Manchester

Manchester is a city in Greater Manchester, England. In 2024, it had a population of over 589,000 people. It is located near the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and next to the city of Salford to the west. Together with surrounding towns, Manchester is part of one of the United Kingdom's most populous areas, the Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which has about 2.87 million people.

The history of Manchester began with a settlement linked to a Roman fort called Mamucium or Mancunium, established around AD 79. During the Middle Ages, Manchester was a small town, but it grew quickly during the Industrial Revolution because of its role in textile manufacturing. It became the world's first industrial city and was given official city status in 1853. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, connecting the city to the Irish Sea.

After the Second World War, Manchester faced challenges as industries changed, but it later saw new development. In 1996, an event caused damage, leading to renewed growth and investment. Manchester hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is well known for its architecture, musical exports, links to media, science and engineering, sports clubs, and strong transport connections.

Toponymy

The name Manchester comes from the old Latin name Mamucium or Mancunio. People from Manchester are called Mancunians. The name likely comes from an old language called Brittonic. One idea is that it means "breast" because of a hill in the shape of a breast where the city was built. Another idea is that it means "mother" and refers to a goddess of a local river.

The ending "-chester" comes from Old English and means "Roman fortification". It was used after the Romans left Britain to describe places that used to have Roman military bases.

Manchester has many nicknames. Because of its important role during the Industrial Revolution, it was called the "warehouse city" and "cottonopolis". Many people call it the "capital of the North". There is a friendly rivalry with Birmingham about which city is the unofficial "second city of the United Kingdom". Some people, especially outside Manchester, call the city "Manny", but some residents find this offensive. The phrase became popular from a rapper named Bugzy Malone.

While Manchester officially refers only to the metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, the name has been used in different ways over time. For example, there is a "Manchester City Zone", a "Manchester post town" that includes areas like Sale and Salford, and a proposed "Manchester Congestion Charge" area. None of these use the exact city borders.

History

Main article: History of Manchester

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Manchester history.

Before 1066: Early history

The first major Celtic tribe in what is now Northern England were the Brigantes; they had a stronghold in the locality at a sandstone outcrop on which Manchester Cathedral now stands, opposite the River Irwell. Their territory extended across the fertile lowland of what is now Salford and Stretford. In 79 AD, following their conquest of Britain, the Roman general Agricola ordered the construction of a fort named Mamucium to protect Roman interests in Deva Victrix (now Chester) and Eboracum (now York). Central Manchester has remained a continuously populated settlement since.

Fragments of the Mamucium fort remain visible in Castlefield. The Roman habitation of Manchester probably ended around the 3rd century; its civilian settlement appears to have been abandoned by the mid-3rd century, although the fort may have supported a small garrison until the late 3rd or early 4th century. The fort was first investigated by archaeologists in 1906, and opened to the public in 1984.

1066–1800: Before industrialisation

After the Roman withdrawal and subsequent Anglo-Saxon settlement, the centre of the town moved to the confluence of the rivers Irwell and Irk. In the Normans' Harrying of the North, much of the area surrounding Manchester was laid waste. The Domesday Book (1086) records Manchester within the hundred of Salford and held as tenant in chief by a Norman named Roger of Poitou. The town was later held by the Grelley family, who were the lords of the manor and residents of Manchester Castle. By 1421, Thomas de la Warre had founded a collegiate church for the parish, which would later become Manchester Cathedral; other church buildings have since become Chetham's School of Music and Chetham's Library. The latter opened in 1653 and remains open to the public, the oldest free public reference library in the UK.

Manchester is recorded as a market in 1282. Around the 14th century, Manchester received an influx of Flemish weavers, which has sometimes been credited as the foundation of the region's textile industry. The town became an important centre for the manufacture and trade of woollens and linen, and by 1540 had expanded to become, in the words of John Leland, "the fairest, best builded, quickest, and most populous town of all Lancashire". The cathedral and Chetham's buildings are the only prominent survivors from that period.

During the English Civil War, Manchester strongly favoured the Parliamentarians who were led by Oliver Cromwell. He gave the town the right to elect its Member of Parliament; Charles Worsley was so elected and appointed as Major-General for Lancashire, Cheshire and Staffordshire during the Rule of the Major-Generals. A diligent puritan, he shut down ale houses in the town and banned the celebration of Christmas.

