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 manufacturing woollen cloths and 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 catalysed by the introduction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816 and the railway in 1848. Years later, in 1893, Leeds became a city. In this time new public buildings like the Public Library and the General Post Office were built.

By the end of the Great War, Leeds began to be a centre of study and teaching. The Yorkshire College of Science and the Medical School were merged to form the University in 1904. Its hospitals, particularly the Infirmary and St James Hospital, acquired international reputations as main medical centres. At the same time, the town centre became a commercial hub and now is known as the commercial capital of the North.

Nowadays, Leeds is known as the dominant city of the county of West Yorkshire and one of the eight core cities.

Quick facts

• Population: 715,404 (Census 2001)
• Size: 562 km²
• Elevation: 154 feet
• Metropolitan county: West Yorkshire
• Region: Yorkshire and the Humber
• Geography:
  Leeds is located in the county of West Yorkshire in Northern England. The city is at the southern tip of the Yorkshire Dales and runs along the north bank of the River Aire and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.
• Average January Temperature: 41ºF
• Average July Temperature: 62ºF
• Electricity: 240 volts AC, 50Hz, standard square three pin plugs
• Time Zone: GMT/UTC (+1 during daylight saving time)
• Country Dialing Code: 44
• Area Code: 113

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