History 

The Roman were the first people to occupy the Birmingham area in the old days.  It became a small Anglo-Saxon hamlet in the middle ages and first appeared in record as a small village by the Domesday Book in 1086.  Birmingham began to develop into a market center in the 12th century, and had developed a decent reputation as a manufacturing and small arms producing town by the 17th century.  The upsurge of Industrial Revolution had ushered Birmingham to the forefront of the country's industrial cities as well as a canal and railway center.  By the Victorian era it became Britain's second most populated city after London.  The urban spread and constructions of many new buildings after much of the city was bombed during WW II made outsiders looked down on Birmingham as a "concrete city".  However, the recent attempt to restore the old buildings and renovate some of its run-down quarters has helped Birmingham to shine and appeal to tourists again.       

Geography & climate

Birmingham is located about 193 km northwest of London, and about the same distance away from Liverpool.  It is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England.  The weather is typically English, but noticeably more moderate than the coasts.  There is no peak season in Birmingham, but the weather is most pleasant if you go between May and September when there is less rain and more sunny days.  Rainfall tend to scatter consistently throughout the year, but generally get heavier in winter.