Kirklees is a metropolitan borough located in northern England. It is one of five boroughs of the metropolitan county West Yorkshire, the fourth most populous county in England with over 2 million residents. Kirklees consists of more than a dozen settlements and has a total population of over 400,000 people. It is surrounded by highly populated urban areas such as Bradford and Leeds.

The largest settlement in the borough of Kirklees is Huddersfield, a town with about 150,000 residents that plays a central role in many areas of the borough. The long and narrow Calder River flows through the town.

The Huddersfield railway station serves the town and surrounding communities of Kirklees. The rail station provides service to major locations in northern England, including nearby Leeds, where a transfer to London can be made.

Huddersfield has a traditional manufacturing industry, with current operating companies such as Cummins Turbo Technologies (turbocharger manufacturers), C & J Antich (textiles), Syngenta AG (agro-chemicals), James Crowther (textiles), Sellers (Textile Machinery), as well as other large number of manufacturers.

The University of Huddersfield is the largest employer in the town, having about 20,000 students and 2,000 staff members. The smaller Greenhead College has about 2,000 enrolled students. Other higher education schools include Kirklees College and Huddersfield New College.

The most notable sports club is Huddersfield Town Football Club, which competes in Football League One (third tier of English Football) and plays at the 24,500 capacity Galpharm Stadium.

Diverse shopping areas are found in the Huddersfield town centre, with many major retailers such as Clinton Cards, GAME, Gamestation, HMV, House of Fraser, JD Sports, JJB Sports, W H Smiths and Wilkinsons. Major supermarket and fast food chains such as Morrison’s and McDonald’s operate in Huddersfield.

The main hospital of Huddersfield is the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary

Another major community in the borough of Kirklees is the town of Dewsbury, which has over 50,000 residents.

Located along the Calder River, Dewsbury is a market town with large shopping areas that draw big crowds looking to shop and find good deals. Major retailers operating in the town include s Sainsbury's, Next and Matalan.

Dewsbury has a railway station located along the Huddersfield Line, which connects to major locations such as Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester.