A Bit More About Leeds

Leeds is a city in the West Yorshire, England. Historically, the city was referred to as the wooden area of the Elmet Kingdom back in 5th century. The name has grown from describing a mineral borough to a metropolitan borough. In the 17th and 18th century, Leeds became a major center for production and trading of wool. The city went on to develop into a major mill town during the industrial revolution. Being a compact market town, the city went on to absorb the surrounding villages to become a highly populated urban center as depicted by population in the late 20th century. Today, the city is considered a gamma world city. It is the heart of culture, commerce and finance for the urban West Yorkshire. The city holds the fourth largest economy for England. It has the fourth largest student population served by four universities. It is the second largest legal city centre after London. It is the fourth largest city in UK in terms of finance and insurance industry. Leeds is a home for the third largest railway station. It is ranked in the sixth position in terms of busy airports. The city is also filled with spectacular landmarks and cultural centers.

Geography

City of Leeds is located 310 km, north-west of London. It lies on the valley of River Aire found on eastern foothills of Pennines. The area lies 65m above the sea level and extends for 340m, far west from Ilkley Moor slopes up to 10m before the confluence of Aire and Wharfe rivers. Leeds City Centre is part of the built-up area that extends to Bramley, Horsforth, Pudsey, Alwoodley, Seacroft, Morley and Middleton. The northern boundary of the city follows River Wharfe until it crosses on to Otley which lies north of the river. Leeds City Centre is 32 km form the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The northern part is built on sandstones and grit stones. The eastern part extends to the limestone belt. The inner and southern areas of Leeds form the Yorkshire Coalfield. The central area of the city is pro-urban. Leeds City Centre is encapsulated by the Leeds Inner Ring Road. The main streets that run through are Briggate and Victoria Quarter. A bigger part of the city is covered by the postcode area. There are also a few suburbs and exurbs within the district. 

Climate

The city is made up of the oceanic climate influenced by the Atlantic and Pennines. The area is characterized with mild summers with moderate rainfall, chilly and cloudy winters with occasional frost and snow. The spring and autumn are also mild. Temperatures range from 3 to 16 degrees Celsius annually. The annual rainfall is recorded at 660mm. Extreme weather conditions feature rare blizzards, thunderstorms, gale force winds and even tornadoes. 

Population and Religion

According to the United Kingdom Census of 2001, Leeds City Centre covering an area of 109 square kilometers, had a population of 443,247 people. This makes it the fourth populous city within England and fifth largest within UK. The population density was found to be 4,006 people by square kilometer. This accounts for 20 percent of the West Yorkshire Urban Area and 62 percent of the population of the City of Leeds. The ratio of male to females is 93 to 100. The households were characterized by the large number of one-person dwellings followed closely by married couples. The cohabiting couples and single parents formed the minority. Leeds consists of over 75 ethnic groups with the minority groups representing less than 12 percent of the total population. Majority of the people in the city identify themselves as Christians. There are few Jews and Muslims in the city. The crime rates have been rated above national average just like any other major urban area. 

Administration and Public Services

Leeds City Centre is an unparished area found within the local government district of the City of Leeds. Leeds City Council is the local authority which covers the whole district. It provides all local government services for Leeds. Leeds is represented by five members of parliament for the five constituencies respectively. These constituencies are Leeds East, West, Central, North and South. City is a home to one of the largest government offices called Department for Work and Pensions. This well designed office is located in Quarry Hill. The Yorkshire Water provides water supply and sewerage services. The area is served by the West Yorkshire police. This force has five policing district covering the area. Health services are provided by Leeds Primary Care Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust among other hospitals. The archives, analytical, archeological, testing materials and ecological services are provided by West Yorkshire Joint Services. The city council of Leeds is responsible for over 50 libraries including 5 mobile ones.  

