![\"Birmingham](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/birmingham-united-kingdom-aerial-view-over-the-city-center-by-night-including-central-train-6786814..jpeg\" "\\"Birmingham")
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Birmingham is the second-largest city in the UK (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
Many people driving around the West Midlands<\/a> may not realise that several historic market towns<\/a> around Birmingham<\/a> were once separate places. Over time, however, the city has grown so much that they now sit within one huge continuous urban area.<\/p>\n Birmingham<\/a> has expanded steadily over the past century and today forms the centre of one of the largest built-up regions in the UK. Among the towns<\/a> that have effectively been swallowed by the city\u2019s growth are Dudley, Wednesbury, Walsall, Oldbury and Solihull.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Insane mega-city set to become the world\u2019s largest with 100m people <\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: Enormous \u00a36.8tn mega-city being built 125 miles across desert faces huge issue <\/a><\/p>\n Birmingham has effectively swallowed 5 market towns including Dudley, Walsall, Oldbury and Wednesbury (Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\n Solihull has also been swallowed by Birmingham (Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\n While each place still keeps its own identity and local history, the streets and suburbs linking them together now form part of the wider Birmingham urban area<\/a>.<\/p>\n Birmingham itself is the second-largest city in the UK. It had about 1.14 million residents at the time of the 2021 census.<\/p>\n However, when surrounding towns and suburbs are included, the population is much larger. The wider West Midlands urban area<\/a> has around 2.7 million people.<\/p>\n Meanwhile the broader metropolitan region is estimated to have around 4.3 million residents.<\/p>\n The West Midlands conurbation, which includes Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Solihull, has more than 2.4 million people and is the third-largest urban area in the UK after London and Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the region has grown significantly in recent decades. Between 2001 and 2023 the population of the West Midlands<\/a> increased by around 16%.<\/p>\n *** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here<\/a> to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***<\/p>\n Birmingham had about 1.14 million residents at the time of the 2021 census (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n Birmingham<\/a> alone grew by about 18% during the same period and population forecasts suggest the city will keep expanding.<\/p>\n Official projections estimate Birmingham could reach around 1.18 million residents by 2028 and around 1.23 million by 2038.<\/p>\n Because the built-up area is already continuous, further growth often means nearby towns become even more connected to the city.<\/p>\n Dudley is one of the best examples. The town has a population of around 79,000 and is often described as the capital of the Black Country.<\/p>\n It is home to attractions such as Dudley Castle, Dudley Zoo and the Black Country Living Museum.<\/p>\n Wednesbury, about eight miles north-west of Birmingham, is another historic market town<\/a> in the region.<\/p>\n Dudley is often described as the capital of the Black Country and is home to Dudley Castle (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n The town has around 20,300 residents and grew through metalworking and manufacturing industries.<\/p>\n![\"Wednesbury,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Dudley-Walsall-Oldbury-swallowed-by-Birmingham-6786816.jpg\" "\\"Wednesbury,")
<\/p>\n![\"Solihull](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Solihull-on-maps-6786818.jpg\" "\\"Solihull")
<\/p>\n![\"Skyline](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/skyline-of-birmingham-england-uk-6786836.jpg\" "\\"Skyline")
<\/p>\n![\"Dudley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dudley-castle-6786846.jpg\" "\\"Dudley")
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