Wast Midlands conurbation

Nae tae be confused wi Wast Midlands (coonty) or Wast Midlands (region).

The Wast Midlands conurbation is the name gien tae the lairge conurbation that includes the ceeties o Birmingham an Wolverhampton an the lairge touns o Dudley, Walsall, Wast Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the Englis Wast Midlands.

Cairt o the Wast Midlands Urban Aurie.

No tae be ramfeeselt wi the region or metropolitan coonty o the same name, the conurbation daes no include pairts o the coonty such as Coventry, but daes include pairts o the surroondin coonties o Staffordshire (e.g. Little Aston, Perton), Warwickshire (specifically Coleshill an Water Orton) an Worcestershire (Hagley, Hollywood).

Accordin tae the 2001 Census the aurie haed a population o 2,284,093, makkin it the seicont maist populatit in the Unitit Kinrick.

Constituent Pairts

Awtho the exact bundaries o ony conurbation are open tae debate, dependent on wha criteria are uised tae determine whaur an urban aurie ceases, the Office for Naitional Statistics defines the Wast Midlands Urban Aurie as includin the urban auries (in decreasin size) o Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, an Walsall amangst ithers. Thir settlements are no coterminous wi the Metropolitan Boroughs o the same name, an the ONS takes its dounset bundaries athin the conurbation as the pre-1974 local authorities.

The conurbation is unuisual in haein a nummer o lairge settlements athin, wi Birmingham (2nt), Wolverhampton (13t), Dudley (19t) an Walsall (28t) aw bein amangst the lairgest 30 urban sub-auries in Ingland.

The aurie o conurbation atween Birmingham an Wolverhampton is kent as the Black Kintra. The Black Kintra is unuisual in that it haes nae single centre, haein grown up frae a nummer o historic mercat touns an industrial veelages that coalesced durin the 20t century. It remains essentially polyfocal wi mony o the touns an veelages remainin recognisable communities. Inhabitants o the Black Kintra generally resist hints at ony relationship tae fowk livin in Birmingham. This can be seen bi recent (2006) controversy regardin the name o the newly creatit ceety region. "Greater Birmingham" wis seen as unacceptable, an the feenal name gien wis "Birmingham, Coventry an the Black Kintra".

Coventry is separate frae the Wast Midlands conurbation, an ither urban auries, such as Cannock an Codsall are an aa anerlie narraely avoidit.

Relationship tae Metropolitan Coonty

Occasionally the conurbation is seen as bein coterminous wi the Wast Midlands coonty; housomeivver, this includes Coventry, which is separate frae the main urban aurie, an excludes the pairts o the surroondin coonties o Staffordshire, Warwickshire an Worcestershire that faw athin the conurbation.

For admeenistrative purposes, the vast majority o the conurbation faws athin the sax Metropolitan Boroughs o Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall an Wolverhampton. Atween 1974 an 1986 thir auries (alang wi Coventry) wur additionally admeenistered bi the Wast Midlands Coonty Cooncil. Some bodies such as the Wast Midlands Polis an Centro (the Wast Midlands Passenger Transport Executive) still cover the Metropolitan Coonty, but no the entire urban aurie.

Settlements

The Wast Midlands conurbation consists o the follaein settlements:

Rank (2001)	Settlement	Population (2001)	Population (1991)	Population (1981)
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 an Bentley Heath are considered as ane dounset in 2001, but are considered separately in 1991 an 1981. Bentley Heath wis no considered tae be a dounset athin the Wast Midlands Urban Aurie in 1981.
• Coleshill an Water Orton wur no considered tae be pairt o the Wast Midlands Urban Aurie in 1981, but a separate Coleshill/Water Orton Urban Aurie wi a tot population o 9,554; made up o Coleshill (6,113) an Water Orton (3,441).
• Yew Tree is anerlie considered pairt o the Wast Midlands Urban Aurie in the 2001 census.
• Cheswick Green wis no considered tae be a dounset athin the Wast Midlands Urban Aurie in 1981.
• Shelly Green wis no considered tae be a dounset athin the Wast Midlands Urban Aurie in 1981 or 1991.

See an aw

• Constituent auries o Birmingham, Ingland
• Leet o auries in Dudley
• leet o auries in Sandwell
• Leet o auries in Walsall
• Leet o auries in Wolverhampton

Freemit airtins

Maps showin breakup o the conurbation accordin tae the ONS in the 2001 census (PDF):

• North West, includin Wolverhampton
• North East, includin Walsall
• South West, includin Dudley
• South East, includin Birmingham an Solihull