There’s more to Birmingham than a statue of a bull

It’s the greatest city ever


“You don’t sound like it – isn’t it a bit of a shithole?” This is the standard reaction anyone who says they’re from Birmingham receives. Well, I know I don’t sound like it: Birmingham is a city of over 1.1 million people with many different accents. And in terms of it being a shithole? It’s simply not. It is the greatest city of this great nation.

The Bull is felicia when it comes to Birmingham’s greatness

I, like many other young people, grew up hating where I lived. I yearned to grow up and move far away. But then I reached an age of appreciation, an age of enlightenment. When I actually did grow up, my realisation became abundantly clear: Birmingham is the perfect home city. All everyone thinks we’ve got is a giant bull, the one every single person stops and takes a photo with. But in reality there’s much much more.

We’re officially one of the best cities in the world

Don’t believe me? Birmingham has been named one of the top 10 cities in the world by Rough Guide, beating Paris, Rome and London to make it on to the list. This just proves the opinion outsiders have of Birmingham being shit is prejudicial and fallacious. Ask any true Brummie the real story and they will tell you the truth: that Birmingham is a mythical city of culture, of love, and of greatness.

So what is it that makes Bham so great? Well, for one, our architecture is going places. From the futuristic-looking library to the dank design of the new New Street station, Birmingham is at long last looking like the second city it should be. We also have lots of pretty canals (more than Venice, did you know?) and a beautiful university. That shithole label just ain’t appropriate anymore.

Birmingham has its own Grand Central, so you could say it’s on par with NYC

We’ve got better curry than Manchester

The curry mile hasn’t got shit on us. Let it be said that no city in the UK does curry like Birmingham. If you haven’t had a Birmingham Balti then you haven’t heard Shakespeare the way it was meant to be performed. We also do a very good German Market every Christmas (the biggest outside of Germany and Austria), we have great art galleries, we have a Sea Life Centre, and we have Digbeth – which is the bomb.

Every Brummie is dedicated to Snobs

The restaurants are good. The shops are good. The culture is good. We also have good nightlife. And by nightlife, I mean we have Snobs. I highly doubt there is a single club out there in the whole entire world that is as important to the heart of its city as Snobs is to Birmingham. Any Brummie worth their soul will have spent their youth in Snobs, and it plays host to every end-of-term-back-at-home meet up. Going to Snobs is unique in the sense that, despite its greatness, it is probably like going to hell: everyone you know will be there. Although this means all your friends, it also means every person you have vainly attempted to leave behind in your childhood will be there too. It is a wonder why we all go to Snobs when all it leads to is some form of physical or emotional injury. But with all your friends, genuinely good music, and shots for £1; it exemplifies what there is to love about Birmingham.

Love you x

So next time you think of Birmingham don’t think of a shit metal statue of a bull, or an over-exaggerated gross accent: think of a city that is going places. Although ultimately it must be said, it’s not enough just to list why Birmingham is great. The real greatness of Birmingham lies more in its ethos and atmosphere – something sadly, unless you grew up there, you probably won’t ever understand.