Leeds, ENG - Postcode - LS9 7AZ

Description of Leeds, England

Leeds, the largest city in West Yorkshire and the county seat of Leedsshire, is located in the north of England. Located in the Pennine foothills to the east, it was founded around the River Aire. It has a larger population than both London and Birmingham combined, making it England's third-largest city.

As early as the 13th century, the city served as a manorial borough, and by the 16th century, it had become a bustling market town. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it flourished as a major production and commerce hub (mostly for wool) and the birthplace of carbonated water. During the height of the Industrial Age, this town thrived as a hub for the textile industry. Kirkgate Market is one of numerous Victorian-era shopping arcades that still stand today; the area is also well-known for its flax industry, iron foundries, engineering, and printing. After being granted city status in 1893, the area around it grew rapidly in the decades that followed, eventually surpassing York in population.

 The city's train station is the second busiest in Northern England, after Manchester Piccadilly. It has a population of 516,298 and is the county seat, but the City of Leeds region as a whole had 812,000 residents at the last census. Including the surrounding metropolitan region, the city's population of 1.7 million makes it the United Kingdom's fourth-most populous urban area.

Economy of Leeds

Leeds has the highest ratio of public to private sector jobs of any of the UK's Core Cities and has the most diverse economy of any of the UK's main employment centers. At the beginning of 2015, the city had the third-largest number of jobs (including those held by people who were not employees) of any local authority area in the country. Twenty-four percent worked in the public sector (mostly in administration, education, and health), twenty-three percent in the private sector (primarily in banking, finance, and insurance), and twenty-one percent in the hospitality and food service industries. Leeds's financial structure differs most from that of the region and the country in the areas of banking, finance, and insurance. Leeds' finance and services sector was worth £2.1 billion in 2011, making it the fifth largest in the UK behind London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Birmingham. The rapid expansion of the economy may largely be attributed to the booming tertiary sector, which includes wholesale, transportation, hotels, restaurants, and the like. Another notable feature of the city is that it is home to the Bank of England's sole UK branch. The Gross Value Added (GVA) for the city in 2012 was £18.8 billion, with the Leeds City Region as a whole contributing £56 billion to the national economy.

The building, manufacturing, creative/digital, and financial sectors, as well as the retail and leisure/visitor economies, are also vital. The city boasts the greatest pace of private-sector job growth of any major UK city and has one of the most varied economies in the country. Furthermore, more people in the city work in the private sector than any other of the UK's Core Cities. At the beginning of 2015, there were 480, 000 people working in some capacity in the Leeds metropolitan area, making it the third-most populous local authority area in terms of employment. According to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, Leeds is a "High Sufficiency" level city. The financial and insurance services industry contributes £13 billion to Leeds' economy, making it the largest legal and financial center outside of London.

About half of the United Kingdom's manufacturing base lies within two hours' drive of Leeds, making it the third-largest manufacturing center in the country. Leeds's manufacturing sector, which includes over 1,800 businesses and 39,000 workers, accounts for 8.8 percent of the city's total workforce. Engineering, printing and publishing, the food and beverage industry, chemicals, and medical technology are the largest of the sub-sectors. New construction over the time period totaled £26 million, most of which was used by the manufacturing and distribution sectors.

When compared to London, Leeds is far and by the most important city in the country for financial and business services. Over the next decade, the economy is expected to increase by 25%, with financial and business services accounting for 38% of total output and generating over half of the GVA growth over that period.

There are more than 30 national and international banks headquartered in the city, including an office of the Bank of England, contributing 38 percent of the city's total GDP to the finance and business service sector. Leeds is the third-largest manufacturing center in the United Kingdom, home to over 1,800 businesses and 39,000 people. The manufacturing sector in Leeds accounts for 8.8 percent of all jobs in the city and is valued more than £7 billion. Engineering, publishing, food and beverage, chemicals, and healthcare technology are the most prominent sub-sectors.

The city of Leeds is home to more than 30 different national and international banks, several of which have northern or regional headquarters there. Several major banks, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, and Santander, have their headquarters there.