Birmingham

This article is about the UK city. For the US city, see Birmingham, Alabama. For other uses, see Birmingham (disambiguation).

Birmingham (/ˈbɜːrmɪŋəm/ (listen) BUR-ming-əm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. It is the second-largest metropolitan area and city in the United Kingdom.

Birmingham
City and metropolitan borough
Clockwise, from top: the city centre from the south, Birmingham Town Hall, St Martin's church and the Selfridges Building in the Bull Ring, the University of Birmingham, St Philip's Cathedral, and the Library of Birmingham
Flag Coat of arms
Etymology: Old English Beormingahām (home or settlement of the Beormingas)
Nickname(s):  Brum Brummagem Second city City of a thousand trades Workshop of the world Venice of the north
Motto(s):  Forward
Birmingham shown in the West Midlands county
Birmingham Location in England Birmingham Location in the United Kingdom Birmingham Location in Europe
Coordinates: 52°28′59″N 1°53′37″W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	West Midlands
Ceremonial county	West Midlands
Historic county	Warwickshire
Settlement	c. 600
Seigneurial borough	1166
Municipal borough	1838
City status	14 January 1889
Metropolitan borough	1 April 1974
Administrative HQ	The Council House, Victoria Square
Government
• Type	Metropolitan borough
• Body	Birmingham City Council
• Leadership	Leader and cabinet
• Executive
• Leader	Vacant (Deputy Leader Ian Ward, acting)
• Lord Mayor	Anne Underwood
• Chief Executive (Interim)	Stella Manzie CBE
Area
• City	103.4 sq mi (267.8 km2)
• Urban	231.2 sq mi (598.9 km2)
Area rank	151st
Elevation	460 ft (140 m)
Population  (2005 est.)
• City	1,124,600
• Rank	1st
• Density	10,880/sq mi (4,199/km2)
• Urban	2,440,986 (3rd)
• Metro	4,332,629 (List of metropolitan areas in Europe)
Demonym(s)	Brummie
Time zone	UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
Postcode	B
Area code(s)	0121
ISO 3166 code	GB-BIR
GSS code	E08000025
NUTS 3 code	UKG31
ONS code	00CN
OS grid reference	SP066868
Motorways	M6 M6 Toll M5 M42 A38(M)
Ethnicity (2011 Census)	57.9% White (53.1% White British) 26.6% Asian 8.9% Black 4.4% Mixed Race 2.0% Other
International airports	Birmingham (BHX)
Major railway stations	Birmingham New Street (A) Birmingham Moor Street (B) Birmingham Snow Hill (C1)
GDP	US$ 121.1 billion (2nd)
– Per capita	US$ 31,572
Councillors	120
MPs	List Richard Burden (L) Liam Byrne (L) Jack Dromey (L) Roger Godsiff (L) Khalid Mahmood (L) Shabana Mahmood (L) Steve McCabe (L) Andrew Mitchell (C) Jess Phillips (L) Preet Gill (L)
Website	www.birmingham.gov.uk

About 1.1 million people live in Birmingham. Around 4.3 million people live in its metropolitan area. Many people call it the "second city" of the United Kingdom.

History

A Victorian building in Birmingham, faced with terracotta tiles

Birmingham began as a small town in 1166. Queen Victoria gave city status to Birmingham in 1889.

Many industries were developed in Birmingham during the 18th and 19th centuries. These included making weapons and food.

Birmingham manufacturing industry played a big role in the war effort in World War I and World War II. The WWII spitfire aeroplane was made in Birmingham. In 2000, a statue of stylised spitfires was erected next to the old factory site. The factory now makes Jaguar cars. Birmingham had a large car making industry. It has declined since the 1980s. It remains the home town for Jaguar and Land Rover cars.

In 1974, twenty-one people were killed in the Birmingham pub bombings.

Transport

Grand Union Canal

Birmingham was an important stagine-post in the Victorian industrial canal system. Today it is the northern terminus of the Grand Union Canal to London. Heavy goods (as coal surely is) are most economically moved on water. No other form of transport is so efficient.

Motorways

Spaghetti Junction

The M40 motorway connects to London via Oxford. The M6 motorway also connects Birmingham to London (via the M1) and to the north-west of England and Scotland. Junction 6 of the M6 is also one of Birmingham's landmarks, and probably the most notable motorway junction in the UK, Spaghetti Junction, officially called the Gravelly Hill Interchange. Other motorways are:

• The A38(M) which links Spaghetti Junction to the city centre
• The M5, connecting Birmingham to the south-west of England
• The M42, which connects Birmingham to Tamworth and the East Midlands
• The M6 Toll, which enables through traffic on the M6 to bypass Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Birmingham, unlike London and Manchester, does not have a single orbital motorway. Instead, three motorways form a box which surrounds most of the city. These are:

• The M42 to the south and east. In the middle, the M40 ends. It has priority for traffic going from the M40 to the M42 west. The M40 goes off south to Warwick, Oxford, High Wycombe, Uxbridge and London.
• The M5 which forms the western section.
• The M6 which forms the northern section. The M5 ends on the M6.

The A38(M) Aston Expressway

Other major roads passing through Birmingham include:

• The A34 from Manchester to Winchester
• The A38 from Mansfield to Bodmin
• The A41 from London to Birkenhead
• The A45 from Birmingham to Thrapston (formerly to Felixstowe)
• The A47 from Birmingham to Great Yarmouth
• The A4540 'Middleway' ring road
• The A4040 Outer Ring Road

Famous people from Birmingham

• Gabriel Agbonlahor, footballer
• Geoff Bunn, artist
• Geezer Butler, musician and Black Sabbath member
• Jasper Carrott, comedian
• Tony Iommi, musician and Black Sabbath member
• Jeff Lynne, musician and record producer, co-founder of Electric Light Orchestra
• Bill Oddie, television personality
• Ozzy Osbourne, singer, and Black Sabbath member
• James and Oliver Phelps, actors, famous for playing Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter film series
• J.R.R. Tolkien, author
• Julie Walters, actor
• Steve Winwood, musician
• Richard Hammond - Motoring journalist, TV presenter

Famous pop and rock groups from Birmingham

• Black Sabbath, heavy metal rock group
• Dexys Midnight Runners, pop group
• Duran Duran, pop group
• Electric Light Orchestra
• Judas Priest, rock group
• Moody Blues, pop group
• Ocean Colour Scene
• The Move, pop group
• UB40, pop group
• Wizzard, pop group

Other websites

• Birmingham City Council
• Birmingham tourism site