An observation from a non-Sheffielder

Sat in The Old Monk on Friday with friends we looked out and saw the big wheel lit up and looking impressive. As the conversation went on, and more beer was drunk, we got round to talking about the size of Sheffield, and my observations didn't go down that well ...

I've travelled around the country a lot, and have lived in Manchester, London, Leeds, Halifax and for the last 6 years, Sheffield.

I've always been told that Sheffield is the 4th largest city in England, but purely from personal observation I've thought, no ... that can't be. So in the pub I ventured the opinion that there's something wrong with that statistic. There's no way that Sheffield FEELS like the 4th largest city in the country.

Anyway having offended at least one person around the table, I thought I'd better do a bit of research on this. I can see this has been discussed before on SF and now I understand the stats and the league tables better.

But before the numbers ... what about that feeling? Why does Sheffield not feel like the 4th largest city?

Well, first of all the number of modern striking buildings. When you see a glass elevator, lit up at night going up the outside of a building it adds a little bit of crediblity to a city. This ain't hicksville.

Similarly, like 'em or not, the number of tall office buildings in a city says things are happening here.

Underpasses, ring roads, fast flowing traffic, roads on the map coloured blue with an M in front of them all say "city" to me.

Now then, you could cycle from Sheffield City Centre to the likes of High Bradfield in next to no time and you're more likley to feel like you're leaving the largest village in the country, than the fourth largest city.

Anyway, the numbers - and the "ah ha" moment coming up ...

From previous discussions on SF and wikipedia I now understand.

As I drive in and out of a city, it's often hard to know where suburban boundaries are, so I base the feeling of where city begins and ends with the boundary between green fields and the built up conurbations, the urban sprawl ... so

I'd say the league table of conurbations has more relevance than the league table of cities by population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conurbations_in_the_United_Kingdom

"Ah ha" so Sheffield is the 9th largest, not the 4th.

Now then, don't get uptight, don't be offended by this observation, I'm not bringing Sheffield down. I'll tell you why this helps me to like Sheffield better.

IF someone tells me Sheffield is the 4th largest city in the country and I compare what I see elsewhere to what I find in Sheffield, then my conclusion is that Sheffield is definitely punching below it's weight

However my human experience of visiting differing cities is much more in line with the fact that Sheffield is the 9th largest urban conurbation in the country ...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conurbations_in_the_United_Kingdom This makes much more sense to me now!

Do I like the fact you've got a big wheel in town and that I can cycle to a country village without crossing a motorway and passing through places that once considered themselves to be significant towns in their own right? Absolutely! There are many reasons to love Sheffield, but claiming to be 4th largest city just rings alarm bells with others. It's got more than little whiff of BS about it.

Love to you all. Peace and good will. Please don't burn my house down ... and on the record, sorry Brian, didn't mean to offend. Sheffield is a great place to live.

Well if it's on Wikipedia it must be gospel!

I thought Sheffield was 4th largest by area rather than population?

"Ah ha" so Sheffield is the 9th largest, not the 4th.

Wow, the statics have been wrong all this time? And you found the correct stats on wiki!

Oy Pal, are you slagging our city off? No, really I agree with you. People get a bit defensive about things like this, especially fiercely proud Sheffielders. I'm an ex pat and I love Sheffield because of it's unique character. I'll always think of home as a big village no matter how built up it gets. I'd hate Sheffield to turn into a big chrome and neon "modern" City because I think it would lose a lot of that uniqueness. Who cares how big it is.

Oy Pal, are you slagging our city off? No, really I agree with you. People get a bit defensive about things like this, especially fiercely proud Sheffielders. I'm an ex pat and I love Sheffield because of it's unique character. I'll always think of home as a big village no matter how built up it gets. I'd hate Sheffield to turn into a big chrome and neon "modern" City because I think it would lose a lot of that uniqueness. Who cares how big it is.

Not been to Sheffield for a few years then?

Sheffield is only the 4th largest city if you aknowledge that manchester city has few people living in it. Most of the population of greater manchester live in the adjoining conurbations which are also cities in their own right, such as Oldham and Salford etc..

The figures are also out of date, and in addition there are several ways to calulate this figure.

This is why sheffielders continue to foster this statistic even though it is slightly dubious. It was true for a time, but we also have to recognise that population statistics are not any kind of accuarate science, even official census events leave out a certain percentage of residents due to language, culture and people hiding from the authorities because they don't wish to be taxed etc..

What a great post Spinac, but I hope your wearing your flack jacket

Not been to Sheffield for a few years then?

???

its hardly leeds is it?

???

 

its hardly leeds is it?

Thankfully.

Leeds is hardly London is it?

Sheffield being the 4th largest city is not a claim; it's a provable fact, thanks to council boundaries and census numbers.

The key, as you've already found out for yourself, is that Sheffield has very little urban sprawl surrounding it. Manchester, a smaller city, is surrounded for nearly 20 miles in every direction by other towns and cities, and outsiders tend to label the entire conglomeration "Manchester, population about a million." Manchester, the conglomeration, is several times the size of Sheffield, the city.