Birmingham may not be the capital city but it's a lot nicer in so many ways! It's the proud home of us at Rent Chief and an ever increasing home of other tech companies moving here for the same reasons as us.
The initial observations are simple- it's a lot less crowded with only 4,200 people per square kilometre compared to London where the number is as high as 6,000. The air quality index shows that Birmingham has 30% cleaner air than London, easily making it one of the best cities to live in.
With The Times recently reporting the booming build-to-rent market in Birmingham, we decided to revisit some of the reasons we admire the city.
The second city
While Manchester is usually given the credit, it’s Birmingham that’s the second largest city next to London in terms of populace and GDP.
The location
While people confuse Birmingham as a northern city, it’s actually in the centre of the UK. Travelling to any city in England from Birmingham does not take more than 4 hours. It will eventually be connected to London by HS2 making London only 49 minutes away.
The housing
Depending on your budget, Birmingham has a range of options to offer. While the city mostly consists of flats the apartments, if you go a little out of the city, it is filled with sub-urban areas like Solihull, Edgbaston, Sutton Coldfield and Longbridge.
The food
The famous ‘curry mile’ consists of a long range of curry restaurants at the south of the city centre renowned for their food. We at Rent Chief are also a fan of Stone Papa’s Kitchen who serve freshly made food and gourmet pizzas for occasional lunch.
The canals
Yes, Birmingham has more canals than Venice! The canal routes take the passengers across the water to various locations in the city.
The cinema
Established in 1909, The Electric is the oldest working cinema in the UK. Even the first ever Odeon cinema was opened in Birmingham in 1930. We also have Empire cinema within a walking distance from our office, making it a great option to spend Friday evenings.
The music
Birmingham is the birthplace of heavy metal with introducing bands like Black Sabbath, The Streets and many more. If you’re into live music and gigs, O2 academy is the place to go. You can also find various pubs giving platform to up and coming artists to have their voices heard.
The culture
It’s a city filled with various cultures and a diverse range of people. The culture is reflected through artistic mediums, whether it is the Symphony Orchestra or art galleries. The city has world acclaimed Symphony Hall, the Hippodrome theatre and The Drum, one of the UK’s biggest African, Asian and Caribbean arts centres.
The shopping
The go-to spot for all kinds of things is the Bullring offering a range of both high street brands and independent shops. There’s also the Longbridge Town Centre next to our office building boasting the largest Marks & Spencer in the Midlands, Sainsbury’s, Boots, and more.
The work life
Also referred as ‘the city of a thousand trades’, Birmingham is a global centre for industry, business and commerce. Historically, the city has always had significant manufacturing companies, from inventing audio sampling to Austin Mini. While most offices are in the city centre, we are proud to be a part of Longbridge Technology Park, enjoying a quieter and productive life.
Comments