There's no better place

A drive through the Ruhr valley makes the region's value clear: The city boundaries seem to merge; almost without noticing you'll find yourself in a neighbouring city, and in a short drive you'll find yourself three cities away! Excellent transportation routes and proximity to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands make the metropolis an attractive location - for residents, and especially for companies. Employees will have the chance of comparably inexpensive living space and a huge range of cultural and leisure activities, and 60 million people can be reached by truck in three hours!

While the Ruhr river gives the metropolitan region its name, the Emscher and Lippe rivers also shape the Ruhr region. The three rivers that flow into the Rhine frame the region and provide balancing nature alongside the urban city centers. The region is always in a state of flux: It is on its way to becoming the greenest industrial region in the world.

The nearly 250,000 students among the 5.1 million inhabitants also bring a breath of fresh air. With 22 universities - including those in the university cities of Bochum, Dortmund and Essen - and many research centers, the Ruhr region has the highest university density in Europe. Its economy continues to benefit from these young talents: Start-ups and 160,000 established companies draw on an increasingly large talent pool. Research and business are closely intertwined and thus contribute to the transformation of the Ruhr Metropolis.

This transformation process, in turn, brings new opportunities: Synergies are created in the Ruhr region, new industries can gain a foothold in the region's attractive areas, and existing structures can be innovatively developed further. In this way, start-ups, companies and research institutions are driving forward future topics such as IT security or hydrogen in spatial clusters and regional networks. All this in a vibrant metropolitan area that offers (potential) employees the best conditions.

Today, attractive neighborhoods for residents and companies are being created in the Ruhr region. Whether directly 6-Lakes-Wedau in DuisburgWedau, in the center of Essen on a former steel site, or in Europe's largest canal port in Dortmund: Where the city is changing, new perspectives are emerging. Companies, creatives, students, and residents meet in newly developed areas - and the Ruhr region shows how green, urban living of the future works.

Coming together works: Internationals also quickly feel at home in the metropolitan region. While guest workers from Italy or Turkey contributed early on to the region's current diversity, it is now also many students and young talents who are driving the region forward. More than 150 nationalities live in the Ruhr Valley - forming a unique society with almost inexhaustible potential.

Simply swipe to the right to learn more about the economic development agencies in the municipalities. You can discover key figures in the interactive map.