General Information
The city of Leeds is in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately a one hour train ride east of Manchester or a two hour train ride north of London, and shares an international airport with Bradford.
Leeds reinforces the UK's status as an island of accountants, acting as a sevice centre for much of the north of England with a large upsurge in law and finance related jobs in the last ten to fifteen years. This new money has dramatically altered the city centre, bringing with it the first Harvey Nichols store outside London, renovations to existing places of interest such as the Corn Exchange and brand new developments such as The Light.
The city has two large universities - The University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University - with approximately 40,000 students between them. Indeed, it's a remarkably student-friendly city, and is currently the most common choice on the nation's sixth-formers' UCAS application forms.
Leeds is touted as a 24 hour city, though residents of London, Liverpool, and neighbouring Sheffield (let alone other large cities outside of England) will find this laughable. You might be able to go clubbing 24 hours a day at a weekend, but it's almost impossible to catch a film after midnight, and you can't buy non-alcoholic drinks after McDonald's shuts (unless you want them with Pizza, which is mercifully delivered 24 hours by some establishments).
North of Leeds lies some of the most beautiful scenery in England, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors. Other towns and cities of interest around Leeds include Bradford, Harrogate and Huddersfield.
Sports Clubs and Grounds
It wouldn't be fair to talk about Leeds without mentioning the football team, Leeds United who play at Elland Road; the cricket/rugby grounds in Headingley which are host to Yorkshire County Cricket Club, the Leeds Rhinos and the Leeds Tykes.
Nights Out In Leeds
Leeds has a multitude of pubs, clubs and bars to suit most tastes, everything is covered from jazz/funk/hip-hop/soul to punk/ska/metal. Suggested highlights are:
Famous People From Leeds
Leeds is an interesting city. I was therefore surprised to find that it produces relatively few famous people for its size compared to say, Manchester or London or New York. Musicians, artists, writers, broadcasters, DJs and actors do not seem to be that common here. Nevertheless, the famous people from Leeds that I have found are:
Film, TV, Radio and Print
Historical Figures
Musicians
Politicians
I hope there are more to come. msg me with suggestions?
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