Hi Pandora,

I grew up in Leeds and although I haven't lived there for 6 years I still go back from time to time to see family/friends. It's a great city with really friendly people....I quite miss it. It has great shopping, a lively night-life, good restaurants and you can be out in the countryside in 15 minutes (by car). It's a fairly big city so it has its bad areas like any other city in the world. The White Rose Centre is a few miles out of town and i'd imagine there are good bus routes there as it's a big shopping centre, but I haven't been on a bus for a long time so I can't really comment.
As for housing it all depends on how much you want to spend, what sort of lifestyle you like to live, and how far you want to commute. You could try a city centre apartment, there are some really nice apartments near the river. Or if you prefer something less urban try looking at Gildersome or Drighlington. The budget housing areas nearby are the estates of Beeston, Middleton and Belle Isle....lots of cheap housing here but with a higher crime rate. Let me know what sort of life you want outside work and I can give you some more ideas.