Nottingham is often said to be a crime ridden city with various statistics placing it high on the list of the UK’s least desirable places to live. The city council leaders have always dismissed these reports as exaggerated and in some cases, fabricated. Most importantly, residents of the city that spawned the legend of Robin Hood also say that such reports are false and that they are loving life in a city that is home to the headquarters for a number of important international companies such as Boots, energy company E.ON UK, tobacco company John Player & Sons as well as highly regarded opticians, Vision Express.

Indeed, Nottingham has the second highest GDP of any city in England and is number four in Britain behind London, Edinburgh and Belfast. Its Gross Domestic Product is just over £24,000 per capita and should not be confused with average wage. A huge amount of Nottingham’s income comes from the service industry. In 2003 for example, the Regional Gross Value Added was almost £5.8 billion with some £4.8 billion being generated by the services industry. A major part of the city’s economy is now tourism with Nottingham making the most of the legend of Robin Hood.

Sectors

The public sector dominates the Nottingham landscape with the majority of jobs available in the NHS, emergency services and the council. Within the service sector, retail, hospitality, finance and transport provide the lion’s share of employment. Boots Chemists is estimated to provide up to 6,000 jobs in the city alone. IKEA is the main retail and distribution employer. However, Nottingham has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the UK. At present, there are twice as many people unemployed as there are vacancies. Like other cities nearby, the lack of unskilled jobs available is crippling the economy. The city has made great recent progress but needs more employment opportunities to continue this growth.

Transport

The M1, which is the main connection to the entire UK, runs down the West of Nottingham. The A52 and A60 are also important transport routes. In 2004, Nottingham Express Transit was opened, making Nottingham one of only six cities in the whole of England to have a light rail system. This trams route begins in the city centre and it serves the North of the city with Hucknall one of its most significant destinations.

Nottingham City Transport are responsible for the local bus services with a total of 68 routes available. The other main service is Trent Barton who offer routes from Nottingham to various locations in the East Midlands. Public transport in Nottingham is highly regarded and the aforementioned bus operators have won several awards as National Bus Operator of the Year. Nottingham is also served by an international airport. East Midlands airport is located just 20 miles from Nottingham and is the UK’s 10th busiest airport. The Skylink bus offers an excellent service, taking passengers directly to the airport.

Accommodation

The city centre is laden with small apartments which explain why the rent is so reasonable. Indeed, there is very little difference in price between apartments in the city centre and in the suburbs. Therefore, if you have a job in the city centre, you’ll find it easy to gain high quality accommodation for a reasonable price. This is certainly one of the big selling points for anyone who is interested in working in Nottingham. As there is a major redevelopment scheme in place, there may well be even more high quality apartments available.

If you are not interested in living in the city, perhaps you would like to live in a quiet picturesque town like Southwell? This is the typical old English market town and even has its own minister. This is a small, close-knit, friendly community and has its share of old-fashioned bars and restaurants. If you enjoy nightlife, seek accommodation in Lenton which is a huge student area. This is certainly a place for professionals who have just completed college and are not yet finished with the student lifestyle. It should be noted that Lenton is extremely quiet in the summer.

Nottingham is exactly what a modern city should be. Those who live there will tell you to ignore any negative press you hear because Nottingham is actually a really pleasant city to live in with great public transport and value for money city centre accommodation.