Large quantities of cotton were used after about 1600, firstly in linen and cotton fustians; by around 1750, pure cotton fabrics were produced and cotton had overtaken wool in importance. The Irwell and Mersey were made navigable by 1736, opening a route from Manchester to the sea docks on the Mersey. The Bridgewater Canal, Britain's first wholly artificial waterway, opened in 1761, bringing coal from mines at Worsley to central Manchester. The canal was extended to the Mersey by 1776. The combination of competition and improved efficiency halved the cost of coal and the transport cost of raw cotton. Manchester became the dominant marketplace for textiles produced in the surrounding towns. A commodities exchange, opened in 1729, and numerous large warehouses aided commerce. In 1780, Richard Arkwright began construction of Manchester's first cotton mill. Manchester exported its cotton goods to Africa as a way of paying for slaves to be purchased for the transatlantic slave trade; this supply line to Africa and its reliance on the British Empire supported Manchester's population and economic growth.

1800–1880: Industrialisation

Manchester was one of the centres of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. The majority of cotton spinning took place in the towns of south Lancashire and north Cheshire, and Manchester was for a time the most productive centre of cotton processing. This caused the rapid expansion of the town that would lead to it becoming the world's first industrialised city. Manchester also became known as the world's largest marketplace for cotton goods; it was dubbed "Cottonopolis" and "Warehouse City" during the Victorian era. Brought on by the Industrial Revolution, there was rapid, unplanned urban expansion of Manchester at the turn of the 19th century. Engineering firms made machines for the cotton trade, then diversified into general manufacture. The chemical industry started by producing bleaches and dyes, but expanded into other areas. Commerce was supported by financial service industries such as banking and insurance. In 1803, John Dalton formulated his atomic theory while teaching in the city.

Manchester was the scene of bread and labour riots, as well as calls for greater political recognition by the city's working class. On 16 August 1819, large crowds protested in St Peter's Square, Manchester; estimates of the crowd range between 30,000–150,000 contemporaneously and 50,000–80,000 by modern critics. When ordered to disperse the peaceful crowd, the soldiers charged them on horseback, killing at least 18 and injuring more than 700.

The political landscape of early industrial Manchester contained capitalist and communist schools of thought. The city was the home of Manchester Liberalism, and the centre of the Anti-Corn Law League after 1838. The city is the subject of Friedrich Engels's work The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, as Engels spent much of his life in and around Manchester and met with Karl Marx at Chetham's Library. The first Trades Union Congress was held at the Mechanics' Institute, Manchester in 1868 and Manchester was an important centre of the Labour Party, the Suffragette Movement, and the Chartist Movement.

Trade, and feeding the growing population, required a large transport and distribution infrastructure: the canal system was extended, and Manchester became one end of the world's first intercity passenger railway – the Liverpool and Manchester Railway – in 1830. The number of cotton mills in Manchester peaked at 108 in 1853; afterwards, the number declined and Manchester was surpassed as the largest centre of cotton spinning by Bolton by the 1850s and Oldham by the 1860s. This period of decline coincided with the rise of the city as the financial centre of the region. In 1878 the General Post Office (the forerunner of British Telecom) provided its first telephones to a firm in Manchester.

1880–1939: Impacts of industrialisation

View from Kersal Moor towards Manchester by Sebastian Pether, c. 1820, then still a rural landscape. Note the River Irwell in both paintings.

Manchester from Kersal Moor, by William Wyld in 1857, a view now dominated by chimney stacks as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution

New industrial processes were developed in the city, and the city had become known for its experimental ways of thinking: the Manchester School promoted free trade and laissez-faire, there was the advent of new classes or groups in society and new religious sects, and the city was experimenting with new forms of labour organisation. The period saw the construction of some of its finest public buildings, including Manchester Town Hall. It also enjoyed a vibrant culture, which included the Hallé Orchestra. In 1889, when county councils were created in England, the municipal borough became a county borough, giving it greater autonomy. Manchester was also a site of widespread poverty and squalor, with economic extremes on display throughout the city.

The Manchester Ship Canal was built between 1888 and 1894, in some sections by canalisation of the Rivers Irwell and Mersey, running 36 miles (58 km) from Salford to Eastham Locks on the tidal Mersey. This enabled oceangoing ships to sail into the Port of Manchester. On the canal's banks, just outside the borough, the world's first industrial estate was created at Trafford Park.

