With a population topping over a million people, Birmingham in the West Midlands, is Britain’s second largest city. This former manufacturing hub has reinvented itself in recent years as a modern, happening place to live care of a multi-million Pound city centre make-over, along with exponential growth in the service, tourism, media and retail sectors.

Beginning in the 1990’s, a string of forward-thinking developments began a Cinderella-style transformation of Birmingham city centre. Brindleyplace – a large scale mixed-use development designed to capitalise on Birmingham’s miles of prime canal-side real estate, got the ball rolling. Other cutting-edge residential and commercial projects followed, completely altering Birmingham’s dull inner city landscape into a series of impressive, user-friendly spaces to live and work in.

So much so, that in 2005, Birmingham was named ‘Best Retail Destination in Europe’, a title aided by the construction of several ambitious and architecturally distinct retail spaces, including the facelifted Bullring Shopping Centre and the futuristic Selfridges building.

With its many art galleries, international jazz festival and two football clubs (Birmingham City and Aston Villa), Birmingham is today considered to be a modern and exciting place to live.

A sizeable services sector dominated by public administration, finance, distribution and hospitality-related businesses, together with the second largest concentration of media companies in the country, has largely replaced the factories of the past. However, a few key luxury car and tyre manufacturers remain, together with the confectioners, Cadbury Trebor Bassett.

Its central position makes Birmingham a strategic and convenient place from which to reach the rest of the country – the city has excellent transport links, including proximity to the M5, M6. M40 and M1 motorways, together with an international airport and excellent metro, tram and rail links. This could perhaps explain the success of the award-winning Birmingham International Conventional Centre and the NEC Arena - the biggest exhibition centre in the country - which hosts an astounding number of trade shows and expos every year.

Education-wise, Birmingham boasts three universities and two colleges which attract around 60,000 students every year. As well as being renowned for its School of Cultural Studies, the University of Birmingham is also ranked within the UK’s top five research institutions.

Average property prices here are a little higher than in neighbouring Wales but considerably lower than nearby counties such as Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Buying property in one of the many canalside apartment blocks and upmarket city loft and warehouse conversions is still considered to be wise investments, offering good rental incomes from young professionals and students. Commercial properties for sale in one of the many trendy mixed-use developments also offer good long term capital growth prospects. In outlying residential areas, family-sized terraced and semi-detached property sales continue to be healthy.

Properties for sale in Birmingham