BIRMINGHAM
It is the most populous British city outside London with a population of 1,016,800 and
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. People from Birmingham are known as 'Brummies', a term derived from
he city's nickname of 'Brum'.
Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in the UK and the largest council in Europe.
Its headquarters are at the Council House in Victoria Square. The city is also the seat of regional
government for the West Midlands region of England as the home of the region's Government Office
the regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, and the West Midlands Regional Assembly.
Law enforcement in Birmingham is carried out by West Midlands Police, whose headquarters are at
Lloyd House in Birmingham City Centre. Fire and rescue services in Birmingham are provided by West
Midlands Fire Service and emergency medical care by West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Partly because of its inland central location, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway,
rail, and canal networks. The city is served by a number of major motorways and probably the best
known motorway junction in the UK: Spaghetti Junction. The National Express UK headquarters are
located on Birmingham's Eastside, alongside the newly developed Birmingham Coach Station, which
forms the national hub of the company's coach network. Birmingham Airport, located six miles east
of the city centre in the neighbouring borough of Solihull, is the sixth busiest by passenger traffic
in the United Kingdom, and the second busiest outside the London area. Local public transport is by bus,
local train and tram. Bus routes are mainly operated by National Express West Midlands, which accounts
for over 80% of all bus journeys in Birmingham. Birmingham is also notable for its extensive
canal system, and the city is often noted for having more miles of canal than Venice. The canals fed
the industry in the city during the Industrial Revolution. Canalside regeneration schemes such as
Brindleyplace have turned the canals into tourist attractions.
Birmingham is home to three universities: the University of Birmingham, Aston University,
Birmingham City University; and two university colleges: Newman University College and
University College Birmingham. The Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of Acting,
both now part of Birmingham City University, offer higher education in specific arts subjects.
There are over 65,000 higher education students in Birmingham, making it the UK's second
largest student city to London.
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