Manchester continued to process cotton, constituting 65% of the world's production in 1913. The First World War interrupted access to the export markets; combined with increased cotton processing in other parts of the world, this led to the rapid decline of the city's textile industry. Industry and employment suffered during the Great Depression, particularly due to its effect on the value of British exports. Manchester also saw a cultural revolution in the 1930s as locals tried greater creativity and local pride to counteract the effect of the status of the economy; this included the first formation of the British High Street, and embarking on infrastructure projects such as the Manchester Central Library.

1939–1945: Second World War

Manchester mobilised during the Second World War: casting and machining expertise at Beyer, Peacock & Company's locomotive works in Gorton was switched to bomb making and Dunlop's rubber works in Chorlton-on-Medlock made barrage balloons. Manchester was the target of bombing by the Luftwaffe, and by late 1940 air raids were taking place against non-military targets.

The biggest air raids on the city during the war took place during the Manchester Blitz on the nights of 22–23 and 24–25 December 1940, when an estimated 474 tonnes (467 long tons) of high explosives and over 37,000 incendiary bombs were dropped. Much of the historic city centre was destroyed, including 165 warehouses, 200 business premises, and 150 offices. 376 were killed and 30,000 houses were damaged. Manchester Cathedral, Royal Exchange and Free Trade Hall were among the buildings seriously damaged, with the restoration of the cathedral taking 20 years.

1945–2000: Decline and regeneration

The Corn Exchange in 1902 (top) in 2024 bottom)

Cotton processing and trading continued to decline in peacetime, and the exchange closed in 1968. In 1963 the port of Manchester was the UK's third largest, and employed over 3,000 men, but the canal was unable to handle the increasingly large container ships. Traffic declined, and the port closed in 1982. Heavy industry suffered a downturn from the 1960s and was greatly reduced under the economic policies of Margaret Thatcher's government after 1979. Manchester lost 150,000 jobs in manufacturing between 1961 and 1983. Regeneration began in the late 1980s, with initiatives such as the Metrolink, the Bridgewater Concert Hall and the Manchester Arena. Two bids to host the Olympic Games were part of a process to raise the international profile of the city.

2000–present: Modern day

Spurred by the investment after a terrible event in 1996 and aided by the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the city centre underwent extensive regeneration. The Printworks was redeveloped by architects RTKL Associates and reopened as a leisure centre and cinema. The Corn Exchange reopened as the Triangle Shopping Centre and redeveloped in 2012. Manchester Arndale is the UK's largest city-centre shopping centre.

Large parts of the city have been demolished, re-developed or modernised with the use of glass and steel. Former mills have been converted into apartments. The 47-storey, 554-foot (169 m) Beetham Tower was the tallest UK building outside of London and the highest residential accommodation in Europe when completed in 2006. It was surpassed in 2018 by the 659-foot (201 m) South Tower of the Deansgate Square project, also in Manchester.

Government

See also: Manchester local elections, List of Lord Mayors of Manchester, and Healthcare in Greater Manchester

The City of Manchester is led by the Manchester City Council. A larger group called the Greater Manchester Combined Authority helps make important decisions for the whole area, like planning for jobs and transportation. This group has its own leader, called a mayor, who was first chosen in 2017.

Manchester became an official city in 1853. Over time, it has grown by including nearby areas. In 2014, Greater Manchester got a special leader who helps control important things like health and transportation for many towns and cities around Manchester. This leader manages a big budget to help keep the area safe and moving.

Geography

See also: Geography of Greater Manchester

Manchester is a city in England, found at 53°28′0″N 2°14′0″W / 53.46667°N 2.23333°W / 53.46667; -2.23333, about 160 miles northwest of London. It sits in a bowl-shaped area surrounded by high lands to the north and east and lower lands to the south. The city centre lies on the east side of the River Irwell.

The River Mersey flows through the southern part of Manchester. The city's climate is mild, with warm summers and cool winters. Summer temperatures can reach above 20 °C, and occasionally over 30 °C. Rainfall is fairly regular but usually light. Manchester is close to Liverpool and Sheffield, making it a central point between these two cities. The city has many roads and railways connecting it to other places.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Manchester

In 2021, the population of Manchester was 552,000. This was an increase of 9.7% from the year 2011. The city has grown faster than many other cities in England since 1991.

