Birmingham is the UK’s 2nd Largest City. A Population of 1.1 million and close to 6 million within the West Midlands region.

The City itself has more canal waterways than Venice and is famous for its gorgeous Cadburys chocolate which is made out in Bournville. In terms of employment, there are numerous large financial institutions based here as well as engineering and professional services businesses based here too.

Property

The Birmingham property market is a little more than that of Manchester with an average 3-bedroom house being approximately £190,000. However, if you prefer to rent then it will be approximately £800 – £900 per month for a standard 2-bedroom property and £950 – £1050 for a 3-bedroom property.

As for moving to Birmingham City Centre the developments within the Mailbox and Jewellery Quarter areas are often popular. You also have some large developments within a short walk of the train station known as The Orion and Centenary Plaza. As for moving to the suburbs of Birmingham there are plenty of nice areas with Barnt Green, Moseley and Harborne all popular areas where people look to relocate.

When it comes on deciding where to live the City Centre is popular with those generally under the age of 35 and with one or two person households as the apartments tend to be small. As for those wishing to live in the Birmingham suburbs there are properties available to meet most budgets with many looking between the £900 – £1200 region. Generally, the more popular suburbs are attractive due to the good schools, good standard of housing and transport links to the City.

Schools & Education

Birmingham has a great selection of both state, independent and private schools. These schools are judged by the government body Ofsted who rate the school on a whole range of factors. It is compulsory for children in the UK to go to school between the ages of 5 and 16 with the school year running from September to July. City Centre, there are only a small selection of primary schools within the Park Central area of the City.

Some of the high ranking primary schools in Birmingham are St John Fisher and St Ambrose Barlow. As for secondary schools then King Edward VI is a superb grammar school and the secondary schools within Harborne and Moseley are both great too.

Universities in Birmingham have a good reputation. Both the University of Birmingham and Aston University are within the top 30 Universities in the UK.

Transport & Infrastructure

Birmingham is well connected locally and nationally with the nearby M6 motorway and train stations connecting you to the rest of the UK. Being based in the Midlands it is well located to be in either London and Manchester within 90 minutes by train.

In terms of international travel Birmingham Airport connects to over 150 destinations with the majority being European Cities and North Africa. As for the local transport, Birmingham is largely connected by buses from the suburbs with a small selection of train stops in certain suburbs.

Community Feel

Birmingham is well known for its diverse mix of cultures and blended architecture within the City Centre. The locals are proud of their heritage and other people in the UK would often refer to them as Brummies. Throughout the year there are a great selection of parks within the respective suburbs as well as shopping and theatre to the City Centre. As for the weather it tends to be a little better than Manchester but worse than London with average temperatures of 19 degrees in the summer months

Business in Birmingham

With its location in the UK and skilled workers through the Universities, Birmingham is home to many national and multinational businesses. With national companies such as Whitbread as well as global companies such as Mondelez International, HSBC and Lloyds Bank all having large operations here.

Conclusion

Birmingham is a great area to relocate when taking into account the essentials of housing, schools and employers within the area. With a diverse mix of cultures, reasonably priced property, good schools and large parks it is easy to understand why many relocate to Birmingham.