Manchester

For other uses, see Manchester (disambiguation).

Manchester
City and metropolitan borough
Skyline of Deansgate Square
Coat of arms of Manchester
Coat of arms
Official logo of Manchester
Worker bee
Nicknames: 
Motto(s): 
Latin: Concilio Et Labore, lit. 'By Counsel and Work'[1]
Manchester shown within Greater Manchester
Manchester shown within Greater Manchester
Coordinates: 53°28′44″N 2°14′43″W / 53.4790°N 2.2452°W / 53.4790; -2.2452
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionNorth West
Ceremonial county and city regionGreater Manchester
Founded1st century AD
Town charter1301
City status29 March 1853
Metropolitan borough1 April 1974
Administrative HQManchester Town Hall
Government
[2]
 • TypeMetropolitan borough
 • BodyManchester City Council
 • ExecutiveLeader and cabinet
 • ControlLabour
 • LeaderBev Craig (L)
 • Lord MayorPaul Andrews
 • MPs
5 MPs
Area
[3]
 • Total45 sq mi (116 km2)
 • Rank181st
Population
 (2022)[4]
 • Total568,996
 • Rank6th
 • Density12,700/sq mi (4,920/km2)
Demonyms
Ethnicity (2021)
[5]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[5]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area
Dialling code0161
ISO 3166 codeGB-MAN
GSS codeE08000003
Websitemanchester.gov.uk

Manchester (/ˈmæntʃɪstər, -tʃɛs-/ ⓘ)[6][7] is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, which had an estimated population of 568,996 in 2022.[4] It contributes to the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom as a part of Greater Manchester, which has a population of approximately 2.92 million.[8]  It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The city borders the boroughs of Trafford, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury and Salford.

The history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort (castra) of Mamucium or Mancunium, established c. AD 79 on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell. Throughout the Middle Ages, Manchester remained a manorial township but began to expand "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century. Manchester's unplanned urbanisation was brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution[9] and resulted in it becoming the world's first industrialised city.[10] Historically part of Lancashire, areas of Cheshire south of the River Mersey were incorporated into Manchester in the 20th century, including Wythenshawe in 1931. Manchester achieved city status in 1853. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, creating the Port of Manchester and linking the city to the Irish Sea, 36 miles (58 km) to the west. The city's fortune declined after the Second World War, owing to deindustrialisation, and the IRA bombing in 1996 led to extensive investment and regeneration.[11] Following considerable redevelopment, Manchester was the host city for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

The city is notable for its architecture, culture, musical exports, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs and transport connections. Manchester Liverpool Road railway station is the world's oldest surviving inter-city passenger railway station.[12] At the University of Manchester, Ernest Rutherford first split the atom in 1917; Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill developed the world's first stored-program computer in 1948; and Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov first isolated graphene in 2004.

Manchester has a large urban sprawl, which forms from the city centre into the other neighbouring authorities; these include The Four Heatons, Failsworth, Prestwich, Stretford, Sale, Droylsden, Old Trafford and Reddish. The city is also contiguous with Salford and its borough but is separated from it by the River Irwell. This urban area is cut off by the M60, also known as the Manchester Outer Ring Road, which runs in a circular around the city and these areas. It joins the M62 to the north-east and the M602 to the west, as well as the East Lancashire Road and A6.

  1. ^ "The antelope, the lion and the bees". BBC. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Councillors and decision-making". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Manchester Local Authority (E08000003)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  6. ^ Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, ISBN 9781405881180
  7. ^ Roach, Peter (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521152532
  8. ^ "Greater Manchester population by district 2022". Statista. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  9. ^ Aspin, Chris (1981). The Cotton Industry. Shire Publications Ltd. p. 3. ISBN 0-85263-545-1.
  10. ^ Kidd, Alan (2006). Manchester: A History. Lancaster: Carnegie Publishing. ISBN 1-85936-128-5.
    • Frangopulo, Nicholas (1977). Tradition in Action. The historical evolution of the Greater Manchester County. Wakefield: EP Publishing. ISBN 0-7158-1203-3.
    • "Manchester – the first industrial city". sciencemuseum.org. Science Museum. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  11. ^ Williams, Jennifer (15 June 2016). "Recap: The IRA bomb in Manchester... what happened on June 15, 1996". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  12. ^ "About us". Science and Industry Museum. 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.