Leedsis a city inWest Yorkshire,England.Historicallyin Yorkshire'sWest Riding, thehistory of Leedscan be traced to the 5th century when the name referred to a wooded area of the Kingdom ofElmet. The name has been applied to many administrative entities over the centuries. It changed from being the appellation of a small manorial borough in the 13th century, through several incarnations, to being the name attached to the present metropolitan borough. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a major centre for the production and trading ofwool. Then, during theIndustrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a majormill town; wool was the dominant industry butflax, engineering,iron foundries, printing, and other industries were important.
Today, Leeds is ranked as agamma world cityand is considered the cultural, financial and commercial heart of theWest Yorkshire Urban Area.Leeds is served by four universities, and has the fourth largest student population in the country and has the country'sfourth largest urban economy.
