Sometimes I wonder.

Birmingham or Brum as the locals call it.

A recent article submitted to LPR gives some very dry statistics about the city. In my mind, I can remember a culture that has a sense of humour and laughs in the face of adversity.

If anywhere can be described as the first purely industrial conurbation, it is BIRMINGHAM . Unlike the more specialist industrial towns that grew up across the north and Midlands, "Brum" - and its "Brummies" are famous for their hardwork and spirit.

City centre pubs vary as much as you'd expect. The liveliest, catering for a mixed bag of conference delegates and Brummies-out-on-the-ale, are liberally sprinkled along Broad Street, in the immediate vicinity of the Convention Centre, and in Brindley Place. Most of them are decorated in sharp, modern style, but there are one or two more traditional places here as well - as there are in other parts of the city centre.

Destination Guides > Europe & Russia > Europe > England > West Midlands and the Peak District > Birmingham > City Centre

Many visitors get their first taste of central Birmingham at New Street station , whose unreconstructed ugliness - piles of modern concrete - makes a dispiriting start. Fortunately, things soon get better if you stroll west along pedestrianized New Street , one of the city's principal shopping streets, to the elegantly revamped Victoria Square , with its tumbling water fountain.

The Author of This Liberated Article Is: Susan Ashby ARTICLE SUMMARY: Birmingham is an ethnically diverse city which celebrates the festivities of all the cultures and religions that are to be found in the city. Just as the traditional holidays of Christmas and Easter are celebrated so are many more. Easy Copy and Paste the Entire Article Social Aspects of Living in Birmingham

