Mixing
West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands | |
|---|---|
Conurbation | |
 Map of the West Midlands conurbation in 2011, with Travel to Work Areas overlaid. The Birmingham and Wolverhampton sub-divisions are highlighted in orange, the Dudley, Walsall and Solihull sub-divisions are highlighted in green. | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Largest settlements | (Pop. 100,000+)
|
| Population (2011 census) | |
| • Total | 2,440,986 |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcode | B, DY, WS, WV |
| Area code(s) | 0121, 01543, 01562, 01384, 01902, 01922 |
The West Midlands conurbation is the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Sutton Coldfield, Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge and Halesowen in the English West Midlands.
Not to be confused with the region or metropolitan county of the same name, the conurbation does not include parts of the metropolitan county such as Coventry, but does include parts of the surrounding counties of Staffordshire (e.g. Little Aston, Perton and Essington) and Worcestershire (such as Hagley and Hollywood).
According to the 2011 Census the area had a population of 2,440,986,[1] making it the third most populated in the United Kingdom behind the Greater London and Greater Manchester Built Up Areas. However it should be stated that the Conurbation sits within the UK's (and therefore England's) largest Metropolitan Area[2] outside London (known as the Birmingham Metropolitan Area).
The conurbation has several other unofficial names, such as the controversial Greater Birmingham (though highly regarded by Businesses of the area), the Birmingham conurbation,[3][4][5] the Birmingham-Wolverhampton conurbation[6][7]and the Greater Birmingham-Black Country conurbation[8][9] with the latter gaining wide traction as an alternative to the generally unliked official name of the Conurbation.
The conurbation is polycentric - Birmingham and Wolverhampton have separate Eurostat Larger Urban Zones, and there are separate Travel to Work areas defined for Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley & Sandwell and Walsall & Cannock; whilst the extreme south-west corner of the conurbation at Hagley is within the Kidderminster Travel to Work Area, and the extreme south-east corner is within the Warwick & Stratford upon Avon TTWA.
Contents
1 Constituent parts
2 Administration
3 Settlements
3.1 2011 Census
3.2 Prior censuses
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Constituent parts
The West Midlands Urban Area as at the 2001 Census
Although the exact boundaries of any conurbation are open to debate, dependent on what criteria are used to determine where an urban area ceases, the Office for National Statistics defines the West Midlands Built Up Area as including the urban areas of Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Solihull, West Bromwich, Dudley, and Walsall amongst others. These settlements are not coterminous with the Metropolitan Boroughs of the same name.
The area of conurbation between Birmingham and Wolverhampton is known as the Black Country. The Black Country has no single centre, having grown up from a number of historic market towns and industrial villages that coalesced during the 20th century. It remains essentially polycentric with many of the towns and villages remaining recognisable communities.
Coventry is separated from the West Midlands conurbation by the Meriden Gap, and other urban areas, such as Cannock and Codsall are also only narrowly avoided.
Skyline of Birmingham.
St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton.
Solihull High Street.
Sutton Coldfield Town Hall.
Dudley Town Centre.
West Midlands conurbation at night from the ISS.
Administration
Occasionally the conurbation is seen as being coterminous with the West Midlands Metropolitan county; however, this includes Coventry, which is separate from the main urban area, and excludes the parts of the surrounding counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire that fall within the conurbation.
For administrative purposes, the vast majority of the conurbation falls within the six Metropolitan Boroughs of Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Two Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) cover the majority of the conurbation area: Black Country LEP comprises the local authorities of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton while the Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP includes those two authorities and a number of satellite boroughs, many remote from the conurbation and not traditionally associated with it (Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Redditch, Tamworth and Wyre Forest).
