second City" "has become something of a fixed name" for Chicago, Birmingham and Glasgow.Chemical Engineer (talk) 15:33, 19 July 2009 (UTC)

Nicknames are rarely complimentary, but these are never listed on the wikipedia pages, as they just get removed as apparantly we can only write nice things. Do Liverpool, Bradford and Blackpool list 'The self pity city', 'Bradistan' and 'Cesspool'? Mtaylor848 (talk) 14:32, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

Kings of Leon image

Is this really pertinant to the subject in hand. Loads of bands perform at Leeds festival, not to mention the countless performances at other venues/festivals. The image is relevent to the 'Kings of Leon' and 'Leeds Festival' but not to Leeds as a whole. If no one objects soon I shall remove it. Mtaylor848 (talk) 14:32, 26 July 2009 (UTC)