| Dudley | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 From top left: Dudley Town Centre viewed from Castle Hill with the spire of St Thomas church; Dudley Priory; Dudley Zoo; Dudley Market Place; Dudley Castle; Statue of William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley. | |
  Dudley Location within the West Midlands | |
| Population | 79,379 (Built-Up Area) 312,900 (Metropolitan Borough)[a] |
| OS grid reference | SO9490 |
| • London | 108 mi (174 km) |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Suburbs of the town | |
| Post town | DUDLEY |
| Postcode district | DY1 – 3 |
| Dialling code | 01384 0121 01902 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www |
Dudley (/ˈdʌdli/ DUD-lee, locally [ˈdʊdləi̯])[2] is a market town in the West Midlands, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Wolverhampton and 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the 2011 census, it had a population of 79,379. The Metropolitan Borough, which includes the towns of Stourbridge and Halesowen, had a population of 312,900. In 2014, the borough council adopted a slogan describing Dudley as the capital of the Black Country,[3][4][5] a title by which it had long been informally known.
Originally a market town, Dudley was one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution and grew into an industrial centre in the 19th century with its iron, coal, and limestone industries before their decline and the relocation of its commercial centre to the nearby Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the 1980s. Tourist attractions include Dudley Zoo and Castle, the 12th century priory ruins, and the Black Country Living Museum.
- ^ "Usual resident population by five-year age group, local authorities in England and Wales". 2011 Census. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ Clark, Urszula. West Midlands English: Birmingham and the Black Country.
- ^ "Dudley leaders fly the flag for the borough after announcing it is the capital of the Black Country". Halesowen News. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ "Black Country Day 2014: There's so much for us to be proud about". Express & Star. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ "Dudley flies flag as capital of the Black Country". Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
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