And over the years personalities who were born locally – and some who weren’t – have tried to pinpoint the qualities that make Sheffield so distinctive.
Here are 10 of the funniest and most incisive quotes about the city from the archives.
5. Sebastian Coe
"When I moved to Sheffield and went to a secondary modern in the seventies, there were certain challenges: if you've got a name like Sebastian, you either learn to fight or to run," the peer and former athlete told Esquire in 2013. Photo: Eamonn M. McCormack
6. William Cobbett
"If the people of Sheffield could only receive a tenth part of what their knives sell for by retail in America, Sheffield might pave its streets with silver," the MP and journalist, who died in 1835, once said - he clearly felt the city was getting a raw deal. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
7. Graham Fellows
"They say those seven hills make you very introspective, because they’re all around and you find yourself looking inward," Graham Fellows - known for performing as his comic alter ego John Shuttleworth - said in 2018. Photo: PR
8. Cíntia Gil
Cíntia Gil, director of the Sheffield Doc/Fest, recently said the city has a 'surprisingly resilient culture'. "A city that has six working 35mm projectors says something about a population, many cities have thrown these to the wasteland in the pursuit of the new." Photo: Sheffield Doc/Fest