Leeds, Utah  Leeds is a town in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 820 at the 2010 census. Formerly known as Bennington, Leeds was formed due to flooding in the neighboring town of Harrisburg. The residents in the flood-affected areas decided to move to this area in 1867. It was renamed in honor of Leeds in England, the origin of many of its settlers. In recent years, the city's proximity to the ghost town of Silver Reef, the Pine Valley Mountains, and Zion National Park have changed the local economic base from agriculture to tourism. On June 17, 2009, Utah police and forest rangers destroyed about 8,750 marijuana plants growing in Washington County. Law enforcement reported Mexican cartels have moved their growing operations to Utah to avoid the U.S.-Mexico border and police pressure in California. There were no arrests made and the marijuana fields were in the Pine Valley Mountains near Leeds. Doug Roe, a special agent with the United States Forest Service, said the plants were young and not ready for harvesting. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land. The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve borders the town. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Leeds has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" (Tropical and Subtropical Steppe Climate) on climate maps. As of the census of 2000, there were 547 people, 207 households, and 157 families residing in the town. The population density was 267.7 people per square mile (103.5/km²). There were 240 housing units at an average density of 117.4 per square mile (45.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.15% White, 0.73% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 1.10% Pacific Islander, 2.01% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.93% of the population. There were 207 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.04.