There are umpteen reasons why it’s brilliant to be a Nottingham-based business right now, but we’ve decided to select just ten of them and share them with you, on the same day that the mission to get #Nottinghamrocks trending on Twitter is proving just how powerful social media can be. So, here it is. Shake‘s top 10 reasons why Nottingham rocks:

1. Art

Nottingham has one of the most exciting art scenes in the country. Along with the Contemporary, we have the Surface Gallery, One Thoresby St, the Castle Art Gallery, Lakeside and the New Art Exchange all showcasing the best of local, national and international talent. We’ve played host to British Art Show 7 as well as numerous festivals and exhibitions. Packed full of artists of every discipline, Nottingham’s creative scene is both joyful and earnest. This creativity and inspiration spills out into so many other areas of city life that it just has to be Shake’s number one reason to love Nottingham.

2. Film

All that creativity doesn’t stop at the visual arts … Nottingham has a rich cinematic industry too, of which the focus has to be Broadway. More than just a regular art house cinema, Broadway is a Nottingham institution, supporting local film makers as well as international independent cinema since 1990. Voted one of the top ten cinemas in the world by Total Film Magazine, it still attracts an exciting and eclectic range of speakers and events. Irvine Welsh gave a talk there only yesterday. Enough said. But Nottingham offers more than just the Broadway. From Shane Meadows (This is England) to the charming Savoy Cinema; from Wellington Films (London to Brighton) to the Bang! Short Film Festival; from Saturday Night and Sunday Morning to the recent filming of The Dark Knight Rises; this city embraces celluloid like no other.

3. Sport

Number three on our list of reasons to love Notts has to be sport. With an iconic cricket ground, two football teams, a national water sports centre, rugby and ice hockey, to name but a few – if Nottingham folk aren’t being creative then they’re certainly being active. Trent Bridge is known the world over and Holme Pierrepont is already catering for athletes training for the 2012 Olympics. It pays to think big with Nottingham sport! We’re all familiar with Brian Clough, Torville & Dean, Stuart Pearce, Becky Adlington, Tom Huddlestone, Lee Westwood & Des Walker. The question now is, who’s next?

4. Music

It’s hard to be bored of an evening in Nottingham, not least because of the sheer abundance of live music to choose from. Whatever your taste, someone somewhere is playing a song just for you. The energy of the local music scene is inspiring in itself and here at Shake we especially love the way so many local musicians use social media to promote themselves. Spending as much time on Facebook and Twitter as we do, it’s as easy to find out what’s happening at the main venues (Rock City, Bodega, Rescue Rooms, Capital FM Arena, Glee Club, The Maze etc) as it is at all the others. Particular faves include the caves of the Hand & Heart on Derby Rd and the elevated stage in The Malt Cross on St. James’ Street, but it’s the sheer variety and enthusiasm that really sells Nottingham as a musical mainstay.

5. Architecture

How many cities do you know with Victorian lace factories, Georgian town houses, a Baroque palace masquerading as a castle, a windmill, a radical 1930s factory complex, cave dwellings, cutting edge contemporary architecture, Elizabethan mansions and an incinerator chimney that looks like a giant cigarette sticking up into the sky? Look beyond street level and Nottingham’s buildings are a delight. (Well, except for that incinerator….)

6. Food

Michelin stars aren’t easy to come by, but Sat Bains rather greedily has two for his Nottingham based restaurant. Yet it’s the range and quality of food choices, rather than the star attractions, that make Nottingham such a great place to eat. With delicatessans like Delilah, laid back vegetarian hotspots such as Alley Cafe, award winning world tapas from Iberico, great value Pakistani food at Desi Downtown and elegant eateries such as The Larder, there is a dish and a deal to suit everyone. And we haven’t even mentioned Homemade, Atlas, French Living, Ginza, Kayal …. the list goes on. Hungry, anyone?

7. Pubs & Bars

With hundreds of pubs in the city centre alone, it would be rude if they didn’t get a mention in our top ten. There are some average pubs in Nottingham, as with any city, but there are also some exceptional places to enjoy a drink or two, so raise your glass to the best of the city’s traditional pubs, stylish cocktail bars, child friendly gastro pubs, sports bars and cosy taverns. We especially like the Broadway cafe bar, the friendly vibe and cocktails in Tilt, England’s oldest pub Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, the cosy corners of the Cock & Hoop, upstairs at the Hand & Heart and the Jam Cafe in Hockley. Just not all in one night!

8. Parks

Green space is always a welcome respite in any city and Nottingham is no exception. Whether it’s the Arboretum, Wollaton Deer Park, the Embankment, Colwick Country Park or the Forest Recreation Ground, they all offer a satisfying escape from city life. Especially when there’s a festival occuring!

9. Education

With two universities, a host of colleges and some high flying local schools, Nottingham excels at education. The University of Nottingham boasts a beautiful campus, internationally acclaimed research and was described by the Sunday Times last year as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’. Nottingham Trent University has close-working partnerships with more than 6,000 businesses, public and private sector organisations across the UK and globally. There’s a reason why thousands of students call this city home!

10. People

It may be a cliche, but it’s true – it is the people of Nottingham that make this city the best place to live. Today’s drive to get #Nottingham trending is a case in point. Started by Tony Bates (MD of Fast Graphics), who also launched Communicate East Midlands as a means of realising the area’s potential, the drive to promote the city on Twitter has seen hundreds of strangers share their favourite things about the city and make fresh connections and friendships. The BBC, the Nottingham Post, local MPs, the whole spectrum of local institutions, individuals and businesses have all come together to promote the city – and that’s because people who live here are friendly, forthright and working hard to make Nottingham even better. We’re proud to be a part of that.

What have we missed out? Add your favourite Nottingham features below….