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is a city located in Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 10,455.
Named for Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, Leeds was incorporated on April 27, 1887. Its success as a young city came through three major factors: the incorporation of nearby Birmingham and the beginning of iron ore production there; the building of the Georgia Pacific Railway from Birmingham to Atlanta; and the construction of a Standard Portland Cement manufacturing plant in 1906.
The city recently broke away from the Jefferson County school system and initiated its own Leeds City school system. Leeds is poised to make a leap forward in development and population as the eastward population shift continues into Jefferson and St. Clair counties. Leeds has also benefited from the recent addition of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Racetrack and a Bass Pro Shops Outlet that opened in November 2008. Both of these developments are expected to become magnets for visitors and sources of income, as well as significantly increasing the profile of the city.