Greater Manchester
79819
move=:edit=
226160531
2008-07-17T02:33:10Z
Malleus Fatuorum
1389620
/* Culture */ bit of ce
{{Infobox England county
| name = Greater Manchester
| motto =
| map = [[Image:EnglandGreaterManchester.png]]<br><small>''Shown within [[England]]''</small>
| status = [[Metropolitan county]] &<br>[[Ceremonial counties of England|Ceremonial county]]
| origin = 1 April 1974<ref name=LGFSE16>{{cite web|url=http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/stats/lgfs/2005/lgfs16/h/lgfs16/annex_a.html|title=Local Government Finance Statistics England No.16|author=[[Office of the Deputy Prime Minister]]|publisher=local.odpm.gov.uk|date=}} Retrieved on 21 February 2008.</ref></br><small>([[Local Government Act 1972]])</small>
| region = [[North West England]]
| arearank = [[List of ceremonial counties of England by area|Ranked 39th]]
| area_km2 = 1276
| adminarearank = <!-- OPTIONAL, REMOVE LINE IF NOT NEEDED -->
| adminarea_km2 = <!-- OPTIONAL, REMOVE LINE IF NOT NEEDED -->
| adminhq = <!-- OPTIONAL, REMOVE LINE IF NOT NEEDED -->
| iso = <!-- OPTIONAL -->
| ons = 2A
| nutscode = 2
| nuts3 = UKD3
| poprank = [[List of ceremonial counties of England by population|Ranked 3rd]]
| popestdate = 2005
| pop = 2,547,700
| density_km2 = 1997
| adminpoprank = <!-- OPTIONAL, REMOVE LINE IF NOT NEEDED -->
| adminpop = <!-- OPTIONAL, REMOVE LINE IF NOT NEEDED -->
| ethnicity = 88.9% White<br>6.5% S.Asian<br>1.7% Black<br>1.6% Mixed Race<br>1.3% E. Asian and Other
| council = ''No [[county council]] since 1986.''
| mps = [[List of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester#List of MPs|List of Greater Manchster MPs]]<br>23 [[Labour Party UK|Labour Party]] MPs<br>4 [[Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat]] MPs<br>1 [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] MP
| subdivname = Metropolitan Boroughs
| subdivmap = {{Greater Manchester imagemap}}
| subdivs =
#[[Manchester|City of Manchester]]
#[[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport|Stockport]]
#[[Tameside]]
#[[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]]
#[[Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]]
#[[Metropolitan Borough of Bury|Bury]]
#[[Metropolitan Borough of Bolton|Bolton]]
#[[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|Wigan]]
#[[City of Salford]]
#[[Trafford]]
}}
<!--NB—THE DATES IN THIS ARTICLE ARE NON-AUTOFORMATTED-->'''Greater Manchester''' is a [[metropolitan county]] in [[North West England|North West]] [[England]], with a population of [[List of ceremonial counties of England by population|2.55 million]].<ref name=population/> It encompasses one of the largest [[metropolitan area]]s in the [[United Kingdom]] and comprises ten [[metropolitan borough]]s: [[Metropolitan Borough of Bolton|Bolton]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Bury|Bury]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport|Stockport]], [[Tameside]], [[Trafford]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|Wigan]], and the cities of [[City of Salford|Salford]] and [[Manchester]]. Greater Manchester was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the [[Local Government Act 1972]].<ref name=LGFSE16/>
Greater Manchester is landlocked and borders [[Cheshire]] (to the south-west and south), [[Derbyshire]] (to the south-east), [[West Yorkshire]] (to the north-east), [[Lancashire]] (to the north) and [[Merseyside]] (to the west). The [[Greater Manchester Urban Area]] is the [[List of conurbations in the United Kingdom|third most populous conurbation in the UK]], and spans across most of the county's territory. As a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]], Greater Manchester has a [[Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester|Lord Lieutenant]] and a [[High Sheriff of Greater Manchester|High Sheriff]].
[[Greater Manchester County Council]] was abolished in 1986, and so its districts (the metropolitan boroughs) are now effectively [[unitary authority|unitary authority areas]]; however, the metropolitan county, which is some {{convert|496|sqmi|km2|0|lk=on}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stockport.gov.uk/content/advicebenefitsemergencies/emergencyservices/gmfire/?a=5441|title=Greater Manchester Fire Service|publisher=stockport.gov.uk|author=Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council}} Retrieved on 6 March 2008.</ref> continues to exist in law and as a geographic frame of reference.<ref name="geographic frame of reference">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/ons_geography/Gazetteer_v3.pdf|author=[[Office for National Statistics]]|title=Gazetteer of the old and new geographies of the United Kingdom|page48|format=PDF|publisher=statistics.gov.uk}} Retrieved on 6 March 2008.<br />•{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/metropolitan.asp |title=Beginners' Guide to UK Geography: Metropolitan Counties and Districts|author=[[Office for National Statistics]]|publisher=statistics.gov.uk|date=17 September 2004}} Retrieved on 6 March 2008.<br />•{{cite web|url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/boundary-reviews/all-reviews/north-west|title=North West — Electoral Commission|publisher=The Electoral Commission}} Retrieved on 7 July 2008.</ref> Several county-wide services are co-ordinated through the [[Association of Greater Manchester Authorities]].
Before the creation of the metropolitan county the name ''SELNEC'' was used for the area, taken from the initials of "South East Lancashire North East Cheshire". Greater Manchester is an [[Amalgamation (politics)|amalgamation]] of 70 former local government districts from the [[Administrative counties of England|former administrative counties]] of [[Lancashire]], [[Cheshire]] and [[Yorkshire, West Riding]] and eight independent [[county borough]]s.<ref name="GM Gazetteer">{{cite web |url=http://www.gmcro.co.uk/guides/gazette/gazframe.htm |title=A select gazetteer of local government areas, Greater Manchester County|author=Anon|publisher=[[Greater Manchester County Records Office]]|date=31 July 2003}} Retrieved on 17 June 2008.</ref>
==History==
{{Seealso|History of Manchester}}
===Origins===
Although the modern county of Greater Manchester was not created until 1974. the history of its constituent settlements and parts goes back centuries. There is evidence of [[Iron Age]] inhabitation, particularly at [[Mellor, Greater Manchester|Mellor]],<ref name="Mellor hill fort">Nevell and Redhead (2005), p. 20.</ref> and [[Celtic people|Celtic activity]] in a settlement named [[Chochion]], believed to have been an area of [[Wigan]] settled by the [[Brigantes]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Roman Wigan |url=http://www.wiganarchsoc.co.uk/how.html#Roman |author=Adrian Morris |publisher=Wigan Archaeological Society}} Retrieved on 10 July 2008.</ref> [[Stretford]] was also part of the land believed to have been occupied by the Celtic Brigantes tribe, and lay on their border with the [[Cornovii (Midlands)|Cornovii]] on the southern side of the [[River Mersey]].<ref>Bayliss (1996), p. 6.</ref> The remains of 1st-century [[castra|forts]] at [[Castlefield]] in Manchester,<ref>{{cite web |title=Mamucium Roman fort |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=76731 |publisher=Pastscape.org.uk}} Retrieved on 29 December 2007.</ref> and [[Castleshaw Roman fort]] in [[Saddleworth]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Castle Shaw |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=45891 |publisher=Pastscape.org.uk}} Retrieved on 29 December 2007.</ref> are evidence of [[Roman Britain|Roman occupation]]. Much of the region was omitted from the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086; Redhead states that this was because only a partial survey was taken, rather than sparsity of population.<ref>Redhead, Norman, in: Hartwell, Hyde and Pevsner (2004), p. 18.</ref>
[[Image:Weavers' cottages, Wardle.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Former [[weavers' cottage]]s in [[Wardle, Greater Manchester|Wardle]]. The development of Greater Manchester is attributed to a shared tradition of [[domestic system|domestic]] cloth production, and [[textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution]].]]
During the [[Middle Ages]], much of what became Greater Manchester lay within the [[Salford (hundred)|hundred of Salfordshire]] – an ancient division of the county of [[Lancashire]]. Salfordshire encompassed several [[parish]]es and [[Township (England)|townships]], some of which, like [[Rochdale]], were important market towns and centres of England's woollen trade. The development of what became Greater Manchester is attributed to a shared tradition of [[domestic system|domestic]] [[flannel]] and [[fustian]] cloth production, which encouraged a system of cross-regional trade.<ref name="FrangopuloPix">Frangopulo (1977), p. ix.</ref><ref>Frangopulo (1977), pp. 24–25.</ref><ref name="M&N">McNeil and Nevell (2000), pp. 1–3.</ref> The [[Industrial Revolution]] transformed the local domestic system, and much of Greater Manchester's heritage is related to [[textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution]] and the infrastructure that grew up to support this sector.<ref name="M&N"/> The townships in and around Manchester began expanding "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century as part of a process of unplanned [[urbanisation]] brought on by a boom in textile processing.<ref name="Cotton">Aspin (1981), p. 3.</ref> Places such as [[Bury]], [[Oldham]] and [[Bolton]] played a central economic role in the nation, and by the end of the 19th century had become some of the most important and productive [[mill town]]s in the world.<ref>Cowhig (1976), pp. 7–9.</ref> Due to its commercial and socioeconomic success, the need for local government and geo-administrative change in what is now Greater Manchester was proposed as early as the 1910s.<ref name="FrangopuloP226">Frangopulo (1977), p. 226.</ref>
By the 18th century, traders from Germany had coined the name ''Manchesterthum'', meaning "Greater Manchester", and were using that as a name for the region in and around Manchester.<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 268.</ref> However, the English term "Greater Manchester" did not appear until the start of the 20th century. One of its first known recorded uses was in a 1914 report put forward in response to what was considered to have been the successful creation of the [[County of London]] in 1889. The report suggested that a county should be set up to recognise the "Manchester known in commerce", and referred to the areas that formed "a substantial part of South-Lancashire and part of Cheshire, comprising all municipal boroughs and minor authorities within a radius of eight or nine miles of Manchester".<ref name="FrangopuloP226"/><ref>Swarbrick, J., (February 1914), ''Greater Manchester: The Future Municipal Government of Large Cities'', pp. 12–15.</ref> In his 1915 book ''Cities In Evolution'', innovative [[urban planning|urban planner]] [[Patrick Geddes|Sir Patrick Geddes]] wrote "far more than Lancashire realises, is growing up another Greater London".<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 229.</ref>
[[Image:Greater Manchester (ancient).png|thumb|right|Greater Manchester lies at the conjunction of the [[Historic counties of England|ancient county boundaries]] of [[Cheshire]], [[Lancashire]] and the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]].]]
[[Conurbation]]s in England tend to build-up at the [[Historic counties of England|historic county boundaries]]<ref>{{cite book | title= The reorganisation of British local government: old orthodoxies and a political perspective | author= Dearlove, John | year= 1979 | publisher= Cambridge University Press | location= Cambridge | isbn= 0-521-29456-8 }}</ref> and Greater Manchester is no exception. Most of Greater Manchester lay within the ancient county boundaries of [[Lancashire]]; those areas south of the [[River Mersey|Mersey]] and [[River Tame, Greater Manchester|Tame]] were in [[Cheshire]]. The [[Saddleworth]] area and a small part of [[Mossley]] are historically part of [[Yorkshire]] and in the south-east a small part in [[Derbyshire]]. The areas that were incorporated into Greater Manchester in 1974 previously formed parts of the [[Administrative counties of England|administrative counties]] of Cheshire, Lancashire, the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]] and of eight independent [[county borough]]s.<ref name="GM Gazetteer"/>
The ''[[Manchester Evening News|Manchester Evening Chronicle]]'' brought to the fore the issue of "regional unity" for the area in April 1935 under the headline "Greater Manchester – The Ratepayers' Salvation". It reported on the "increasing demands for the exploration of the possibilities of a greater merger of [[public services]] throughout Manchester and the surrounding municipalities".<ref name="FrangopuloP227">Frangopulo (1977), p. 227.</ref> The issue was frequently discussed by civic leaders in the area at that time, particularly those from Manchester and [[Salford]]. The Mayor of Salford pledged his support to the idea, stating that he looked forward to the day when "there would be a merging of the essential services of Manchester, Salford, and the surrounding districts constituting Greater Manchester."<ref name="FrangopuloP227"/> Proposals were halted by the [[World War II|Second World War]], though in the decade after it, the pace of proposals for local government reform for the area quickened.<ref name="FrangopuloP228">Frangopulo (1977), p. 228.</ref> In 1947, [[Lancashire County Council]] proposed a three "[[Riding (division)|riding]]s" system to meet the changing needs of the county of Lancashire, including those for Manchester and surrounding districts.<ref name="FrangopuloP228"/> Other proposals included the creation of a Manchester County Council, a directly elected regional body. In 1951, the [[census in the United Kingdom|census in the UK]] began reporting on South-East Lancashire as a homogonous conurbation.<ref name="FrangopuloP228"/>
===Redcliffe-Maud Report===
{{further|[[Redcliffe-Maud Report]]}}
The [[Local Government Act 1958]] designated the south east Lancashire area (which, despite its name, included part of north east Cheshire), a Special Review Area. The [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)|Local Government Commission for England]] presented draft recommendations, in December 1965, proposing a new county based on the conurbation surrounding and including Manchester, with nine most-purpose boroughs corresponding to the modern Greater Manchester boroughs (excluding Wigan). The review was abolished in favour of the [[Redcliffe-Maud Report|Royal Commission on Local Government]] before issuing a final report.<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 231.</ref>
The Royal Commission's 1969 report, known as the Redcliffe-Maud Report, proposed the removal of much of the then existing system of local government. The commission described the system of administering [[Urban district|urban]] and [[rural district]]s separately as outdated, noting that urban areas provided employment and services for rural dwellers, and open countryside was used by town dwellers for recreation. The commission considered interdependence of areas at many levels, including travel-to-work, provision of services, and which local newspapers were read, before proposing a new administrative [[metropolitan area]].<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 234.</ref> The area had roughly the same northern boundary as today's Greater Manchester (though included [[Rossendale]]), but covered much more territory from Cheshire (including [[Macclesfield]], [[Warrington]], [[Alderley Edge]], [[Northwich]], [[Middlewich]], [[Wilmslow]] and [[Lymm]]), and Derbyshire (the towns of [[New Mills]], [[Whaley Bridge]], [[Glossop]] and [[Chapel-en-le-Frith]]—a minority report suggested that [[Buxton]] be included).<ref name="Redcliffe"/> The metropolitan area was to be divided into nine metropolitan districts, based on Wigan, Bolton, Bury/Rochdale, Warrington, Manchester (including Salford and Old Trafford), Oldham, Altrincham, Stockport and Tameside.<ref name="Redcliffe"/> The report noted "The choice even of a label of convenience for this metropolitan area is difficult".