West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is landlocked ceremonial county, and metropolitan county in western central England. Since 1986 it has had no county council. Some confusion is caused by the use of the same name for the much larger official West Midlands Region of England and for the even wider geographic zone of the English West Midlands.
The county contains the cities of Birmingham. Wolverhampton and Coventry and most of the Black Country.
It has a population of around 2,552,000 and covers 89,941 hectares (222,250 acres). Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the Black country together form one of the largest urban conurbations in England outside London with a combined population of around 2.25 million.
County was created in 1974, with most of the area previously being county boroughs in their own right.
It was originally run by the "West Midlands County Council" but this was broken up in 1986 and most of the powers given to metropolitan district councils. Some functions such as emergency services and public transport are still run on a county- wide basis, and the county still has a Lord-Lieutenant.
Towns and villages
- Aldridge
- Balsall Common
- Bloxwich
- Bilston
- Birmingham
- Blackheath
- Brierley Hill
- Coleshill
- Coventry
- Dorridge
- Dudley
- Halesowen
- Hampton-in-Arden
- Marston Green
- Merriden
- Oldbury
- Sedgley
- Smethwick
- Solihull
- Sutton Coldfield
- Tipton
- Walsall
- Wednesfield
- Wednesbury
- West Bromwich
- Wolverhampton
- Aston Hall, Birmingham
- Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
- Black Country Living Museum
- Coventry Cathedral
- Dudley Castle
- Museum of British Road Transport
- Netherton tunnel
- Perrot's Folly
- Sarehole Mill
