West Midlands (county)
The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of around 2,600,000 people. The county contains three major cities, these being Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. Other large settlements in the county include Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, and the Black Country towns of Dudley, Walsall and West Bromwich.
The name "West Midlands" is also used for the much larger West Midlands region, which sometimes causes confusion.
Geography
The West Midlands borders the counties of Warwickshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south, and Staffordshire to the north.
The West Midlands is one of the most heavily urbanised counties in the UK. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Solihull together form the largest conurbation in the UK outside London, with a combined population of around 2.27 million.
The West Midlands is not entirely urban; Coventry is separated from the Birmingham urban area, by stretch of green belt land roughly 15 miles across known as the "Meriden Gap", which retains a strongly rural character.
A smaller piece of green belt between Birmingham, Walsall and West Bromwich includes Barr Beacon and the Sandwell Valley.
Towns and villages
- Aldridge
- Balsall Common, Bloxwich, Bilston, Birmingham. Blackheath, Brierley Hill
- Coventry
- Dorridge, Dudley
- Halesowen, Hampton-in-Arden
- Little Aston
- Marston Green, Meriden
- Oldbury
- Rowley Regis
- Sedgley, Smethwick, Solihull, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield, Streetly
- Tipton
- Walsall, Wednesfield, Wednesbury, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton
Places of interest
- Aston Hall, Birmingham
- Bescot Stadium (Walsall FC)
- Birmingham Bullring
- Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
- Birmingham Hippodrome
- Birmingham Railway Museum
- Birmingham Wheel
- Black Country Living Museum
- Blakesley Hall
- Cadbury World, Bournville, Birmingham
- Coventry Cathedral
- Coventry SkyDome Arena
- Coventry Transport Museum
- Dudley Castle
- Dudley Zoo
- Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham
- Internation Convention Centre (including Symphony Hall), Birmingham
- Molineux stadium (Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.)
- National Exhibition Centre
- National Indoor Arena (NIA), Birmingham
- Netherton tunnel
- Perrott's Folly
- Ricoh Arena (Coventry City Football Club)
- Sarehole Mill
- Sea Life Centre, Birmingham
- St Andrews (Birmingham City Football Club)
- The Hawthorns, (West Bromwich Albion Football Club)
- Thinktank, Millennium Point, Birmingham
- Villa Park (Aston Villa Football Club)
- Walsall Art Gallery
- Wightwick Manor
Education
The West Midlands contains 6 universities;
- University of Birmingham
- Aston University
- University of Central England
- University of Warwick
- Coventry University
- Wolverhampton University
Though Warwick and Birmingham are considered the most prestigious of the universities in the area, all have a large intake of students from around the country.
West Midlands (county) Media
West Midlands numbered districts
A map of the metropolitan county of West Midlands, England. This map shows former and modern district boundaries. For an explanation of the colours, see the key.
The arms of the West Midlands County Council, depicted here, became redundant with the abolition of the council in 1986 (though similar arms are used by the West Midlands Fire Service).
Map of West Midlands, showing urban areas in grey and metropolitan district boundaries
Map showing Birmingham within West Midlands
Map showing Coventry within West Midlands
Map showing Sandwell within West Midlands
Other websites
- Photographs of Birmingham and the West Midlands
- Identity in the West Midlands Archived 2005-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
- West Midlands Joint Committee Archived 2006-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
- West Midlands NO! Campaign Archived 2008-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
- West Midlands Groups Communities Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine