Nottingham
Nottingham is a major city in the East Midlands region of England, close to the cities of Derby and Leicester. Nottingham's urban area includes several former towns, villages and districts, including Beeston, Ruddington and Clifton. The city is located on the River Trent and lies close to Sherwood Forest, famous for the legend of Robin Hood. The city's industrial history is strongly associated with the lace and shoe industries.
Amenities and Services
Nottingham is home to several undercover retail areas, in addition to the main market square. The market square is the main focus of the city, with several of the surrounding streets containing shops and businesses. The city's shops and services serve not only the local population of over 300,000, but also that of the numerous small towns and villages throughout Nottinghamshire. The city is also home to the Nottingham Trent FM Arena, which plays host to national and international shows and musical acts.
Transport
Nottingham is located on an arm of the Midland Main Line, which separates from the main route at Trent Junction, a little to the south of the city. The city is the start of the 'Robin Hood Line', a route to Mansfield which reopened in 1995 after being closed in the 1960s. Unusually for such a large city, none of the rail routes are electrified. However, the city does have its own light rail network, the 2004-opened Nottingham Express Transit, which is a partially street-running tramway electrified at 750V DC. Nottingham is also home to Toton Railway Yard, one of the largest collections of stored locomotives in Britain.
Nottingham is located on the M1 motorway from London to Leeds. The motorway also connects the city to the East Midlands Airport, which is located a short distance to the south, near the large village of East Leake. Nottingham has a partial inner ring road, dual carriageway for most of its length. The city is narrowly missed by the A46 road from Leicester to Newark-on-Trent. The A52 road links the city to Grantham and Derby.