The city of Bristol has been an important seaport and was once a major importer of wine, fish, grain and dairy produce. Nowadays, Bristol is no longer reliant on its port for its prosperity but it is still the largest importer of automobiles in the UK. The port has been leased since 1991 and in that time, more than £300 million has been invested. As a result, the tonnage throughput has tripled to approximately 12 million tonnes a year.

Bristol's GDP per capita is almost £24,000 per year which places it fifth in the UK behind London, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Belfast. Before the recent recession, Bristol’s unemployment rate was lower than the national average but higher than the South West average at just under 5%. The finance sector is one of the main employers in the city with an estimated 59,000 Bristolians employed in this industry.

Bristol is also reliant on the aerospace industry with the Bristol Aeroplane Company producing aircraft at Filton throughout the 20th century. Filton was also an important location during the creation of the Concorde project. This was a supersonic craft that revolutionised air travel until 2003 when the crafts were retired and placed in museums all over the world. Another high-end company based in Bristol is Rolls Royce which is also based at Filton.

Sectors

As you can see above, Bristol is unique in the United Kingdom because it has a so-called 'knowledge economy' which is based on defence, engineering and aerospace as well as financial services, media, creative and environmental industries. There are four universities in Bristol, each of which is well known throughout the world. Between 1998-2008, Bristol has had the highest level of growth in private sector employment in the UK. Some 25,000 are employed in public sectors jobs with employment with the council, in the area of defence, higher education and the NHS all offering a certain amount of vacancies. Although there are a high number of skilled jobs in Bristol, there are plenty of manufacturing job opportunities here too, thanks to Airbus and Rolls Royce among others.

Transport

Bristol has first class air, road and rail links. The M4 and M5 motorways are also close by with Bath only 20 minutes away and the nation’s capital just 90 minutes distant. The city’s bus network is controlled by First Group who were once known as the Bristol Omnibus Company. However, First Group have been roundly criticised for being consistently late as well as being fined for various safety violations. It is said that traffic congestion costs an estimated £350 million per year as most residents of the city own a car and would rather use it than take public transport.

A light rail system was introduced in 2000 but thus far, the council have failed to fund it. On the plus side, Bristol is a motorbike and bicycle friendly city. Motorbikes are allowed use bus lanes and there is even free parking. Bristol also became the first 'cycling city' in the UK with a number of cycling routes created. It is hoped that these measures can reduce congestion.

Accommodation

The Harbourside of Bristol is now one of the city’s most popular residential areas. A number of new houses have been built and add to the attractive waterfront and luxury apartments that already existed there. Harbourside is one of the most sought after areas in the city for accommodation and is also one of the most expensive. However, the style of the apartments and the fabulous view they offer are worth the extra expense for professionals.

Clifton is where the majority of Bristol students live and it is another expensive area of Bristol. Clifton is near Bristol University and is close to a number of highly rated shops, bars and restaurants. It is also just two miles from the centre of the city so the high prices are to be expected. Old City is possibly the most scenic area of Bristol. Despite being located near a number of high quality shops, Old City has cobbled pavements, old buildings and plenty of green area. This is a great place to live for those who like tranquillity and a link to the past, Bristol is still an important city and will remain so thanks to its variety of sectors which guarantees that it will stay in good shape no matter how bad the economy is.