The Great Black Country census

A hundred years ago, everybody knew what the Black Country was about. Glowing furnaces and smoky chimneys, the constant thrum of metal-on-metal, the world's manufacturing heartland.

We want you to take part in the Great Black Country Census by filling in our online questionnaire

"Black by day, red by night," was how the American consul Elihu Burritt described the region. But what does the Black Country mean to people today?

That is what we are trying to establish with your help, in one of the most comprehensive and wide-ranging surveys ever carried out into what it means to be from the Black Country.

We hope to find an answer to the age-old debate about where the Black Country actually is and whether Dudley is still the capital.

We're also hoping to find if the Black Country identity is as strong as it was, or whether such things are less important.

Perhaps, most importantly, how does life in today's Black Country compare with that for previous generations? Do you long for the days of heavy industry and close-knit communities, or should we be grateful for the cleaner air and better working conditions? With your help we hope to produce a detailed snapshot of Black Country life in the year 2012.