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Leeds is located in the county of West Yorkshire, in the north of England and the
River Aire runs through the town. It has a population of around 716,000, making
it the 3rd biggest city in England. An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a
Loiner, although such terms are rarely used.
Places in the borough of Leeds include: Ardwick,
Burnage, Chorlton-cum-Hardy,
Didsbury, Fallowfield,
Gorton, Hulme,
Levenshulme, Miles
Platting, Moston,
Newton Heath, Rusholme,
Withington, Whalley Range and
Moss Side.
Industry
Leeds has a diverse economy with the service sector now dominating over the city's
manufacturing industries. The city is served well by its canal, by the rail network
at Leeds station and, with the M1 and M62, it is one of the main northern hubs of
the motorway network. Leeds Bradford International Airport is located to the North
West of the city and has scheduled flights to destinations within the U.K and Europe.
These good transport links have been a major factor contributing to the growth of
Leeds, and it has led to the city becoming a major centre for distribution, as well
as banking, financial and legal services. Retail is another major service and employer
in the city centre, with a retail economy which has experienced a recent boom resulting
in several shopping centres and department stores. Leeds had its fair share of tough
economic times during the 1970s and 1980s, it was quick to bounce back by investing
heavily in communications links. This helped it become one of the major hubs for
call-centres in the late 20th Century, particularly for service-oriented companies.
However, these large employers are now outsourcing many of these jobs to places
like Bangalore in India, where staff costs are considerably reduced. There is a
wide range of accomodation available including bed and breakfast, hotel accommodation,
self catering, guest house, cottage, camping and caravan sites.
History
The city was originally an agricultural market town in the Middle Ages, and received
its first charter in 1207.In the Tudor period Leeds was mainly a merchant town (woollen
cloths) trading with Europe via the Humber estuary. At one point nearly half of
England's total export passed through Leeds. The city's industrial growth was the
direct result of the introduction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 and the
railway in 1848.
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