Leeds

Leeds is a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire within Yorkshire and The Humber, centred on its city centre where the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal meet near Granary Wharf. The city grew from textile and engineering trades; traces of mills and canal basins remain alongside retail streets such as the Victoria Quarter and the Corn Exchange. Kirkgate Market, where Michael Marks began trading in 1884, still operates as a large indoor market. The Royal Armouries sits at the waterfront next to Leeds Dock and the railway lines converging on Leeds station link the district to the rest of the region.

The district includes suburbs and market towns — Headingley with its international cricket ground, Horsforth, Pudsey, Otley and Wetherby — and rural areas like Harewood with its country estate. The University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University have sizeable campuses in the district, while Leeds Bradford Airport at Yeadon serves the city and surrounding towns. Green corridors follow the Aire and valley slopes such as The Chevin near Otley, offering routes for walking and cycling that connect urban and countryside parts of the district.