Leeds, Thomas Osborne, 1st duke of: see Danby, Thomas Osborne, earl of.

Leeds, city (1991 pop. 445,242) and metropolitan district, N central England, on the Aire River. It lies between one of England's leading manufacturing regions on the west and south and an agricultural region on the north and east. The city is a communications, financial, and regional government center and a junction of transportation routes, both rail and water; canal and river connect Leeds with both east and west coasts. Manufactures include woolens (produced since the 14th cent.) and clothing, for which Leeds is a center of wholesale trade. Metal goods (locomotives, machinery, farm implements, and airplane parts), leather goods, and chemicals are also produced. Extensive slum-clearance and rehousing efforts have been successful since 1920.

Yorkshire College, founded in 1874, became in 1887 a constituent college of Victoria Univ. and in 1904 the independent Univ. of Leeds. Among the other educational institutions is a 16th-century grammar school. Leeds has a classical town hall (1858) in which triennial musical festivals are held. Several sports arenas were constructed and opened there in the 1970s and 80s. Also of interest are St. Peter's Church, the Cathedral of St. Anne, St. John's Church, the City Art Gallery, and the Royal Armouries Museum. Kirkstall Abbey, founded in the 12th cent., is near the city. Joseph Priestley was pastor at Mill Hill Chapel.

Leeds, University of, at Leeds, England; established 1884 by the amalgamation of Yorkshire College (1874) with the Leeds School of Medicine (1831). The school was known as Yorkshire College until 1904, when its present name was adopted. It has faculties of arts, economic and social studies, education, law, science, engineering, and medicine.

City and metropolitan borough (pop., 2001: 715,404), metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England. It lies along the River Aire, northeast of Manchester. It originated as an Anglo-Saxon township and was incorporated as a city in 1626, becoming an early centre of the woolen industry. The completion in 1816 of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal stimulated its growth, and the factory production of ready-made clothing expanded rapidly at the end of the 19th century. It is the seat of the University of Leeds.

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Leeds is a city located in Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 10,455.

History

Named for Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, Leeds was incorporated on April 27, 1887. Its success as a young city came through three major factors: the incorporation of nearby Birmingham and the beginning of iron ore production there; the building of the Georgia Pacific Railway from Birmingham to Atlanta; and the construction of a Standard Portland Cement manufacturing plant in 1906.

The city recently broke away from the Jefferson County school system and initiated its own Leeds City school system. Leeds is poised to make a leap forward in development and population as the eastward population shift continues into Jefferson and St. Clair counties. Leeds has also benefited from the recent addition of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Racetrack and a highly anticipated Bass Pro Shops Outlet that is expected to be completed by summer 2008. Both of these developments are expected to become magnets for visitors and sources of income, as well as significantly increasing the profile of the city.

Geography

Leeds is located at (33.545592, -86.557388), primarily within Jefferson County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58.3 km²), of which, 22.4 square miles (57.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.67%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,455 people, 4,301 households, and 2,989 families residing in the city. The population density was 467.9 people per square mile (180.6/km²). There were 4,585 housing units at an average density of 205.2/sq mi (79.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.98% White, 15.91% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,301 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,420, and the median income for a family was $46,127. Males had a median income of $32,090 versus $23,448 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,573. About 10.5% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Leeds is served by the Leeds City School District.

Famous natives

• Charles Barkley, Basketball Hall of Famer
• Henry E. Erwin, Medal of Honor recipient - World War II
• Kenneth L. Farmer, Jr., Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army and Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Medical Command
• Caitlin R. Kiernan, author and paleontologist
• William Robert Lawley, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient - World War II
• Mark Martin, cartoonist
• Alford Lee McLaughlin, Medal of Honor recipient - Korean War
• Paige Phillips, Miss Alabama 1980; 1st runner-up to Miss America 1981
• Dixie Walker, professional baseball player and coach
• Harry Walker, professional baseball player and manager

References

External links

• Leeds Alabama Website
• Leeds Magazine