Leeds, Alabama

Leeds, Alabama
City
Seal
Location predominantly in Jefferson County and the state of Alabama Location predominantly in Jefferson County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby
Government
• Mayor	David Miller
Area
• Total	22.4 sq mi (58.3 km2)
• Land	22.3 sq mi (57.9 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	627 ft (191 m)
Population (2013)
• Total	11,907
• Density	466.7/sq mi (179.3/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	35094
Area code(s)	205
FIPS code	01-41968
GNIS feature ID	0152018
Website	http://www.leedsalabama.gov/

Leeds is a tri-county municipality located in Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby Counties in the State of Alabama. It is an eastern suburb of Birmingham. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 11,773.

Leeds was founded in 1877, during the final years of the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era. It housed the workers and their families of Lehigh, a Portland Cement manufacturing plant. Leeds has always been a major export of limestone and cement. Also, Lehigh was the first cement plant in America to sell bagged cement, beginning a new type of revolution in the America's cement industry.

Panorama of the hills and mountains of Leeds, Alabama.

In Leeds

Living

For first time home buyers and retirees alike, Leeds is a unique place to live with the benefits of natural beauty, recreation, and convenience. Outdoor activities are possible all year round.

Leeds’ growing public school system prides itself in its optimum teacher-to-student ratio and all-new facilities. Leeds High School boasts state championships in band competitions, football, basketball, track, softball and baseball. Children have opportunities to participate in a variety of after-school activities.

Within 45 minutes from residential Leeds are 470 businesses, a zoo and a botanical garden. With the opening of The Shops At Grand River in October 2010, more than 44 outlet shops were added to Leeds. Mom-and-pop shops are located in historic downtown and Highway 411 in Leeds offers additional restaurants, retail outlets, and antiques.

Leeds has a variety of residential styles, ranging from large swathes of government projects and small homes to medium and large homes, on medium, large, and estate-sized lots. Residential areas vary in character from dense modern neighborhoods to estate lots with agricultural and rural homes that are laid out in organized blocks or cul-de-sac streets scattered throughout the city

Imogene Wright Faletta Welcome Center in downtown Leeds.

Business

Located along U.S. 78 and I-20 about seventeen miles east of Birmingham, 139 miles west of Atlanta and 90 miles north of Montgomery, Leeds has two major railroads and two interstate exits with an international airport a 45-minute drive from almost any point in town.

The city is poised to make a leap forward in development and population as the current population shift continues into northeast Jefferson and St. Clair Counties. Leeds has also benefited from the addition of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Racetrack and the nation’s second largest Bass Pro Outlet. The Shops At Grand River opened to the public in late October 2010, bringing a unique mall concept to the southeast. These new developments located at the Leeds U.S. 78 gateway are expected to become magnets for visitors and sources of income that will increase the profile of the city significantly.

History

Leeds benchmarks in history

The War of 1812, geography, geology, and three cultures shaped the history of Leeds. Lying at the crossroads of desecrated ancient Native-American paths in the center of Alabama, Leeds drew European and African-American settlers to a land of fertile growing seasons and rich sources of coal and mineral ore. The early settlers built churches and schools and left the influences of Cedar Grove, Oak Ridge, Ohanafeefee, and Mt. Pleasant abundantly evident in current Leeds. The principal survey of Leeds was entered into Jefferson County Map Book 10, page 21, in 1908. The settlement, dating to 1818 and incorporating to 1887 as "Leeds", has existed along the banks of the Little Cahaba River; beside an historic stagecoach route; and along two large railroads for the greater part of American History.

James Hamilton, a Scottish-Irish American veteran of the War of 1812 and first sheriff of Shelby County, settled in Cedar Grove in 1816. John Richard Ingram Pashal Stewart, a Cherokee English teacher and American veteran of the War of 1812, settled at Ohanafeefee Village c.1840. At Oak Ridge in 1820 or 1821, European Settlers formed Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the first CPC congregation in middle Alabama. By 1887, the original railroad pioneers included free African-American settlers who came to work at the Leeds cement plant and the Central of Georgia as the Georgia Pacific railroads. Some gravitated to historic Mt. Pleasant Church where a handful of freed slaves had founded Scott City, Hillard Holley, Ciscero Davis, Jeff Harris, and Bill Johnson started Leeds Negro/Primary School in 1921.

Folklore

The tale of John Henry was believed to have originated in Leeds. In this folk story, John Henry, the "steel-drivin' man", raced and won against a steam engine in the laying of railroad that penetrated the Oak Mountain Tunnel in Leeds. Retired chemistry professor and folklorist John Garst, of the University of Georgia, has argued that the contest happened at the Coosa Mountain Tunnel or the Oak Mountain Tunnel of the Columbus and Western Railway (now part of Norfolk Southern Railway) in Leeds on September 20, 1887.

