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Birmingham is the second largest city in Britain. The West Midlands conurbation as a whole has a population of over 2.2 million. The settlement of Birmingham dates back to the 6th century – the home (ham) of the tribe (ing) of a leader called Birm or Beorma. The area emerged with a strong reputation as a metal working centre by supplying the Parliamentarians with swords, pikes and armour during the English Civil War. By the time of the Industrial Revolution, its proximity to coal and iron deposits enabled Birmingham to become a principal centre of commerce and industry, earning it the title "city of a thousand trades".
Although Birmingham's industrial importance has declined, it has developed into a national commercial centre; it was quoted in 2007 as the third best place in the UK to locate a business, and the 21st best in Europe. It is also the fourth most visited city by foreign visitors in the UK. The city is home to three Universities and two University Colleges and has the largest student population outside of London. Birmingham is "Britain's Canal City" and it's often claimed that it has more miles of canal than Venice!
The city has undergone massive regeneration since the 1980s. Opened in 1991, the ICC is home to the UK's finest concert venue, Symphony Hall, and held the G8 summit in 1998. Together with the NEC, the Birmingham area accounts for 42% of the UK conference and exhibition trade. The £500m Bullring redevelopment was completed in 2003 and incorporates the futuristic Selfridges building. The iconic Grade II listed Rotunda has recently been reopened as a residential building creating 232 luxury apartments. Other new developments include the NIA and Brindley Place, Millennium Point and the Mailbox.
Birmingham city centre is the UK's second largest retail centre with a turnover of £2.2billion. The Bullring is the country's busiest shopping centre; the city has the largest department store outside of London – House of Fraser on Corporation Street – and the second largest Debenhams in the country.
With Harvey Nichols, Armani, Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss, all with outlets in Birmingham, you are spoilt for choice. And for some sparkle, the Jewellery Quarter is unique, 40% of the country's jewellery is still supplied from here. Birmingham has some of the best markets in the country, in fact Birmingham's outdoor Bullring market is officially England's best, according to the National Association of British Market Authorities.
Birmingham was the first city to be named National City of Sport by the Sports Council. It is home to two of the country's oldest professional football teams: Aston Villa (1874) and Birmingham City (1875). Warwickshire County Cricket Club's home ground of Edgbaston is just outside the city centre and hosts international test matches. The National Indoor Arena (NIA) is a major indoor sports venue and has hosted world and European athletics championships, the world badminton championship and Davis Cup tennis. Birmingham also has professional Rugby union and basketball teams.
Birmingham has many diverse musical venues including the Symphony Hall which is home to the CBSO and is widely regarded as having one of the finest acoustics in the world. The NEC, NIA and Town Hall have all hosted international acts. There are many theatres in Birmingham, the largest being the Alexandra and the Hippodrome where the Birmingham Royal Ballet is based.
The city has several highly regarded museums, including the Birmingham Museum and Art gallery and the recently relocated Science Museum, which is housed at Millennium Point, where there is also a Planetarium and IMAX Cinema. Cadbury World, based in Bournville and The National Sea Life Centre in Brindely Place are two other popular attractions.
The city's largest single-day event is the St Patrick's Day parade, which is the largest outside of Ireland and the USA. Birmingham Pride takes place in the gay village and attracts around 100,000 visitors each year. Other multicultural events include the Birmingham International Carnival, the Bangla Mela and the Vaisakhi Mela.
Eating out in Birmingham is as diverse as its population. You can choose from Michelin starred cuisine in Edgbaston, to the cosmopolitan cafe-culture of the Mailbox and Brindley Place. The Wing Yip food empire was established in the Chinese Quarter and the Balti curry was invented in Birmingham – the Balti Triangle is about 1 mile outside of the city centre.
The oldest inn in Birmingham is the Old Crown in Digbeth (circa 1450). The city has a plethora of nightclubs and bars, based around Broad Street, the Arcadian, Digbeth (Irish Quarter), Summer Row and the Jewellery Quarter. There is a thriving Gay community around Hurst Street, by the Chinese Quarter and the Arcadian.
Birmingham is almost at the centre of England and with great transport links there is loads to do on your doorstep. Sutton Park is one of Europe's largest urban parks, covering 2400 acres and made up of heathland, extensive woodlands and seven lakes. An hour's drive will take you to the Peak District, the Cotswolds and the Long Mynd in Shropshire. Stratford–upon-Avon and Warwick Castle are only 20 miles from the city and if you're looking for thrills then the Drayton Manor theme park is only half an hour away. Also nearby is the Snow Dome at Tamworth, which has a 170 metre slope covered in real snow all year round.
Transport links around the West Midlands are excellent, making commuting into the city easy. The infamous "Spaghetti Junction" is 2 miles from the city centre and the M6, M5, M42 and M40 mean the rest of the UK is easily accessible. Birmingham has three railway stations which serve the local and national rail network. London is a mere 1hour 30 minutes from New Street Station.
The Metro tram runs between Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton and there are plans to extend this across the region.
Birmingham International Airport is 10 miles out of the city centre, budget and chartered airlines fly from here across the UK and Europe. You can also fly direct to New York, Toronto, Dubai, Delhi and Islamabad.
If you are looking for city centre living then the choices of properties is endless. There are numerous new build apartments in areas such as Bindley Place, the Mailbox and the Jewellery Quarter. The suburbs of Edgbaston, Moseley, Harbourne, Hall Green and Bournville are all within 20 minutes of the city centre by train or bus and attract young professionals and families with good quality housing and local bars and restaurants. On the outskirts of the city are towns such as Stourbridge, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield which all have regular rail links into the centre, journeys take up to 30 minutes. If you prefer a more rural location then idyllic villages in Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Shropshire are within 1 hour of the city by train.
Birmingham has a good range of schools in the public and private sector. King Edward's School in Edgbaston is perhaps the most prestigious independent school in the city, along with Edgbaston High and Solihull School. The seven schools of The King Edward VI Foundation are voluntarily funded Grammar Schools and are known nationally for setting very high academic standards, consistently achieving top positions in national league tables.
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