Leeds
| Leeds | |
|---|---|
| — City and Metropolitan Borough — | |
| City of Leeds | |
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| Motto: "Pro rege et lege" "For king and the law" | |
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| Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°WCoordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Ceremonial county | West Yorkshire |
| Admin HQ | Leeds city centre |
| Borough Charter | 1207 |
| Town Charter | 1626 |
| City status | 1893 |
| City of Leeds Met. District created | 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Metropolitan borough, City |
| • Governing body | Leeds City Council |
| • Lord Mayor | Cllr James McKenna (L) |
| • Leader of the Council | Cllr Keith Wakefield (L) |
| • Chief Executive | Tom Riordan |
| • MPs: | Stuart Andrew (C) Ed Balls (L) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 213 sq mi (551.72 km2) |
| Elevation | 33–1,115 ft (10–340 m) |
| Population (2005 est.) | |
| • Total | (Ranked ) |
| • Density | 3,574/sq mi (1,380/km2) |
| • Ethnicity (2011 census)[1] |
85.0% White 7.7% Asian or Asian British 3.5% Black or Black British 2.7% Mixed Race 0.5% Arab 0.6% Other |
| Demonym | Loiner/Leodensian |
| Time zone | Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | British Summer Time (UTC+1) |
| Postcode | LS,part of WF and also part of BD. |
| Area code(s) | 0113 (urban core) 01924 (Wakefield nos) 01937 (Wetherby/ Boston Spa) 01943 (Guiseley/ Otley) 01977 (Pontefract nos) |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-LDS |
| ONS code | 00DA (ONS) E08000035 (GSS) |
| NUTS 3 | UKE42 |
| OS grid reference | SE296338 |
| Euro. Parlt. Const. | Yorkshire & the Humber |
| Website | www.leeds.gov.uk |
Leeds is a city in the county of West Yorkshire in the centre of England. It is one of the cities in the United Kingdom and about 443,247 people live here. Leeds has two universities: University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University. Leeds is on the River Aire.
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History [change]
In Roman times Leeds was called 'Loidis' which means 'People of the flowing river'.
Leeds grew into a large city, mainly during Victorian times, many factories were built in the city, producing cloth as well as other products. Most of these factories have now closed.
With the building of many of the factories and mills in Leeds, many canals and railways were built in the city as well.
Leeds used to have a tram system but this was removed in 1959. There has been plans to bring it back. Trolleybuses have also been considered.
Marks and Spencers started with a market stall in Leeds Market, Marks and Spencers now have shops throughout the city with their largest one being on Briggate.
Much of Leeds was rebuilt in the 1960s and 1970s as the old Victorian buildings were mostly run down and unsuitable for modern use. Many new council houses and flats were built around the city.
In the 1970s the council used the moto 'Motorway City of the 1970s' to try promote the city. This is because the Leeds Inner Ring Road is a motorway.
Today [change]
Today Leeds still has many factories and offices for large companies. The City Centre has attracted many shops, offices, pubs, restaurants and bars. Leeds now has some skyscrapers such as Bridgewater Place. Leeds and Manchester are the most important cities for business in the North of England. Many banks have their offices in Leeds.
Many flats have also been built in the city centre. Leeds has some expensive areas to live like Chapel Allerton, Headingley, Kirkstall, Horsforth, Roundhay and Alwoodley but it also has some cheap places to liver where crime is high like Harehills, Chapeltown, Seacroft and Beeston. There has been riots in Harehills and Chapeltown before.
Tetley's Bitter is made at a brewery in Leeds. This is sold in many pubs and shops in Britain. Tetley's also used to have many pubs in Yorkshire but have sold many, although Tetley's Bitter is still sold there.
ASDA is Britains second biggest supermarket and started in Leeds, it still has its headquarters in the city.
Transport [change]
Leeds has a large railway station in the City Centre as well as many smaller ones in suburbs. There is also an airport near the city called Leeds Bradford International Airport. There are many motorways in and around the city as well. Leeds has a bus station with 26 stands and more stands for National Express services going to other cities, it is however too small to cope with internal buses and so they stop at bus stops along the streets. Leeds has an outer ring road and an inner ring road which is a motorway and goes through many tunnels to avoid buildings.
Sport [change]
Leeds is famous for its sport too. It has a Rugby league team called Leeds Rhinos and a Rugby union team called Leeds Carnegie. It also has a football team called Leeds United. Yorkshire Cricket play in Leeds too. The forth test of the 2009 Ashes was hoasted at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
Council [change]
Leeds City Council are the council for Leeds as well as other nearby towns that are part of the City of Leeds borough such as Wetherby, Otley, Yeadon, Garforth and Rothwell.
Media [change]
The Yorkshire Evening Post is the local newspaper for Leeds and is published every evening. BBC Yorkshire, Yorkshire Television and Leeds Television both have their studios in Leeds. The Yorkshire Television studios are currently in the process of being downsized as ITV looks to reduce costs.
Areas of Leeds [change]
See Also
Pictures [change]
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Canal Gardens in Roundhay Park
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Victoria Quarter
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The ruins of Kirkstall Abbey
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Elland Road football ground
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Millennium Square
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Leeds City Centre
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Kirkgate Markets
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City Square
References [change]
Other websites [change]
- Leeds travel information at Wikivoyage
- Leeds City Council Leeds City (Metropolitan) Council
- Leeds City Guide A Leeds City Guide
- 'Leeds, Live it, Love it' Official city website, for visitors, business, students and residents
- 'Leeds Television, A vision for the community' Leeds city TV, for visitors, business, students and residents
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