We’ve looked at what springs to mind when people from beyond these seven hills are asked about Sheffield, from near neighbours in cities like Manchester and Leeds, to people thousands of miles away. One great source of answers is a viral tweet, asking outsiders to say in three words or fewer what they think of when they think of Sheffield, which got more than 6,000 responses.
Many of the replies were unsurprising, like steel and snooker, but some were less expected. Below are some of the things for which Sheffield is most famous for in other parts of the UK and across the world.
1. What is Sheffield best known for?
Sean Bean, the old Tinsley cooling towers, the Arctic Monkeys and Meadowhall - just some of the things for which Sheffield is best known by the rest of the world Photo: Other
2. Steel
Sheffield is probably most famous beyond its borders for producing the metal which saw it branded the Steel City. Stainless steel was invented in Sheffield by Harry Brearley and although the steel industry may not power the city's economy in quite the way it once did, it remains a major employer. Its website describes how the firm's origins date back to the 1750s as a small blacksmith forge. George Naylor set up the foundations for the business as a commercial operation with the building of the Millsands Steelworks in 1805. His son in law, Edward Vickers, later joined forces with him to form Naylor Vickers and Co. The company has since been associated with many of the industry's most famous names such as English Steel, Firth Brown, British Steel and River Don Castings. Today, the firm proudly boasts, it is 'capable of producing the largest and most technically challenging cast and forged steel components in the world'. Photo: Simon Hulme
3. Tinsley cooling towers
The 250ft tall Tinsley cooling towers still loom large in the public consciousness 15 years after they were demolished in August 2008. They had been famous nationally as they were so close the the M1 and could be seen by thousands of drivers passing the city each day. Photo: Stuart Hastings
4. Snooker
The Crucible in Sheffield has hosted the World Snooker Championship, watched by millions of sports fans globally each year, since 1977. It is hard to imagine them being held anywhere else. Photo: Zac Goodwin