Overview
The name Halifax is said to be a corruption of the Old English words for Holy and Face, part of the local legend that the head of John the Baptist was buried here after his execution. The legend is almost certainly medieval rather than ancient, though the town's coat of arms still carries an image of the saint. (The oldest written mentions of the town have the spelling Haliflax, apparently meaning "holy flax (field)", the second l having been subsequently lost by dissimilation.) Halifax Parish Church, parts of which go back to the 12th century, has always been dedicated to St John the Baptist. The church's first organist, in 1765, was William Herschel, who went on to discover the planet Uranus.

"Except The Lord Keep the City"Halifax was incorporated as a county borough in 1848 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. Since 1974, Halifax has been the centre of the Metropolitan District of Calderdale, part of the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire. Halifax has given its name to a bank, Halifax plc which started as a building society in the town. Halifax is a twin town with Aachen in Germany. The A58 has a stretch called Aachen Way, with a plaque on the town-bound side of the road.

History
Halifax is home to a vibrant South Asian community mainly of Pakistani Muslims from the Kashmir region. The majority of the community lives in the west central Halifax region of the town, which was previously home to immigrant Irish communities who have since moved to the outer suburbs.

North Halifax is noted for its local support of the far-right British National Party; the suburb of Mixenden became the first area in West Yorkshire to popularly vote in a BNP councillor, with Illingworth soon to follow. It is also home to the prestigious North Halifax Grammar School, one of the last of two remaining selective schools in Calderdale District. North Halifax, in contrast to west central Halifax's ethnic diversity, consists mostly of white Protestant residents.

Halifax has benefited from SRB and URBAN money through Action Halifax who have a vision for "a prosperous, vibrant and safe centre where all sections of the community can access opportunities to enhance their quality of life."

Dean Clough, a refurbished worsted spinning mill, is the home of Barrie Rutter's Northern Broadsides Theatre Company and the IOU theatre company as well as providing space for eight art galleries.

Halifax town centre has a busy night life with lots of clubs and bars. To help with those who become vulnerable whilst enjoying and using Halifax's night life, Street Angels was launched in November 2005. Street Angels patrol the town centre on Fridays and Saturdays between 9pm and 3am. In the first year police report violent crime has fallen by 42%. Street Angels work in partnership with St John Ambulance, Nightlife Marshals, Police Community Support Officers, Police and doorstaff as well as the Halifax Ambassadors who patrol in the daytime.

Halifax is also home to the oldest continually running amateur choral society in the country and possibly the world. Halifax Choral Society was founded in 1817 and has an unbroken record of performances. The Choral Society has a strong rivalry with the choral society of neighbouring town, Huddersfield.

The Halifax & District Organists' Association, is one of the oldest organists' fellowships in the country.

As well as conventional cultural attractions, the Calderdale area has also become a centre for folk and traditional music. The Traditions Festival, held at the Piece Hall in Halifax town centre, is a celebration of traditional music and dance from around the world, whilst the Rushbearing, held in Sowerby Bridge and the surrounding villages, is a traditional festival which was restarted to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee and attracts Morris dancers from all around the country.

Museums
The Yorkshire Regiment's 3rd Battalion (Duke of Wellington's) formerly The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) Halifax Area Headquarters is based at Wellesley Park, on the junction of Gibbet Street and Spring Hall Road, in the former Wellesley Barracks museum and education centre building. The Regimental Museum has been re-located within the Bankfield House Textile Museum on Haley Hill. The former Barracks was converted into an educational school in 2005 .

Former Regimental Colours of the 'Dukes' are laid up in the Halifax Parish Church. The 1981 set of colours, were taken out of service, in 2002. They were marched through the town from the Town Hall to the Parish church accompanied by two escorts of 40 troops, the Regimental Drums and the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band on Sunday the 31 March 2007 from the Town Hall to the Parish Church. The troops were then inspected by The Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Dr Ingrid Roscoe BA, PhD, FSA and the Mayor of Halifax Cllr Colin Stout making a total of eight stands of colours within the Regimental Chapel. The Regiment was presented with the 'Freedom of Halifax' on 18 June 1945.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax%2C_West_Yorkshire