Bristol 101

Whenever I travel, I like to learn as much about the place beforehand as possible. To that end, I've been reading up on Bristol since receiving my Offer of Admission and I've learned quite a few things about it already. The city dates back to at least the 11th Century, when it was known as Brycgstow - The Place at the Bridge; the 'L' at the end is a product of the local dialect. Bristol has always been a major seaport. It was, in fact, the port from which John Cabot sailed in 1497 to discover North America. In the 18th Century it became a focal point in the slave trade. Industrialization in Bristol was spearheaded by the famous and marvelously-named engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whose Clifton Suspension Bridge remains a symbol of the city to this day. The University was founded in 1909, was headed for a time by Winston Churchill, and has repeatedly been rated among the best in the U.K. After the Industrial Revolution, the city fell into a period of stagnation, not helped by its heavy bombing during World War II. Recently, Bristol has undergone something of a renaissance, and is an important aerospace and communications center. It is the birthplace of the claymation characters Wallace and Grommit (Bristol's previous claim to cinematic fame was its native son Cary Grant). All the guidebooks describe its music term in terms something like 'young and active;' I've been told it's the Techno capital of the U.K. (whoop-de-doo). So there you have it in a nutshell: my home starting in October. I can't wait to see it in person.