Economy

Leeds has a diverse economy with the service industry on the lead. These include public administration, health, insurance, banking, finance and catering. The city is home to the 5th largest financial industry in the UK. There are over 30 national and international banks in the region. Other tertiary industries like call offices, retail centers and media have contributed to the economic growth. There are at least 150 law firms operating in the area forming a sophisticated and competitive legal market. Leeds is the third largest manufacturing centre accounting for 8.8 percent employment in the area. The creative industry is also well established in the area especially the digital gaming sector. Office developments are located in the inner area as they expand to the south. 24 percent of the workforce in Leeds is found in the public sector. The extensive retail area in Leeds is the main shopping centre in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Transport

Leeds is one of the principal locations of the northern motor highway. Part of the city centre is designed for pedestrians along road networks. The city depends on cars mostly for transport. West Yorkshire Metro is responsible for development and co-ordination of the public transport. Bus services are the primary means of transport. The city is served by 16 railway stations. The Metro Trains is operated by the Northern Rail. It runs from Leeds railway station, onto suburbs of Leeds and to all other parts on the region. The Leeds International Airport is found in Yeadon, about 16 km from the city centre. It has flights scheduled for international destinations. The city is connected to the rest of the world through other regional airports.

Walking and Scenery

The city provides walk ways and trails from the city centre to different parks. There are many trails that provide walking and cycling routes. Leeds City Centre also displays variety of natural and artificial landmarks. There are temples, city parks, gardens, town halls, museums, towers, cathedrals, churches and stadiums. 

Education

These are many schools that have been upgraded over the recent years to accommodate the large young population. These include primary schools, secondary schools and special learning centers. The city features private and public schools that serve different cultures and faiths. City of Leeds is one of the local authorities that have tried to implement the three-tire education system. Higher learning is provided by Leeds City College and other colleges. The city has four universities namely; University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University and University of Law. 

Culture and Sports

There are renowned newspapers that serve the area. They also provide information in their established websites. There are many television and radio stations based in the city. There are also a few film production companies in the city. These are well established museums in the city with rich history in manufacturing, medicine and filming. These museums include; Leeds City Museum, Armley Mills Industrial Museum, Thwaite Mills Watermill Museum. Leeds City Centre is home to theater, music and dance shows. The theaters include; Grand Theater, Phoenix Dance Theater, North Ballet Theater and the First Direct Arena. There are many popular music acts that come from Leeds. Leeds forms the third largest city in UK for carnivals and festivals. There are many pubs, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and venues for live music. These are meant to provide nightlife for the large student population. Leeds is also home for one of the famous artists and film producers. The city’s main football club is the Leeds United A.F.C. There are also rugby, cricket, hockey, swimming and basketball clubs based in the city.

Leeds Is The Norths Greatest City

Leeds is a beautiful city in West Yorkshire. It is famous for its excellent tourism destinations, contemporary art and culture, a vibrant night life and classic dining and places to shop. Leeds is an easy to explore town with breathtaking sceneries offering something for everyone in entertainment, leisure, sporting activities, art and culture with the world class museums like the Leeds city museum and breath taking attractions.

If you are thinking to take a break and travel for leisure, Leeds is the city of choice. A dream come true travel destination where you are guaranteed to find something that will liven your vacation. Without costing you much you will get to enjoy the fantastic attractions, art, culture, night life, shopping, dining and leisure places Leeds has to offer.

There are many attraction sites in Leeds with enriching experiences and best part of it is that, they are affordable as most of them are free. Leeds city museum is an award winning museum packed with adorable exhibitions including the famous Leeds tiger. The other is the Leeds Art Gallery which has various British art collections. The Royal Armouries Museum rich in its spectacular display of historical arts. These are just but a few of the many excellent attraction sites around the city

In Leeds all through the year there is something for you to enjoy. With the changing unmissable festivals and events. Indulge in the songs and the dances at various festivals held all year round organised by the Leeds International concert season. There is also a variety of live stage performances and theatres like the Howard assembly room, the seven arts centre and the carriage works theatre

Leeds proudly commands a fascinating nightlife with everything from the traditional drinking dens to bars and late venues and clubs. With a great party atmosphere for everyone, Leeds city offers an entertainment place at almost every corner of the town so you don't have to search for one