In 2021, the most common religions in Manchester were Christian (36.2%), no religion (32.4%), and Muslim (22.3%). The Christian population has been decreasing over the years, while the number of people with no religion or who are Muslim has been increasing.

In 2021, about 56.8% of Manchester's population was White, with many different groups making up this number. Other groups included mixed race (5.2%), Asian (20.9%), Black (12%), Arab (2.7%), and other ethnic groups (2.4%). Some areas of the city, like Moss Side, Longsight, Cheetham Hill, and Rusholme, have larger numbers of people from different ethnic backgrounds. Manchester is also known for its large Irish and Chinese communities.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Manchester

See also: List of companies based in Greater Manchester

The city of Manchester is part of a larger area called Greater Manchester South, which includes nearby places like Salford, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford. In 2023, this area had a total value of goods and services produced of £34.8 billion. The economy grew faster than the rest of the UK between 2002 and 2012, and continued to grow well from 2015 to 2025.

Manchester is an important city for business. It is known for services, culture, creativity, advanced manufacturing, and shopping. Many big companies have offices there, and it gets a lot of investment from other countries—second only to London. The city works closely with businesses, the government, and universities to help its economy grow. Manchester also owns part of two major airports, which helps bring money for local projects. This support has helped build more office space, making Manchester a key business hub in the UK.

Architecture

Main article: Architecture of Manchester

See also: List of tallest buildings and structures in Manchester, List of streets and roads in Manchester, Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester, Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester, and List of public art in Greater Manchester

Manchester has many different building styles, from old Victorian designs to modern ones. Red brick is very common in the city, reminding us of its history with cotton trading. Near the city center, you can find old cotton mills. Some are still as they were when they closed down, while others have been turned into homes or offices. Manchester Town Hall, located in Albert Square, is built in a Gothic revival style.

Manchester built several tall buildings in the 1960s and 1970s. The tallest was the CIS Tower until the Beetham Tower was finished in 2006. The Beetham Tower has a hotel, a restaurant, and apartments. Today, the tallest building is Deansgate Square South Tower, which is 201 meters high. There are also eco-friendly buildings like The Green Building and One Angel Square, which is known for being very sustainable.

Landmarks

Albert Square and St Peter's Square have many important statues and monuments. Albert Square honors Prince Albert, Bishop James Fraser, Oliver Heywood, William Gladstone, and John Bright. Piccadilly Gardens has statues of Queen Victoria, Robert Peel, James Watt, and the Duke of Wellington. St Peter's Square has a cenotaph, designed by Edwin Lutyens, which remembers those who died in wars. The Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Park celebrates his work in computing. There is also a large statue of Abraham Lincoln, given to Manchester to remember the help given during a difficult time in the American Civil War.

Next to Manchester Airport is the Runway Visitor Park, where you can see old airplanes, including one of the twenty Concorde aircraft ever made. Other planes on display include a BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4, a Hawker Siddeley Trident, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and a British Aerospace 146.

Heaton Park, north of the city, is one of the largest city parks in Europe, covering 610 acres. Manchester has 135 parks, gardens, and open spaces, including six special nature areas.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Manchester

See also: Transport for Greater Manchester

Rail

Manchester Liverpool Road was the world's first railway station built just for passengers and goods. It opened in 1830 and closed in 1975. Today, it is part of the Science and Industry Museum.

Two big train stations, Manchester Central and Manchester Exchange, closed to passengers in 1969. Another station, Manchester Mayfield, closed to passengers in 1960. In 2025, plans were approved to turn the Mayfield site into a housing estate.

The Northern Hub project improved railways in and around Manchester in the 2010s. It added electric tracks, redesigned Victoria station, and built the Ordsall Chord to connect two main stations. Manchester has many train stations, and the group of stations including Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road, and Deansgate is the third busiest in the UK.

Manchester was the first city in the UK to have a modern tram system, called the Manchester Metrolink, which started in 1992. In 2023–2024, 42 million people used the trams. The trams mostly use old train tracks changed for trams, and they go through the city centre on streets. There are eight tram lines with 99 stops. Manchester also has many places where people can park their cars and then take a tram or bus.

