The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to 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 county such as Coventry, but does include parts of the surrounding counties of Staffordshire (e.g. Little Aston, Perton), Warwickshire (specifically Coleshill and Water Orton) and Worcestershire (Hagley, Hollywood).
According to the 2001 Census the area had a population of 2,284,093, making it the second most populated in the United Kingdom behind Greater London.
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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 Urban Area as including the urban areas (in decreasing size) of Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, and Walsall amongst others. These settlements are not coterminous with the Metropolitan Boroughs of the same name, and the ONS takes its settlement boundaries within the conurbation as the pre-1974 local authorities.
The conurbation is unusual in having a number of large settlements within, with Birmingham (2nd), Wolverhampton (13th), Dudley (19th) and Walsall (28th) all being amongst the largest 30 urban sub-areas in England.
The area of conurbation between Birmingham and Wolverhampton is known as the Black Country. The Black Country is unusual in that it 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 polyfocal with many of the towns and villages remaining recognisable communities. Inhabitants of the Black Country generally resist hints at any relationship to people living in Birmingham. This can be seen by recent (2006) controversy regarding the name of the newly created city region. "Greater Birmingham" was seen as unacceptable, and the final name given was "Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country".
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.
Occasionally the conurbation is seen as being coterminous with the West Midlands 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. Between 1974 and 1986 these areas (along with Coventry) were additionally administered by the West Midlands County Council. Some bodies such as the West Midlands Police and Centro (the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive) still cover the Metropolitan County, but not the entire urban area.
The West Midlands conurbation consists of the following settlements:
| Rank
(2001) |
Settlement | Population
(2001)[1] |
Population
(1991)[2] |
Population
(1981)[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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:
Maps showing breakup of the conurbation according to the ONS in the 2001 census (PDF):