Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in Yorkshire in the north of England. The River Aire runs through the city. In 1974 the former a county borough of Leeds was merged with the towns of Wetherby, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, and other surrounding areas to form a metropolitan borough ? the city status of the county borough being conferred the new metropolitan borough. Somewhat confusingly therefore, the City of Leeds contains a number of towns including the former county borough of Leeds, which can be thought of as Leeds proper. For the purposes of this article Leeds refers to the city as it was prior to 1974 as to distinguish it from the metropolitan borough called the City of Leeds. According to the 2001 UK census the core of Leeds had a population of 429,243 while the City of Leeds had a population of 726,939 and is one of England's core cities.

Industry and economy

Leeds has a diverse economy with the service sector now dominating over the city's manufacturing industries. It has in the past been served well by its canal, and today by its rail network at Leeds station, from where MetroTrains operate to all parts of West Yorkshire and other operators to the rest of the country. Leeds Station is the busiest in the UK, outside London. With the A1(M), M1 and M62 intersecting at Leeds, it is the principal northern hub 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, although competition from the newly opened Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield nearby may lead to a reduction in the airport's traffic. The city has plans for a tram network, although government funding seems increasingly a distant prospect.

Related Topics:
Leeds station - MetroTrains - M1 - M62 - Leeds Bradford International Airport - Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield

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These good transport links have been a major factor contributing to the growth of Leeds, and have led to the city becoming a major centre for distribution. Retail is another major service and employer in the city centre, with a retail economy which has experienced a recent boom resulting in several new shops. Briggate is one of Leeds' main shopping streets, with the Victoria Quarter and Harvey Nichols. The city centre also includes Europe's largest indoor market, and over 8 shopping centres. The Eastgate/Harewood Quarter and Trinity Qtr. will re-establish Leeds as one of Europe's top shopping centres.

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Although, like the rest of the North of England, Leeds had its fair share of tough economic times during the 1970s and 1980s, it bounced back quickly by investing heavily in communications links in advance of the Internet. This helped it (along with Birmingham and Glasgow) become one of the major hubs for call-centres in the late 20th century, particularly for service-oriented companies. Many outlying towns formerly relying on mining and heavy industry, found financial salvation in the 'reliable' sounding Yorkshire accent. However, many of these large employers are now outsourcing many of these jobs to places like Bangalore in India, where staff costs are considerably lower.

Related Topics:
North of England - 1970s - 1980s - Internet - Birmingham - Glasgow - Mining - Yorkshire accent - Bangalore - India

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Leeds has one of the UK's strongest economies, with unemployment at a national record low in Leeds and with the largest media, financial and legal sectors outside London. Internet services in Leeds are twice that of London.

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