Bus

Manchester has a big bus system, one of the largest outside of London. Before 2023, over 50 bus companies worked in the area. In 2011, 80% of public transport trips in Greater Manchester were made by bus, with 220 million bus trips each year.

Air

Manchester Airport is the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom, with many passengers each year. It has two runways and can handle very large planes, including the Airbus A380.

There is also a smaller airport called Manchester Barton Aerodrome, which was Manchester's first airport. It is used for private flights, flying lessons, and has helicopters for police and ambulances.

Canal

Manchester has many canals, like the Ashton Canal, Rochdale Canal, and Bridgewater Canal. These canals are kept up but are mostly used for fun now. The Manchester Ship Canal was built to carry goods during the Industrial Revolution and ends in nearby Salford.

Cycling

Further information: Cycling in Greater Manchester

Cycling is popular in Manchester for getting around and for fun. In 2023, 2% of trips in Manchester were made by bicycle. The city has special bike routes that connect with trains, trams, and buses.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Manchester

See also: List of people from Manchester

Music

See also: Popular music of Manchester, List of music artists and bands from Manchester, and Madchester

Manchester has a rich musical history. In the 1960s, famous bands like the Hollies, Herman's Hermits, and Davy Jones of the Monkees came from the city. The Bee Gees also grew up in Chorlton. The 1980s saw Manchester become a key place for British indie music, led by The Smiths. Later, groups like The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, and James emerged from the Madchester scene, centered around The Haçienda nightclub. Morrissey, formerly of The Smiths, later achieved international success as a solo artist. Oasis formed in Manchester in 1991. The city is also known for its brass band tradition, with famous bands such as the CWS Manchester Band and the Fairey Band.

Manchester's main pop music venue is Manchester Arena, one of the largest in Europe. Other venues include Manchester Apollo, Albert Hall, Victoria Warehouse, Manchester Academy, and the Co-op Live arena. Smaller venues like the Band on the Wall and the Night and Day Café also host many events. The city has two symphony orchestras, The Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic, and a chamber orchestra, the Manchester Camerata. Classical music venues include the Bridgewater Hall.

Performing arts

Manchester is a hub for theatre and performing arts. Large venues include the Manchester Opera House, the Palace Theatre, and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Smaller venues like the Contact Theatre and the Dancehouse also offer a variety of shows. Since 2007, the city has hosted the Manchester International Festival, a festival showcasing original works from around the world.

Museums and galleries

Manchester has many museums and galleries. The Science and Industry Museum features steam locomotives and aircraft. The Manchester Museum has collections of Egpytology and natural history. The Manchester Art Gallery houses European paintings, including works by L. S. Lowry. The Whitworth Art Gallery displays modern art and sculpture.

Literature

Manchester is known for its literary history. In the 19th century, authors like Elizabeth Gaskell and Friedrich Engels wrote about the city's industrial changes. Charles Dickens is said to have set Hard Times in Manchester. Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre while staying in Hulme. Many famous authors, including Anthony Burgess and Carol Ann Duffy, have lived in Manchester.

Nightlife

Manchester's nightlife has grown a lot since 1993. With over 500 licensed places, the city can welcome more than 250,000 visitors on a typical weekend night. This lively scene supports thousands of jobs and brings in about £100 million each year. In 2024, Manchester was named one of the best cities in the world for nightlife, praised for its variety and welcome to all kinds of people.

Keeping children safe

Further information: Canal Street (Manchester)

The area around Canal Street has been a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds since the 1940s. It has many bars and clubs and draws lots of visitors each weekend. The area also hosts a big celebration each August. Even though it is very popular, there have been discussions about making sure everyone feels included and respected.

Education

See also: List of schools in Manchester

Schooling

In 2019, schools in Manchester did not perform as well as the national average in important subject tests taken by students. About 56% of students in Manchester passed these tests, compared to 65% across the whole country. Some schools in the city did much better, with over 80% of their students passing.

Higher education

Manchester is home to three universities: the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and the Royal Northern College of Music. These universities are close together in the south part of the city centre and together have more than 80,000 students.

The University of Manchester is one of the biggest universities in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 2004 by joining two older universities. The university has made important discoveries, including early work on computers and a special material called graphene.

