Leicester ( ) listen is the largest city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and is the traditional county town of Leicestershire.

Leicester lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the English National Forest. In 2004, the population of the city proper was estimated at 285,100, with 441,213 living in the urban area. It is currently, by population, the 10th largest city in England and the 13th largest in the UK.

The urban area extends beyond the boundaries of the city proper to include the satellite towns of Oadby, Wigston, Braunstone Town, Birstall, Glenfield, Blaby, Thurmaston, Syston and Leicester Forest East. A number of these towns are in fact closely integrated suburbs of the city itself, especially Glenfield and Braunstone. For areas within the city, see Areas of Leicester]]. In terms of population within the city limits it is the largest in the East Midlands.

General

The city is close to the M1 motorway, and is on the [[Midland Main Line from London St Pancras International to Sheffield, Nottingham and Leeds. High-speed trains operated by East Midlands Trains can reach London in just over an hour. It is also served by rail lines to Birmingham via Nuneaton, and to Cambridge via Peterborough.

Major industries in Leicester today include food processing, hosiery, knitwear, engineering, electronics, printing and plastics.

The city centre is mainly Victorian with some later developments, which have usually been integrated in smoothly. The heart of the city centre is the Clock Tower, which is at the intersection of five routes into the city - High Street, Churchgate, Belgrave Gate, Humberstone Gate, and Gallowtree Gate. Today, Humberstone Gate, High Street and Gallowtree Gate are pedestrianised, and vehicles are restricted on the others.

There are a number of major developments on the horizon implemented by the Leicester Regeneration Company including the £60 million Curve Theatre, Leicester designed by Rafael Viñoly.

In 1990, Leicester was designated the UK's first Environment City, and won the European Sustainable City Award in 1996.

Leicester has a large ethnic minority population, mainly from the Indian subcontinent. There are many Hindu mandirs, Sikh gurudwaras and Muslim mosques around the city, mostly converted from existing buildings. The Jain Temple in Leicester is near the city centre (The Jain Centre). The area around Belgrave Road is known as the Golden Mile, and contains many Indian restaurants, jewellery shops, and other shops catering to the large Indian community in the neighbourhood. Many people travel to the area specifically for the restaurants, which serve authentic Indian cuisine. The annual Diwali celebrations are also held here and at the nearby Abbey Park, and are the biggest outside of India. There are also many of Afro-Caribbean descent (mainly from Antigua & Barbuda, Montserrat and Jamaica), the community being centred around Highfields to the south-east of the city centre, and Leicester plays host to the second largest Caribbean Carnival in the UK after Notting Hill.Since 2004,a large number of eastern Europeans and Africans have also moved here.