History

The name of the city comes from “Beorma ingas ham” meaning “home of the people of Beorma”. In the 6th century Birmingham was just one small settlement becoming into Britain’s centre of manufacturing in the 20th century. Birmingham’s first transformation was in the 12th century, from a little village to a market town. Metal industries were established by the 16th century when the city got access to supplies of iron ore and coal.


By the 17th century, when took place the English Civil War, Birmingham had turn into an important manufacturing town, producing mainly small arms. The arms manufacture was concentrated in the Gun Quarter and with the Industrial Revolution the city grew becoming into a prosperous industrial centre.

The arrival of the Grand Junction Railway was the beginning for the railway companies in Birmingham, and in 1821 the London and Birmingham Railway made its appearance in the city. In the Victorian era, Birmingham grew very fast becoming into the second largest population centre in England with over half a million people. Its “city” status was established by the Queen Victoria in 1889.
By 1974 Birmingham became a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands County and in 1986 the Birmingham City Centre was named as base of the West Midlands Country Council.

Quick facts

• Population: 1,006,500 (2005 est.)
• Size: 267.77 km²
• Elevation: 459 feet
• Ceremonial county: West Midlands
• Region: West Midlands
• Geography:
  Birmingham is located in the county of West Midlands about 121 miles northwest London. The city has a strategic position being the hub of the UK’s road and rail network.
• Average January Temperature: 41ºF
• Average July Temperature: 79.8ºF
• Electricity: 240 volts AC, 50Hz, standard square three pin plugs
• Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Country Dialing Code: 44
• Area Code: 0121

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