The kick-off was delayed for fifteen minutes due to crowd congestion at a very busy KitKat Crescent.
First-half goals from Jermaine Beckford (25 mins) and Onome Sodje (43 mins) saw honours even as the Whites started their build-up to the 2008-09 League One campaign next month.
Gary McAllister made 11 changes at half-time, fielding different sides in each half, and a positive performance ensured an encouraging start to the club's summer schedule.
Leeds opened the scoring through a well-worked goal from Beckford. A neat pass from Frazer Richardson played Andrew Hughes into space on the right wing, and Beckford ran in to side-foot the midfielder's cross past City goalkeeper Michael Ingham.
Beckford could have finished the first half with a hat-trick, an early header was tipped over the crossbar by Ingham and a low shot on 29 minutes went into the side-netting, but City equalised two minutes before the break.
Sodje broke clear of United's defence, and although his first effort struck the legs of Casper Ankergren, he followed in to ease the rebound into an empty goal.
York then threatened to claim the lead early in the second period when former Leeds junior Craig Farrell's free-kick went a foot beyond the post of United's replacement goalkeeper Alan Martin, but despite Alan Sheehan and Andy Robinson going close, a half of few clear chances failed to deliver a winning goal.
City: Michael Ingham, Ben Purkiss, David McGurk, Darren Kelly, Mark Robinson, Lee Elam, Mark Greaves, Ben Wilkinson, Martyn Woolford, Craig Farrell, Onome Sodje.
Replacements: Josh Mimms, Danny Parslow, Jimmy Beadle, Simon Rusk, Niall Henderson, Steven Hogg, Andy McWilliams, Josh Radcliffe, Liam Shepherd, Adam Boyes, Richard Brodie.
United: Ankergren (Martin 46), Richardson (Gardner 46), Parker (Sheehan 46), Douglas (Michalik 46), Bayly (Westlake 46), Huntington (Kilkenny 46), Prutton (Howson 46), Sweeney (Johnson 46 (Elliott 86)), Beckford (Carole 46), Weston (Showunmi 46), Hughes (Robinson 46).
Unused: Sorsa
Ref: Jon Moss
Attendance: 4,405 (2,387 Leeds).