A Guide to Living in West Midlands

Where is the West Midlands

The term, ‘West Midlands’ can often be a little confusing, as it refers to both a metropolitan county and one of nine official regions of England. In this case, we’ll be talking about the metropolitan county, which is located in the western-central area of England, largely around the city of Birmingham.

What areas are in the West Midlands?

The West Midlands is made up of seven metropolitan boroughs, including Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. It also includes the Meriden Gap, which is a section of the West Midlands Green Belt.

Birmingham

The second-largest city in the UK, with around 3.6 million people living in its metropolitan area, Birmingham is widely regarded as the second city in the United Kingdom because of its size and economic value.

Once a hub for manufacturing, Birmingham has evolved into an international commercial centre and convention centre. This vibrant and influential city boasts internationally renowned cultural institutions, a thriving art, music and food scene, and seven universities, making it the largest higher education centre in the country outside of London.

Coventry

The West Midlands’ second city, Coventry has built a reputation for being a centre of excellence for arts and culture and was the 2021 UK City of Culture. For business purposes, Coventry is the most centrally located city in England and boasts excellent transport links to the rest of the country. 

A centre of engineering innovation and manufacturing excellence, especially for the automotive industry, Coventry is the industrialized heart of the UK’s economy.

Meriden Gap

While the West Midlands is one of the most heavily populated and urbanised areas in the UK, the Meriden Gap, which separates Coventry from Solihull, is a greenbelt area that retains its rural character. 

An enticing stretch of green between heavily urban areas, the Meriden Gap offers all the picturesque beauty of the English countryside, within easy commuting distance of two of the most vibrant cities in the UK.

West Midlands universities

The West Midlands offers an excellent choice of universities, split between the cities of Birmingham and Coventry.

Birmingham alone hosts seven out of the ten universities in the county, including Birmingham City University, Aston University, University of Birmingham, University College Birmingham and Newman University. 

It also has campuses for BPP University and the University of Law as well as the West Midlands regional base for the Open University, making it the largest centre for higher education in the UK outside of London.

Coventry hosts Coventry University and the prestigious University of Warwick, while the University of Wolverhampton is split between Telford and Walsall campuses in Wolverhampton.

Top schools in the West Midlands

The West Midlands has some of the best schools in the country, including:

King Edward VI School

The school where Shakespeare learned his trade, the King Edward VI School was voted West Midlands Independent School of the Decade by the Sunday Times and is ranked as the 12th best school in the UK.

King Edward School in Birmingham (KES)

Offering the international baccalaureate to its sixth form students, and with consistently excellent overall exam scores, KES Won the Sunday Times’ West Midlands Independent School of the Decade.

King Edward VI High School for Girls

The partner school of the equally well regarded King Edward VI High School for Boys, this school has won the West Midlands Independent Secondary School of the Year twice in the last three years.

Population of the West Midlands

The West Midlands is one of the most heavily populated areas in the UK. It is the third most populated area in the country, just behind Greater London and Greater Manchester, with 2,440,986 people currently living there.

The population of the West Midlands is largely centred around the areas of Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Solihull.