Population: 544,000
One of Yorkshire’s ‘big four’ cities in the north of England, Sheffield’s historic industrial strength was based upon the manufacturing of steel and steel products. While cheaper foreign competitors have challenged Sheffield’s global metallurgy supremacy, the city is still producing more steel than it ever has, and it is at the forefront of the UK’s advanced manufacturing industry. Sheffield lies between Leeds and Nottingham in South Yorkshire and boasts a metropolitan population of more than 1.5 million. Away from steel, the city has high employment levels in public sector work, while services and leisure activities also act as big employers. Tourism is a growing industry in the city and has been the setting for numerous films and TV series over the past few decades, most notably The Full Monty.