Manchester Metropolitan University started as a college in 1970 and became a university in 1992. It also used to have a campus in Cheshire, but that closed in 2019. The University of Law also has a campus in the city.

Sport

Main article: Sport in Manchester

Two important football teams are linked to the city – Manchester City and Manchester United. Manchester City plays at the City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester, which was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and later changed to a football field. Manchester United, though from Manchester, has played in the nearby area of Trafford since 1910. Their stadium, Old Trafford, is close to the Lancashire County Cricket Club ground, also named Old Trafford.

Many sports places were made for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, like the City of Manchester Stadium, the National Squash Centre, and the Manchester Aquatics Centre. Manchester tried twice to hold the Olympic Games but was chosen for Atlanta for the 1996 games and Sydney for the 2000 games. The National Cycling Centre has a special track for racing bikes, areas for BMX biking, and trails for mountain biking. It is where British Cycling and teams like Team Sky and Sky Track Cycling are based. The Manchester Velodrome, built for the 2000 Olympic bid, helped Britain become very good at cycling.

The velodrome hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championships a record third time in 2008. The National Indoor BMX Arena with space for 2,000 people opened next to the velodrome in 2011. The Manchester Arena held the world swimming championships in 2008. Manchester has also hosted many big sports events, such as the 2008 World Squash Championships, the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship, the 2013 Ashes series, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the 2019 Ashes series, and the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Media

Main article: Media in Manchester

See also: List of television programmes set, produced or filmed in Manchester; Films set in Manchester; and List of national radio programmes made in Manchester

Print

The Guardian newspaper began in Manchester in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian. Until 2008, its main office was in the city, though many of its management moved to London in 1964. For many years, most national newspapers had offices in Manchester. At its busiest time, 1,500 journalists worked there, earning the city the nickname "second Fleet Street". In the 1980s, these newspapers closed their northern offices and moved their work to London.

Attempts to start a Northern daily newspaper, like the North West Times, failed and closed in 1988. Another try, the North West Enquirer, also closed in 2006.

The main newspaper for the area is the Manchester Evening News, which has been around for over 80 years. It is available all day and is free in the city centre on Thursdays and Fridays, but costs money in the suburbs. Several local free papers are also distributed by the same group. The Metro North West is free at Metrolink stops, train stations, and other busy places.

Film and television

Manchester has been important for television since the 1950s, with many studios in the city. The ITV franchise Granada Television has been based in Manchester since 1954. Granada makes popular shows like Coronation Street and local news for North West England. Manchester is also covered by Manchester TV, an internet television channel.

Manchester became one of the BBC's three main centres in England in the 1950s. In 1954, the BBC opened its first TV studio outside London at Dickenson Road Studios in Rusholme. The first show Top of the Pops aired there in 1964. Later, BBC programmes were made at New Broadcasting House on Oxford Road. Shows like Cutting It and Life on Mars were set in Manchester.

Radio

Manchester has many radio stations, including local ones like BBC Radio Manchester, Hits Radio Manchester, Capital Manchester and Lancashire, and others. There are over 28 digital radio stations, which some say make Manchester the world's largest digital radio area. Student stations include Fuse FM at the University of Manchester and MMU Radio at Manchester Metropolitan University. Community stations serve areas like Ardwick, Longsight, and Levenshulme, with All FM and Wythenshawe FM.

International relations

Manchester has many connections with cities and countries around the world. During the Industrial Revolution, Manchester became an important place for trade, and it welcomed its first foreign representatives in the 1820s. Today, Manchester has over 800 representatives from many different countries, helping with trade and friendship.

Sister cities

Manchester has special partnerships, called "sister cities," with other cities. It is partnered with Chemnitz in Germany since 1983 and Wuhan in China since 1986. Greater Manchester is also partnered with Osaka in Japan since 2025.

Friendship agreements

Besides sister cities, Manchester has friendly ties with several other places, including:

• Aalborg, Denmark
• Aarhus, Denmark
• Córdoba, Spain
• Faisalabad, Pakistan (1997)
• Gumi, South Korea
• Haidian (Beijing), China
• Kagoshima, Japan
• Los Angeles, United States (2009)
• Rehovot, Israel

Diplomatic missions

Manchester has many important offices called consulates, more than any other place in England except London. Some of these include representatives from countries like Bangladesh, China, Greece, India, Italy, and Spain.