With fantastic specialist stores, it offers you designer stores, market stalls, independent stores and boutiques. You may consider a visit to the Victoria Quarters arcade, the Leeds corn exchange and the Birds yard for all your shopping needs

A pub or a fantastic cafe is near you wherever you are in Leeds, they are loaded with satisfaction for your stomach and eyes. Their setting is family friendly and executive. The tiled hall cafe is the place to be, situated near the Leeds art gallery. The pickles and Potter for delicious sandwiches and the White locks old pub is there for refreshments and hearty meals

Over the festive season Leeds is an excellent place for you and your family. You get to experience the Leeds lights being switched on in Victoria gardens and the Christmas market on the millennium square. At the Leeds corn exchange you will get fantastic and unique gifts, accessories and crafts. Enjoy the vintage fairs at the Leeds corn exchange and various concerts and theatres around the city.

Attractions:

The Leeds City Museum, Tropical World, Thackray Museum, Abbey House Museum, Bramham Park, White Cloth Gallery, The Bowery, The Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Munro Gallery and many more attractions are available in Leeds. Leeds City Museum houses six galleries with a unique range of collections including coins and medals, textiles, donations and legacies. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is one of the leading open air galleries in the world and houses international sculpture exhibitions. Temple Newsam is a historic site set in 1500 acres of parkland and houses stunning paintings, furniture, ceramics, textiles and lots more. Crocodiles, lemurs, butterflies, snakes, bats and Meerkats with babies are a part of whats instore at Tropical World.

Shopping:

The Victoria Quarter, The Corn Exchange, Trinity Leeds, Queens Arcade, Teddy and Co., Leeds Craft Centre, Design Gallery and lots more are available in Leeds for a good shopping experience. Leeds Corn Exchange offers Unique fashion, jewellery, beauty and gifts, food and drink and lots more. The Trinity Leeds is the UK's latest shopping centre and is home to 17 shopping centres, 2 outlets, 16 retail parks, 3 leisure centres, entertainment zones and lots more. Peter Maturi is one of the best shops that offer an amazing range of kitchenware and cookware, Bakeware, coffee machines, utensils from top brands and much more.

Nightlife:

Leeds is one of the best spots in United Kingdom for a vibrant nightlife with a range of pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, live music and lots more. Oporto in Call Lane is the best place for a perfect night out and is a place to eat, drink and dance. The Cockpit, Mission, Mint Club, Mojo, O2 Academy, the Hifi Club, A Nation of Shopkeepers and many more clubs and pubs are available in Leeds.

Carnivals and Festivals:

The Leeds Festival, Leeds Carnival, The Otley Folk Festival, Walking Festival, Victorian Christmas Fayre, Light Night Leeds, Leeds festival Fringe, The Leeds International Film Festival, The Leeds International Pianoforte Competition and many more festivals and carnivals are a part of Leeds, England. Leeds Carnival is the oldest West Indian Carnival and is the second biggest carnival in the United Kingdom.

Transport:

Leeds has extensive transport links including road and rail networks. Leeds railway station is one of the busiest stations in Britain. This city is served by Leeds Bradford International Airport. Buses, coaches, taxis, trams, Abbey Light Railway and Middleton Steam Railway are available in Leeds.

The city of Leeds has amazing shopping arcades. It contains the famous Victoria Quarter which caters to the high end customers with designer shops from Harvey Nichols, Flannels and many more. Other stores have beautiful commodities and garments for every kind of budget. The Merrion center is one place visited by a number of tourists everyday, where shops like Dorothy Perkins, Claire's and so many sell their company accessories at a most affordable price

There are so many places for educational interest like the Leeds city museum, Leeds city art gallery, which visitors from around the world throng everyday. The city is proud of some magnificent parks and the spectacular millennium gardens located in the center of the city. This special garden was constructed to celebrate and welcome this millennium at an enormous cost of 12 million pounds financed by the Leeds council and the Millennium Commission. This was so beautiful that it was rewarded at the flower show of Chelsea in 2004.

