Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′54″W / 53.7998, -1.5482Leeds (pronunciation ) is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the River Aire and is the urban core and administrative centre of the wider City of Leeds metropolitan district.Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the recorded history of Leeds can be traced to the the 5th century when the Kingdom of Elmet was covered by the forest of "Loidis", the origin of the name Leeds. Since this time, following the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a major industrial centre for the production and trade of wool, before emerging as a centre for commerce and higher education, being the location of the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University.Leeds is the fourth most populous city in England by city limits. According to the 2001 UK census, the wider Leeds Urban Area had a population of 443,247 . The City of Leeds metropolitan district has a population of 750,200 (mid-2006 estimate). Leeds is one of England's core cities.