Why does Birmingham get a bad rep?

Because it is actually the most ethnic and culturally diverse city in Britain. So people think of it as a rubbish dump. Also it doesn't have any landmarks or the traffic links/airports that London has. Basically are rubbish version of London.

Oh, I see...

The thing about the traffic links/airports actually is quite true. I'm from Lisbon, and there are no direct flights to Birmingham so I have to get to Manchester first and then take the train. It's quite troublesome, especially with heavy luggage :/

Thanks for the answer =)

It's a bit crap really. For such a large city there isn't really much there and many smaller cities in the UK, imo at least, have much more to offer.

It's a bit crap really. For such a large city there isn't really much there and many smaller cities in the UK, imo at least, have much more to offer.

Hi,

I'm not from England and this September I'll be studying at the University of Birmingham and I've noticed that in this forum the city of Birmingham has a really bad reputation compared to the other cities in the UK.

Can anyone tell me why that is? I honestly have no idea...

Thanks xD

Oh, maybe I made a mistake applying to the uni there...

Tbh, it wasn't my first choice, I only firmed it because Bristol didn't accept me (I wanted to go there originally).

It is a bit of a dump once you get out of the town center. I would never live there again if I had the chance. A few nice places eg Edgbaston, Harbourne, but that is it.

So a great city center but a poor, dirty, generally dislikeable kind of people around most of it in my view. Compare it to Bath-both the people and place as a whole-and see the difference.

In my view.

Oh, maybe I made a mistake applying to the uni there...

Do you really think that even the people are generally dislikeable? Surely, the people would be like any other city in the UK, no

Ignore this forum, it's a bandwagon. As someone else has pointed out I firmly believe part of it is down to it's multiculturalism. There is quite a lot here and lots of stuff opening this year too.

Once you arrive here you'll love it. Got PMs from members from abroad who are here studying and they love it here.

Can't be arsed to make a longer post than this, I've defended Brum enough times, it'll be nothing I haven't already said about fifty times on here already.

I think it's because it's so ethically diverse SOME people give it a bad reputation (40% of people are non-white) but I've lived here my whole life and I can't think of a better thing. The majority of people who criticize it are probably ill-informed who have never visited, and believe everything everything they hear in the media/ off equally as ignorant people.

We have a chinese quarter, gay village, large asian/caribbean communities, restaurants of every kind and we're proud of our diversity and you will make friends from all over the world, but that's not everyone's cup of tea.

It's also officially the youngest city in the UK, with 40% of the population being under 25. meaning the nightlife/shopping is really good. It's full of museums and art galleries... the architecture is a mix of historic landmarks and modern and fun buildings. It's also constantly voted best city in the UK for tourists to visit (check this out) It's also one of the greenest cities in the UK too, with a massive 8,000 acres of parks and green space. Some of the areas like Bournville and Sutton Coldfield are stunning.

Every city has it's flaws, there's some very unattractive areas which are a bit run down/full of poverty, meaning there's more litter and crime etc. But you will find this in most global cities. I have had my phone robbed once in the street but I'd say you just need to be as vigilant as you were in any city.

Don't hesitate to ask me any questions about it