An Overview Of Leeds City Centre

If you are planning a trip to Leeds, it is a good idea to know what it is you are getting into. There are many things in Leeds city centre that you should know about when you are trying to figure out what to do when you get there. Here is an overview of what the area has to offer.

Prominent Landmarks

People who are interested in exploring some of the landmarks in the area have plenty to choose from. Many of them are old Victorians that go back centuries. Places that you may want to visit when you are in Leeds city centre are the City Gallery, Leeds Town Hall and the City Library. You may also want to take a look at the Leeds General Infirmary, which has been around since 1869.

Shopping & Eating

Everyone has their own idea of what it takes to create the perfect shopping trip. While some people prefer to shop at international chain stores like Marks & Spencer, others feel more comfortable shopping at local stores like Debenhams.

As far as eating, there are so many restaurants that it would be difficult not to find something that you like. You can find plenty of places to enjoy local food, or you can eat at one of the many chains that are in the area, like McDonald's or Wagamama. The city centre makes it possible for everyone to leave satiated and pleased.

Transportation

There is a railway station and a bus interchange located in the centre of the city. This means that people can reach it easily from several other locations. This is a wise choice since it is not always easy to find a place to park in a place that is usually bustling.

The most popular bus in the city os the FreeCityBus service. It runs every few minutes and it can help you get all around the centre of the city with ease. Some of the residents and visitors have expressed interest in having a second bus added to the route so that more of the city would be covered.

The People

While you may have been to many large cities where people are generally brusque and not interested in being pleasant to those around them, Leeds is very different. When you are in the city centre, it is easy to come across many people that are more than happy to share a smile and a warm greeting with you. This is a far cry from places where a warm greeting is sometimes interpreted as a means to introduce an ulterior motive.

Now that you are more aware of what it is like in the centre of Leeds, you will be prepared for your arrival. This is a great, busy place that is filled with wonderful architecture, nice shops and plenty of places to grab a bite. There is really no way for anyone to enter the city to have a great time and leave disappointed.

What To Do At Night In Leeds

In Leeds, England, the whole town takes on a different aspect during the evening, as the place literally comes alive with many places to find the best food of your choice, dancing and bars of every description and style.

But for starters why not catch a show at the Carriageworks Theater? Located at Millennium Square in the Electric Press you be exposed to a wide variety of field and theater venues which is extremely acceptable to the entire family. Or perhaps you can take in the Northern Ballet, won the most accomplished dance companies in the world. They specialize in the introduction to new audiences of ballet and its fundamentals.

For cocktails there are many places available you might want to jump over to the Leeds Arena Bar, or "The LAB" which is a restaurant and a bar that takes up two floors. On the ground floor you can get any cocktail that your heart desires along with many varieties of a craft ale. Decreasing upstairs features a chicken kitchen and a burger kitchen along with wine and coffee.

The sky lounge at the Doubletree Hilton is a perfect introduction in Leeds to the cocktail bar culture. You can book a prime area for groups are set out on the veranda while you take in the sensation view of the city. While you’re having a cocktails, order a selection of tasty bar bytes or choose from the wine list of a great renown. Or even make it your goal of two come for an afternoon tea and start there with poached salmon or quiche Lorraine followed up with a selection of sweets. Sager already there simply stay for an evening of fun and some of the best views in Leeds.

Be At One is located in Millennium Square and is different than many other cocktail bars as their selection of fantastic cocktails is unbelievable. Each team member that serves you has been to eight weeks of intensive training of to give you the best service and the best for plenty of drinks most well-known on the planet.

If the club scene is what you’re looking for Call Lane is one of the more lively nightspots which are very popular with professionals as well as students with all the different bars playing everyone’s favorite music. Flow over to Jake’s bar for a taste of homemade the two are from the copper pot still. Or if you wish try the Tiki Hideaway of four great social mixture and a good time with the mix of excellent company and a great place to meet new friends.

