Nottingham – introduction to the city – MumblingNerd's Mumbling Blog

Nottingham is a large English city in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of the UK, well known internationally for its links with the Robin Hood legends.

Nottingham is the seventh largest urban area in the UK, which ranks it in size between the cities of Liverpool and Sheffield.

Due to the tightly drawn city boundary Nottingham has a relatively small population of 321,500 (2015 estimate), but the city forms part of the Nottingham urban area, which has a population of 768,638, although Eurostat’s Larger Urban Zone lists the population of the area at 975,800 and the metropolitan area at 1,610,000 (Nottingham-Derby).

General settlement of what is now the centre of the city probably began around 600 AD, with Nottingham rising in prominence through the Middle Ages and the pre-industrial era, following the construction of Nottingham Castle from around 1067.

The city grew rapidly in size and prosperity during the Industrial Revolution, largely due to the textile industry, and obtained worldwide recognition for lace making and for household names such as Raleigh bicycles, Players cigarettes and Boots the Chemist.

Today Nottingham is one of six designated Science Cities, home to more than 15,000 businesses with a wide range of science and technology sectors, including biomedical sciences, ICT, environmental technologies and advanced engineering, along with significant employment in creative industries and more than 50 regional and national headquarters.

Nottingham is an energetic, cosmopolitan city of first-class shopping, cafes, bars and restaurants, thriving universities and businesses, with a pioneering art and culture scene of live music, theatre, art galleries and museums.