Settlements
2011 Census
The West Midlands Built Up Area consists of the below settlements. Due to the change in methodology between the 2001 and 2011 Census, and the amount of change between 2011 Census and previous census data, it is impossible to compare the data directly between 2011 and earlier Censuses.
| Rank | Settlement | Population (2011)[1] | Notes on significant changes since 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 1,085,810 | Gained Quinton from Oldbury-Smethwick USD. Gained Minworth from Sutton Coldfield USD. |
| 2 | Wolverhampton | 210,319 | Bilston and Wednesfield removed from 2001. The three BUASDs combined total 265,178. Essington removed and placed within Willenhall BUASD. |
| 3 | Solihull | 123,187 | Gained Shelly Green and Knowle-Bentley Heath from 2001. |
| 4 | Sutton Coldfield | 95,107 | |
| 5 | Dudley | 79,379 | Coseley, Kingswinford, Brierley Hill and Sedgley removed from 2011. The five BUASDs combined total 215,693. Gained Cradley Heath and Quarry Bank from Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 6 | West Bromwich | 72,945 | Wednesbury and Tipton removed from 2001. Town split in two by Sandwell Valley and the two parts are now considered separately. The four BUASDs combined total 153,366. Gained Yew Tree from 2001. |
| 7 | Walsall | 67,594 | Willenhall, Darlaston and Bloxwich removed from 2001. The four BUASDs combined total 185,114. |
| 8 | Stourbridge | 63,298 | Gained Hagley from 2001. |
| 9 | Halesowen | 58,135 | |
| 10 | Willenhall | 51,429 | New in 2011. Previously part of Walsall USD, but also gained Essington from Wolverhampton USD. |
| 11 | Kingswinford | 50,801 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 12 | Smethwick | 48,765 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 13 | Bloxwich | 47,288 | New in 2011. Previously part of Walsall USD. |
| 13 | Tipton | 42,407 | New in 2011. Previously part of West Bromwich USD. |
| 14 | Aldridge | 39,463 | Gained Rushall, Shelfield and Pelsall from 2001. |
| 15 | Rowley Regis | 34,260 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 16 | Brierley Hill | 31,430 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 17 | Sedgley | 30,979 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 18 | Bilston | 29,556 | New in 2011. Previously part of Wolverhampton USD. |
| 19 | Wednesfield | 25,303 | New in 2011. Previously part of Wolverhampton USD |
| 20 | Oldbury | 23,964 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 21 | Coseley | 23,104 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 22 | Brownhills | 20,373 | |
| 23 | Wednesbury | 19,029 | New in 2011. Previously part of West Bromwich USD. |
| 24 | West Bromwich East | 18,985 | New in 2011. Previously part of West Bromwich USD. |
| 25 | Darlaston | 18,803 | New in 2011. Previously part of Walsall USD. |
| 26 | Blackheath | 6,518 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 27 | Cheswick Green | 2,197 | |
| 28 | Wythall | 1,912 | New in 2011. |
| 29 | Hampton in Arden | 1,678 | New in 2011. |
| 30 | Stonnall | 1,338 | New in 2011. |
| 31 | Major's Green | 1,002 | New in 2011. |
| 32 | Tidbury Green | 720 | New in 2011. |
In the 2011 Census, Coleshill and Water Orton are two separate built-up areas with populations of 6,341 and 3,444 respectively. Prior to 2011, they were considered part of the West Midlands Urban Area.