Birmingham City Council is the largest unitary authority in the country. At the last national census, the population of Birmingham was just over 977,000, making it the second largest city in the UK. The ratio of males to females is 48% to 52%, which differs with the regional and national figures which are 49% to 51%. Birmingham is an ethnically diverse city which celebrates the festivities of all the cultures and religions that are to be found in the city. Just as the traditional holidays of Christmas and Easter are celebrated so are; Diwali, Chinese New Year, Eid, St Patrick's Day, Vaisakhi and many more. Using the 2001 National Census the dominant age profile in Birmingham is between the ages of 20 and 44 which accounts for 36% of the population, this is 2% higher than the regional average and 1% higher than nationally. The proportion of 5 to 15 year olds is 16% which is 2% higher than the national average and 1% higher than the regional figure. Just over 70% of the population are classed as ethnic white compared to 89% regionally and 91% nationally. 3% are classed as being of mixed-race, which is about double the regional and national averages. Almost 20% of Birmingham's population is Asian; this is significantly higher than the regional figure of 7% and the national one of 5%. 6% of the population are classed as black, which is about three times the regional and national averages, whereas the percentage of ethnic Chinese is broadly in line with regional and national figures at just over 1%. Health wise the residents of Birmingham generally consider themselves to be healthy, with the percentage of people claiming to feel in good health being 66%, only 1% lower than the regional and 2% lower than the national averages. Life expectancy in Birmingham is slightly lower than the regional and national levels. A male can expect to live just under 75 years, which is one year less than the regional average and about 18 months below the national average. A female can expect to live 80 years, which is broadly in line with the regional average and about one year less than the national average for a woman. 77% of Birmingham population is aged 16 years or over. 51% of those residents are single and have never been married, compared to a regional and national figure of just 44%. The proportion of residents that are currently married is only 37%, compared to regional and national figures of 44% and 43%.The percentages of divorced and widowed people in Birmingham is in line with the regional and national figures of 6% and 7%, With a population density of about 37 people per hectare, the city is slightly less densely populated than similar large UK cities and urban areas. Housing trends in Birmingham are at variance with regional and national trends. The proportion of residents living in a house or bungalow is only 77%, compared to the national average at 80% and regionally the figure is 86%. The proportion of those houses or bungalows that are detached properties is significantly below regional and national averages at 11% compared to 24% regionally and 23% nationally. Semi-Detached houses represent the largest proportion of housing in Birmingham. At 35% the proportion of semi-detached properties is 3% lower than the regional average but 3% higher than the national one. Terraced housing accounts for 31% of the properties; the regional average for terraced housing is 14% and 19% nationally. The rest of the population of Birmingham, 18%, live in apartments or maisonettes. This figure is 7% higher than regionally and 4% higher than the national average. 24% of the resident population are employed, which is 1% below the regional and national averages. Of that working population 76% are in full-time employment which is 1% above the regional and national averages. To get to work 32% of the people use their own private transport, which is 5% fewer than the regional figure and 3% less than the national one. Reflecting the city's excellent public transport network 13% of Birmingham residents travel to work by public transport compared to only 6% regionally and 8% nationally. On average men work 41 hours a week and women, in Birmingham, work 32 hours a week. Compared to regional and national figures men in Birmingham work an hour less a week, whereas women work an hour more. Socio-economically, 24% of Birmingham's residents are classed as band A or B, 51% in band C and 25% in bands D or E. Regionally 54% of residents are in the middle C band and nationally the figure is 55%. The proportion of people classed as band D or E is 3% higher than regionally and 6% higher than nationally. Regionally the crime statistics show a general decline in the number of offences being committed. However, for 2005-2006, comparing the city's crime rate to national figures shows that, per 1000 head of population, there were 8 household burglaries compared to 5 nationally and 6 motor vehicle thefts compared to just 3 nationally. Despite not achieving the national averages, Birmingham city's schools performed well at Key Stage 2 (age 11) compared to other large city unitary authorities. The benchmark for pupils to attain is at least Level 4 in English, Mathematics and Science. Nationally the figures are 79%, 76% and 87%. Birmingham school pupils recorded 76%, 71% and 83% respectively The national average at Key Stage 4 (age 16) for school pupils attaining 5 or more good (grade A* to C) GCSEs, including Mathematics and English Language, is 45.8%. In Birmingham the figure was 40.8%, which again compares well to other large unitary authorities. Birmingham has three universities. Birmingham University is the oldest and, developing from the Mason Science College, it became the original 'red-brick' university when it was established in 1900. It is now one of the top universities in the country and is ranked 23rd by the 'Good Univerities Guide' (GUG). A highly respected science and technology college for many years Aston University was granted university status in 1966. It is now one of the leading institutions for science & technology and is ranked 26th by GUG. With a history going back to 1843, the University of Central England (UCE) was originally the Birmingham Polytechnic. It gained university status in 1992 and is now ranked 78th by GUG. UK National Statistics data reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use Licence.

Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases and Other FREE Information a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles. Author Resource:- Susan Ashby of Birmingham Singles has travelled extensively around the United Kingdom writing articles on each of the major cities. To read more articles on Birmingham or for dating in Birmingham visit http://www.birmingham-singles.co.uk Destination Guides > Europe & Russia > Europe > England > West Midlands and the Peak District > Birmingham

The Author of This Liberated Article Is: Susan Ashby ARTICLE SUMMARY: Best known for being one of the heartlands of the industrial revolution, Birmingham has a history dating back to the Bronze Age. Evidence of burial mounds had been, but there was no accompanying evidence of any settlements. Easy Copy and Paste the Entire Article A Brief History of Birmingham