Based on documentation that corresponds with the account of C.C. Spencer, who claimed in the 1920s to have witnessed the contest, Garst speculates that John Henry may have been a man named Henry who was born a slave to P.A.L. Dabney, the father of the chief engineer of that railroad, in 1850. Since 2007, the city of Leeds has honored John Henry's legend during an annual festival held on the third weekend in September, the Leeds Downtown Folk Festival & John Henry Celebration.

Geography

Leeds is located at (33.545592, -86.557388), primarily within Jefferson County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58 km²), of which, 22.4 square miles (58 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (0.67%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	250		—
1910	810		—
1920	1,600		97.5%
1930	2,529		58.1%
1940	2,910		15.1%
1950	3,306		13.6%
1960	6,162		86.4%
1970	6,991		13.5%
1980	8,638		23.6%
1990	9,946		15.1%
2000	10,455		5.1%
2010	11,773		12.6%
Est. 2014	11,939		1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,773 people, and 4,818 households. The population density was 514.9 people per square mile. There were 5,221 housing units at an average density of 205.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 78.7% White, 14.3% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2% from two or more races. 6.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,818 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48. Not much family data was found.

In the city, the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18 and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. No gender ratios were found.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,149. The per capita income for the city was $22,716. About 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

Academics

Leeds is served by the Leeds City School District.

In 2009, the City of Leeds Board of Education authorized the construction—completed by the Wyatt Construction Company—of two new schools, Leeds Middle School and Leeds High School. They began construction in 2009 and now have completed both schools. The Leeds BOE also authorized the renovations of and additions to Leeds Elementary School, which began in 2008. These renovations were made by the Wyatt Construction Company, and include an expanded office and a new awning around the front of the school.

In 2013, Leeds Elementary School gained attention for asking parents for permission to administer corporal punishment to their children. Alabama is one of 19 states that allow corporal punishment in schools, and ranks third in the rate of students subjected to physical punishment.

On December 4, 2008 the Leeds High School Green Wave football team won the Class 3A AHSAA State Football Championship and finishing the year 15-0. On February 28, 2009, the Green Wave basketball team won the 3A AHSAA State Basketball Championship. On December 6, 2010 the Green Wave football team won the Class 3A AHSAA State Football Championship and finishing the year 15-0. On December 5, 2014 the Green Wave football team won the Class 4A AHSAA State Football Championship and finished the year 14-1 season. On February 14, 2015 the Greenwave wrestling team won the Class 1A-5A AHSAA State Wrestling Championship.

The Leeds High School Track and Field team has won several state championships.

The 2007 Leeds High School Softball team won the 3A state championship after winning six straight games from the loser's bracket.

The Pride of the Green Wave marching band has a history of performance and competitive excellence. The band is competitive on the local, state, and regional level. They are active members of USBands and Bands of America. The Pride has been awarded numerous Superior ratings and Best in Class Awards. Most recently they were the USBands Division II A Southern States Champions and were awarded Best in Class A at the Hoover Invitational as well as Second place Class A at the Bands of America Southeastern Regional. The Symphonic Band consistently receives Superior ratings. Most recently they were awarded a Gold rating at the Southern Star Festival of Champions in Panama City Beach Florida, as well as all Superior ratings at the Alabama Band Directors Association festival, the Alabama Independent School Association festival, and the Contest of Champions where they were also awarded Best in Class. The Green Wave Jazz is the latest addition to the performing groups. Most recently they were awarded a Gold rating at the Southern Star Festival of Champions in Panama City Beach Florida. They perform at concerts and other community functions.

Notable people

Medal of Honor recipients

• Henry E. Erwin, U.S. Army Air Forces, Medal of Honor recipient, World War II
• William R. Lawley, Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces, Medal of Honor recipient, World War II
• Alford L. McLaughlin, U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor recipient, Korean War

Other notables

• Charles Barkley, Basketball-Hall of Fame member
• Chandler Champion, Miss Alabama (2013)
• Kenneth L. Farmer, Jr., U.S. Army major general (Retired): U.S. Army Deputy Surgeon General and Army Chief of Staff, Medical Command
• Nathan Glick, artist and illustrator
• Caitlín R. Kiernan, author and paleontologist
• Harry Lee, former Canadian Football League player
• Mark Martin, cartoonist
• Paige Phillips, Miss Alabama (1980); 1st runner-up to Miss America 1981
• Dixie Walker, Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher
• Harry Walker, MLB player and manager

DeVoris Roscha Ragland - First elected African American female to the Leeds City Council (2013)

External links

• Official Website of the City of Leeds
• Leeds Herald Community Website
• Outlet Shops of Grand River
• Barber Motorsports Park