Prior censuses
Prior to the 2011 census, the conurbation was known by the ONS as the West Midlands Urban Area, which contained the following Urban Sub-Divisions:
| Rank (2001) | Settlement | Population (2001)[10] | Population (1991)[11] | Population (1981)[12] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 970,892 | 965,928 | 1,024,118 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton | 251,462 | 257,943 | 265,631 |
| 3 | Dudley | 194,919 | 192,171 | 187,367 |
| 4 | Walsall | 170,994 | 174,739 | 178,852 |
| 5 | Oldbury / Smethwick | 139,855 | 145,542 | 153,461 |
| 6 | West Bromwich | 136,940 | 146,386 | 154,531 |
| 7 | Sutton Coldfield | 105,452 | 106,001 | 103,097 |
| 8 | Solihull | 94,753 | 94,531 | 94,613 |
| 9 | Stourbridge | 55,480 | 55,624 | 55,499 |
| 10 | Halesowen | 55,273 | 57,918 | 57,532 |
| 11 | Brownhills | 19,866 | 18,159 | 18,200 |
| 12 | Knowle / Bentley Heath | 18,452 | ||
| 13 | Aldridge | 15,659 | 16,832 | 17,589 |
| 14 | Pelsall | 10,524 | 10,007 | 10,328 |
| 15 | Shelfield | 6,807 | 7,079 | 6,029 |
| 16 | Coleshill | 6,235 | 6,324 | |
| 17 | Yew Tree | 6,109 | ||
| 18 | Rushall | 5,864 | 5,871 | 6,137 |
| 19 | Hagley | 5,723 | 5,417 | 5,754 |
| 20 | Shelly Green | 5,702 | ||
| 21 | Water Orton | 3,573 | 3,555 | |
| 22 | Cheswick Green | 2,261 | 2,511 | |
Knowle | 17,588 | 16,872 | ||
Bentley Heath | 5,984 |
Notes:
- Knowle and Bentley Heath are considered as one settlement in 2001, but are considered separately in 1991 and 1981. Bentley Heath was not considered to be a settlement within the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981.
- Coleshill and Water Orton were not considered to be part of the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981, but a separate Coleshill/Water Orton Urban Area with a total population of 9,554; made up of Coleshill (6,113) and Water Orton (3,441).
- Yew Tree is only considered part of the West Midlands Urban Area in the 2001 census.
- Cheswick Green was not considered to be a settlement within the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981.
- Shelly Green was not considered to be a settlement within the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981 or 1991.
See also
- Constituent areas of Birmingham, England
- List of areas in Dudley
- list of areas in Sandwell
- List of areas in Walsall
- List of areas in Wolverhampton
References
^ ab "2011 Census - Built-up areas". ONS. Retrieved 4 July 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "List of metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom". Wikipedia. 2017-12-20.
^ Fothergill, Stephen; Gudgin, Graham (1985), "Ideology and methods in industrial location research", in Massey, Doreen; Meegan, Richard, Politics and Method: Contrasting Studies in Industrial Geography, London: Taylor & Francis, p. 89, ISBN 0203974557, retrieved 2013-10-06
^ 143 (West Midlands) Brigade, British Army, 2013, retrieved 2013-10-06
^ Goode, David (2010), "Planning for Nature in Towns and Cities", in Douglas, Ian; Goode, David; Houck, Mike; Wang, Rusong, The Routledge Handbook of Urban Ecology, London: Routledge, p. 86, ISBN 0203839269, retrieved 2013-10-06
^ Wells, John C. (1982), "Accents of English 2: The British Isles", Accents of English 2: The British Isles, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 350, ISBN 0521285402, retrieved 2013-10-09
^ Way, J.M. (1976), Grassed and Planted Areas by Motorways (PDF), Huntingdon: The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, p. 8, ISBN 0521285402, retrieved 2013-10-09
^ Wise, M.J. (1972), "The Birmingham-Black Country Conurbation in its Regional Setting", Geography Vol 57, number 2, Geographical Association, p. 1, retrieved 2013-10-09
^ Whitehead, Mark (2007), Spaces of Sustainability: Geographical Perspectives on the Sustainable Society, Routledge, p. 155, ISBN 0203004094, retrieved 2013-10-06
^ "2001 census: Key Statistics for Urban Areas". ONS. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ "1991 Census: West Midlands Urban Area". ONS. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ "1981 Key Statistics for Urban Areas: The Midlands Table 1". Office for National Statistics. 1981.
External links
Office for National Statistics (2004), Key Statistics for urban areas in the Midlands (PDF), London: TSO Laid before Parliament pursuant to Section 4(1) Census Act 1920 Census 2001, retrieved April 2013 Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
Coordinates: 52°30′42″N 1°58′31″W / 52.511794°N 1.975307°W / 52.511794; -1.975307
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