Birmingham is situated in the west miidlands of England and is the most populous British city outside London with a population of 1,016,800 (2008 estimate). 80,000 of this population are student's which shows on the city's thriving nightlife scene. Birmingham also boasts a wonderfully multi-cultural population.

Some History:

Birmingham was originally a Saxon village. In the early 12th century it grew into a town. In 1166 the King gave the Lord of the Manor, Peter De Birmingham, the right to hold a weekly market at Birmingham. Once a market was up and running merchants and craftsmen came to live in Birmingham and it soon developed into a busy little town.

In 1500 Birmingham was still a small market town with a population of about 1,500. In the 16th century Birmingham grew rapidly. In 1547 the population was around 1,800 people. In the 17th century Birmingham continued to grow steadily. By the year 1650 it had a population of around 5,000. By the middle ages the newer industry of metalworking was fast taking over. Birmingham was near to a source of iron ore and was surrounded by streams which gave the city a natural advantage for trafficing goods by barge.

The boundaries of Birmingham were extended in 1928 to include Perry Barr. In 1931 they were extended to include Castle Bromwich and Sheldon. By then Birmingham had a population of about 1 million. During World War II Birmingham was, as a major manufacturing centre, an obvious target for German bombing. More than 2,000 people died as a result of the bombing. In the years 1945-54 more than 37,000 council houses were built in Birmingham. By 1970 the number had risen to over 80,000.

Birmingham was the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in England, a fact which led to it being known as "the workshop of  the world" or the "city of a thousand trades". Although Birmingham's industrial importance has declined, it has developed into a national commercial centre, being named as the second-best place in the United Kingdom to locate a business.  Birmingham is a national hub for conferences, retail and events along with an established high tech, research and development sector, supported by its three Universities. It is also the fourth-most visited city by foreign visitors in the UK. It is economically thriving and has the second-largest city economy in the UK.