There are many musical events that can fill your evening any time of the month with such plays as West Side Story at the Carriageworks Theater, the Cawthorn Brass Band at Lotheron Hall, A Night In Venice with Jonathan Ansell at City Varieties Music Hall along with ma y other exciting venues all over town.

With such a selection of fun thing is to do and places to go is no wonder that nightlife in Leeds that is something that everyone can always look forward to and enjoy.

Interesting Facts That You Didn’t Know About The City Of Leeds

Leeds is the biggest city situated in the County of West Yorkshire. In the past this was once a prominent industrial centre. However, today Leeds is more popular for being the biggest financial centre outside of London in the UK, as well as its impressive sports facilities, universities, nightlife and shopping. Below are a few facts about Leeds That are fascinating, informative to random and obscure.

• The Leed’s motto known as “Pro rege et lege” is a Latin term that is translated into "for king and the law."
• The railway station in Leeds features 17 platforms that have been used by over 24.5 million people which are around 2 and half million more than the years before.
• MP Denis Healey a former Chancellor Of The Exchequer is the only one to appear on the Morecambe And Wise Show.
• Cuthbert Brodrick an architect from Leeds was awarded with £200 for one of his designs that later became the Leeds Town Hall.
• The Coast Of Arms for the city features 3 stars that were derived from The Coat Of Arms from Sir Thomas Danby the very first mayor, it also features fleece to represent the wool-industry as well a 3 owls that have been taken out from the Coat Of Arms from Sir John Saville who was the very first Alderman of Leeds.
• Leeds is the home to the most Northerly commercial vineyard in the Country known as Leventhorpe Vineyard based in Woodlesford.
• Jimmy Savile who is now deceased claimed that he staged the first disco ever in the city of Leeds in the year 1943, with a twin-turntable decks and a microphone at one of the venues in this city.
• The house price average in the city of Leeds a decade ago was around £84,550 and today that price has increased to about £164,713.
• The Westgate tunnel has claimed that it is longest road tunnel that is unventilated in the whole of Europe, while the inner-ring road known as the A58 (M) was the very first urban-motorway in the country.
• In 1967, Jelly Tots were first discovered by accident in Leeds when a scientist by the name of Brain Boffey who was experimenting with powdered jelly in his quest to produce a jelly that would set instantly when it was placed into cold water.
• The city of Leeds ranks 6th on a list based on Britain’s “greenest cities” associated with quality-of-life and environmental performance.
• Edmund Happold a structural engineer born in Leeds worked on the construction projects that include international landmarks such as the Pompidou Centre based in Paris, the Millennium Dome and the Sydney Opera House. Today his firm known as Buro Happold has around 1,600 employees in 30 offices that are situated across the globe.
  The centre of city of Leeds features 3.5 million square feet in retail floor-space, an extremely large pedestrianised shopping area and around 5 miles in shopping streets.
• Leeds is also known as a “golfers’ paradise” district and features 21 private and public golf courses. Some of these include the Moortown Golf Club that once hosted the Ryder Cup in 1929.
  
• This city attracts a lot more of the annual visitors when compared to the more traditional holiday spots such as Torquay and Brighton.
• Started in the year 1967, The Leeds Carnival is the known as the oldest of the Caribbean carnivals in the whole of Europe.
• Sue Ryder a well known charity worker from Leeds, was made the Baroness Ryder Of Warsaw due to her efforts made for the country Poland. Her particular charity operates over 80 homes across the world as well as around 500 high-street charity shops along with over 8,000 volunteers.
• When the BBC local radio reached Leeds in the 1960’s, Phil Sidey the boss decided to buy a Greyhound and then name it Radio Leeds to make sure that this station was mentioned by the hostile Yorkshire Evening Post which believed that the new competition at the time was subsidized unfairly by the taxpayers.
  
• Leeds United was first formed in the year 1885 by the one Leonard Cooper and they played many of their earlier matches at Leeds Albion and Kirkstall.