Birmingham City Guide

Birmingham City Facts

Country	ENGLAND
Total Area	103.4 sq miles
Lat Long Coordinates	52.4800° N, 1.9100° W
Time Zome	GMT
Demonyms	Brummie
Language	English
Museums	Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, The Pen Museum, Aston Hall
Universities	University of Birmingham, Aston University, Birmingham City University
Official Website	www.birmingham.gov.uk/

Birmingham began as a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village, has grown and developed into a major industrial and commercial city. It is an ethnically and culturally diverse city, which forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation. The city also includes several neighboring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in the United Kingdom. The headquarters of the council are based at the Council House in the city center.

Area & Location:
Located just to the west of the geographical centre of England, Birmingham has a total area of 267.77 sq. km. It is situated across an area of high ground ranging around 150-200 meters above sea level. The city is surrounded in the south and west of the city by Lickey Hills, Clent Hills and Walton Hill. The city is a home to 1,001,200 people.

Economy:
Much of the Birmingham's economic strength lies with the major industries. Considered as an important manufacturing and engineering center, the city receives billions of pounds from its industries. Pen manufacture began in the city has revolutionized writing across the globe. One third of UK's jewelry is manufactured in the city center. Design and construction of railway carriages, steam engines, motorcycles, bicycles and automobiles were the main source of income for the city. It was also home to two major car factories. The other major products of the city include motor vehicles, vehicle components and accessories, weapons, electrical equipment, plastics, machine tools, chemicals, food and glass. Arms manufacture in Birmingham became a staple trade. Birmingham, which has over 500 law firms, is known as Europe's second largest insurance market.

Tourist Attractions:
Birmingham is known for its museums that preserve the industrial history of the city. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery that contains collections of archaeological findings, ethnography, natural history and social history delights the visitors. The Birmingham Thinktank, one of the newest museums in the city, Sarehole Mill, a water mill museum and Cadbury World, a museum that shows the stages and steps of chocolate production not only gives real pleasure to the visitors, but also help them learn much about the city and its industries. Birmingham, which has over 8000 acres of parkland open spaces, has number of parks where the tourists can enjoy along with their children. Sutton Park, the largest park that covers 2400 acres, is the largest urban nature reserve in Europe. Another major park in the city is Cannon Hill Park and Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The city is known for numerous squares in Birmingham city center that contain memorials and pieces of art. Four major squares in the city center are Centenary Square, Chamberlain Square, Victoria Square and St. Martins Square in the Bullring.

Reaching Birmingham
By Air:
Birmingham International Airport (BHX)is the major airport of Birmingham situated just outside the city. The airport is about 8 miles east from central Birmingham. A taxi from the airport takes about 20-30 minutes and will charge about £22. The Bus service 900 runs every 20-30 minutes between Birmingham and Coventry via the airport takes around 25 minutes and costs £1.80 one way. National Express coaches serve the airport every half hour during the early hours of the morning. They change about £3.60.

By Train:
Being the major hub of Britain’s rail network, Birmingham’s main station is New Street.

By Coach:
Most of the intercity buses terminate at the newly rebuilt and modernized Birmingham Coach Station. The City Centre is around a 5 minute walk from the station.

Transportation in Birmingham (Getting around in Birmingham)
By Public Transport:
The Birmingham City council provides all the information about the public transportation online. The buses, trains and metros come under the authority of Network West Midlands. For more information: www.birmingham.gov.uk/publictransport.

By Bicycle:
Not bicycle friendly cities like rest of the Europe; Birmingham has many places to lock a bike up in the city centre.

By Bus:
Birmingham has well served buses operated by National Express West Midlands.

Last Updated on: July 24, 2012