But anyone living in Sheffield knows there’s so much more to the city than that.
We’ve put together a list of just some of the things Sheffield does best, or certainly better than almost anywhere else.
There are bound to be things we’ve left off the list, and we’d love to hear your suggestions for what else should have been included.
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1. Sport
Sheffield may be lagging behind its noisy neighbour, Manchester, when it comes to footballing success these days. But without Sheffield, the beautiful game as we know it probably wouldn't exist. The city is the birthplace of football, home to the world's first club, Sheffield FC, the world's oldest ground, Hallam FC's Sandygate Road stadium, and two of the sport's most historic clubs, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. It's also where the game's earliest rules were written up. The late, great Pele, pictured, famously once said that without Sheffield FC 'there wouldn't be a me'. Sheffield also punches above its weight in other sports, including cricket, in which it has produced two of England's greatest ever players, Joe Root and Michael Vaughan; athletics, with the Olympic greats Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sebastian Coe having honed their skills in the city; and boxing, in which Naseem Hamed was among a slew of champions guided to glory by the late Brendan Ingle. | National World Photo: Steve Hutton
2. Steel
Steel doesn't dominate Sheffield's economy in the way it once did, but the city is still at the forefront of global steel making, today concentrating on producing speciality steel products. Sheffield Forgemasters recently secured a deal to produce steel for a new UK artillery gun barrel factory, while the Italian firm Marcegaglia announced it was investing £50 million to build an electric arc furnace in the city. Sheffield, which famously gave the world stainless steel, courtesy of Harry Brearley, also still has a proud reputation for producing the finest cutlery. | National World Photo: Dean Atkins
3. Beer
Sheffield was once synonymous with Stones Bitter, which was huge in the 80s and 90s, but it is today the spiritual home of craft beer. Such is the quality and variety of beer brewed around the city that it has been declared the 'real ale capital of the world'. Kelham Island Brewery, Abbeydale Brewery, Saint Mars of the Desert, Bradfield Brewery and Triple Point Brewing are just some of the small, independent breweries around Sheffield between them producing an awesome range of tipples. Unsurprisingly, there is also an abundance of amazing pubs in Sheffield at which to sample those beers, including the stunning Sheffield Tap, which awaits visitors to the city on platform 1b at the railway station, and boasts its own on-site microbrewery. Pictured is the hugely popular Sheffield Steel City Beer & Cider Festival, held at Kelham Island Museum. | National World Photo: James Hardisty
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4. Sunsets
Sheffield, like Rome, is famously built upon seven hills, though traipsing round the city it can feel like there are a lot more. The pay off is the incredible views you get from the top of those hills, both in Sheffield and the surrounding countryside of the Peak District. Some of the best spots within the city from which to admire a spectacular sunset include Parkwood Springs, Bolehills, Meersbrook Park, and South Street Park and amphitheatre, pictured, above the railway station. | National World Photo: Chris Etchells