Best known for being one of the heartlands of the industrial revolution of the 18th century Birmingham has a history dating back to the Bronze Age 4000 years ago. Evidence of Bronze Age burial mounds had been found in the Kings Norton district, but there was no accompanying evidence of any settlements. During 2005, when work began on a relief road around the nearby suburb of Northfield, that evidence emerged setting a starting point for the history of the city. It is also known that the area around Selly Oak has connections with the Romans, possibly having been a junction between Roman military roads. One explanation of Selly Oak is that there was an Oak tree under which the soldiers would be 'paid' their salt. Although the site of Weoley Castle, the manor house of Northfield, is mentioned in the Doomsday book as being the property of one William Fitz Ansculf, the recorded history of Birmingham only goes back about 1000 years and started when the city began to grow out of the various Anglo-Saxon settlements in the area. In 1166 King Henry II granted Peter De Bermingham, Lord of the Manor, permission to hold a weekly market which established Birmingham as a town. By 1250 the town had the right to hold an annual fair in the summer making it a regional centre of its time, attracting traders from all over the Midlands. During this time wool dyeing and weaving became a speciality of the town. Leather work from Birmingham also became popular and it was in the 14th century that Birmingham first started to develop a reputation in metal working. In 1500 Birmingham was still a small market town with a population of around 1,500 people. However, in the following years the population expanded rapidly. By 1560 it was 2000 and by 1650 had reached 5000 making it a large and important town to the Midlands. Its reputation for the quality of workmanship from its cutlers, nailors and Blacksmiths was well established with Birmingham being able to take advantage of the three natural resources; coal, iron ore and limestone from the nearby Black Country and the watermills by the streams which powered the bellows for the forges. During the English Civil War Birmingham was staunchly Parliamentarian. However, it was sacked several times by the Royalists. It was at this time that Birmingham first became noted for the production of small arms, producing thousands of swords for Cromwell's army. As the arms trade developed the area of the city where most of the manufacturing took place became known as the Birmingham Gun Quarter. At its peak it was producing thousands of firearms a week, including famous names such as Farmer & Galton and Webley & Scott. The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was not formed until 1861. In the 20th century it also went on to become well known for making motor-cycles and still has a factory in the Small Heath district manufacturing firearms. In 1715 St Phillip's church was built in the city centre, on Colmore Row. Later, the famous pre-Raphaelite painter Burne-Jones designed the stained glass windows, which still adorn it. In 1905 it became the Church of England cathedral in Birmingham. The first Roman Catholic cathedral to be built in England for 300 years, since the Reformation, was built in Birmingham in 1841. Designed by Augustus Pugin, St Chad's is a classic example of revivalist Gothic architecture During the 18th century, fuelled by the industrial revolution the population of Birmingham boomed. By 1750 it was 23,000 and by the end of the century it was 73,000. Business also boomed as the demand for metal products continued to rise. In 1769 the first canal in Birmingham was opened linking the town with Wednesbury, in the Black Country. It is around this time that the city also started to become famous for its jewellery and a flourishing glass trade was also developing. Linking back to the well established metal working trades in the town was the rise to prominence of Birmingham as a producer of pen nibs. Throughout the 19th century the town council started to spend money from the wealth generated by the towns industries on civic projects. The Botanical Gardens opened in 1832, the new Town Hall was built in 1834, and public baths in 1852. 1861 saw the first Birmingham public library and the Museum and Art Gallery opened in 1885. The years between 1873-1875 saw the great civic leader, Joseph Chamberlain, as the Mayor. He went on to make Birmingham a role model for how a town council should provide for its citizens. By 1837 Birmingham was connected to Liverpool by a railway line and a year later it was connected to London. These events again caused a boom in trade giving Birmingham rapid access to the port of Liverpool to export goods and rapid communications with the capital city, London, helping commerce in the city to develop. With the population exceeding 500,000, in 1889 Birmingham was granted City status by a Royal Charter. At the dawn of the 20th century new industries developed in the city: bicycle making, tyre manufacturing, electrical engineering and motor vehicle manufacturing companies all started up to provide the goods being demanded as the industrial age began to change to the technological age. In the 1930s the population hit the 1,000,000 mark and the city boundaries were expanded to allow more council homes to be built. Heavily bombed during World War II, the city was able to quickly demolish any remaining slum areas and provide housing more in keeping with the 20th century.

Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases and Other FREE Information a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles. Author Resource:- Susan Ashby of Birmingham Singles has travelled extensively around the United Kingdom writing articles on each of the major cities. To read more articles on Birmingham or for dating in Birmingham visit http://www.birmingham-singles.co.uk