Leeds
This article is about the city in England. For other articles subjects named Leeds, see Leeds (disambiguation).
Leeds is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, in the north of England. It is the main settlement in the City of Leeds, and the River Aire runs through the town.
An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, although such terms are rarely used or understood. However, the mock-classical adjectives Leodensian and Leodiensian are sometimes used by some local sports clubs.
History
The city was originally an agricultural market town in the Middle Ages, and received its first charter in 1207. Industry came to the city in the 14th century when Flemish migrants introduced wool manufacturing. The city's industrial growth was catalysed by the introduction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 and the railway in 1848.
Leeds today has an extremely 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 and, with the M1 and M62 intersecting at Leeds, it is one of the the principal northern hubs of the motorway network. 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 and 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, and most notably a branch of London-based Harvey Nicholls.
Culture
Museums and Arts
The city has a large number of museums, being the home of the Royal Armouries Museum North (the main museum is at the Tower of London), the Leeds City Museum about the history of Yorkshire, the Museum of Leeds, being devoted to the city's industrial heritage, and Thackray's Medical Museum as well as the City Art Gallery. Leeds also boasts the Grand Theatre (which is where Opera North are based) and the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Temple Newsham House and the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, dating from the 12th Century, are on the outskirts of the city. The Leeds Festival takes place every year in Bramham Park (having moved from Temple Newsham after local pressure from some local residents), on the outskirts of the city, and features some of the biggest names in rock and indie music.
Sport
The city has a strong sporting heritage, with Division One Leeds United F.C. playing at Elland Road, and Yorkshire County Cricket Club as well as Leeds Rugby Leage Club playing at Headingly.
Media
Yorkshire Post Newspapers, as well as the Leeds Express are based in the city and BBC Television and Yorkshire Television both have broadcasting centres in Leeds. BBC Radio Leeds, Radio Aire, Magic 828, Galaxy 105 and Real Radio all broadcast from the city.
Education
Leeds has two universities, the University of Leeds, with around 31,500 full-time students (and a further 52,000 on short courses) and Leeds Metropolitan University with around 26,000 (according to UCAS; the LMU website claims 37,000) as well as various higher education colleges, giving it one of the largest student populations in the country. The main campuses of both universities are near the city centre. Leeds Grammar School, situated on the outskirts of the city at Alwoodley Gates and dating back to 1552, is the principal public school. The city has a very large student district and boasts a large number of bars and nightclubs, as well as live bands at the Cockpit, which combine to generte a vibrant nightlife.