<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 233.</ref> Seven years earlier, a survey prepared for the [[British Association for the Advancement of Science|British Association]] intended to define the "South-East Lancashire conurbation" noted that "Greater Manchester it is not [...] One of its main characteristics is the marked individuality of its towns, [...] all of which have an industrial and commercial history of more than local significance".<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 264.</ref> The term ''Selnec'' (or ''SELNEC'') was already in use as an abbreviation for south east Lancashire and north east Cheshire; Redcliffe-Maud took this as "the most convenient term available", having modified it to south east Lancashire, north east and central Cheshire.<ref name="Redcliffe">Redcliffe-Maud ''et al'' (June 1969), pp. 219–235.</ref>
Following the [[Transport Act 1968]], in 1969 the [[Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive|SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive]] (an authority to co-ordinate and operate public transport in the region) was set up, covering an area smaller than the proposed Selnec, and different again to the eventual Greater Manchester. Compared with the Redcliffe-Maud area, it excluded Macclesfield, Warrington, and Knutsford but included Glossop and [[Saddleworth]] in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]]. It excluded Wigan, which was in both the Redcliffe-Maud area and in the eventual Greater Manchester (but had not been part of the 1958 act's review area).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.selnec.org.uk/selnec.htm|publisher=selnec.org.uk|author=The SELNEC Preservation Society|title=The Formation of the SELNEC PTE}} Retrieved on 6 July 2008.</ref>
Redcliffe-Maud's recommendations were accepted by the Labour-controlled Government in February 1970.<ref name="Redcliffe2"> Redcliffe-Maud and Wood (1975), pp. 46–7, 56, 157.</ref> Although the Redcliffe-Maud Report was rejected by the Conservative government after the [[United Kingdom general election, 1970|1970 general election]], there was a commitment to local government reform, and the need for a metropolitan county centred on the conurbation surrounding Manchester was accepted. The new government's original proposal was much smaller than the Redcliffe-Maud Report's Selnec, with areas such as Warrington, Winsford, Northwich, Knutsford, Macclesfield and Glossop retained by their original counties to ensure their [[county council]]s had enough revenue to remain competitive ([[Cheshire County Council]] would have ceased to exist).<ref name="Redcliffe2"/> Other late changes included the separation of the proposed Bury/Rochdale authority (retained from the Redcliffe-Maud report) into the [[Metropolitan Borough of Bury]] and the [[Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale]]. Bury and Rochdale were originally planned to form a single district (dubbed "Botchdale" by local MP [[Michael Fidler]])<ref>{{cite hansard|house=House of Commons|date=6 July 1972|column_start=763|column_end=834}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lancashire saved from 'Botchdale'|work=[[The Times]]|date=7 July 1972}}</ref> but were divided into separate boroughs. To re-balance the districts, the borough of Rochdale took [[Middleton, Greater Manchester|Middleton]] from Oldham.<ref>{{cite news|title=Philosophy on councils has yet to emerge|work=[[The Times]]|date=8 July 1972}}</ref> During the passage of the bill, the towns of [[Whitworth, Lancashire|Whitworth]], Wilmslow, [[Poynton]] and [[Hale, Halton|Hale]] successfully objected to their incorporation in the new county.<ref name= "Redcliffe2"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;border:0px;text-align:left;line-height:150%;"
! colspan="2" | [[Local Government Act 1972|post-1974]]<ref name=lga1972/>
! colspan="4" | [[Local Government Act 1888|pre-1974]]
|-
! Metropolitan county
! Metropolitan borough
! [[County borough]]s
! [[Municipal borough|Non-county borough]]s
! [[Urban district]]s
! [[Rural district]]s
|-
|rowspan=10| [[Image:Greater Manchester County (3).png|400px]]<br><center><small>Greater Manchester is an amalgamation of 70 former local government districts, including eight county boroughs and 16 municipal boroughs.</small><ref name="GM Gazetteer"/></center>
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Bury|Bury]]
| [[County Borough of Bury|Bury]]
| [[Municipal Borough of Prestwich|Prestwich]] • [[Municipal Borough of Radcliffe|Radcliffe]] •
| [[Ramsbottom Urban District|Ramsbottom]] • [[Tottington Urban District|Tottington]] • [[Whitefield Urban District|Whitefield]]
|
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Bolton|Bolton]]
| [[County Borough of Bolton|Bolton]]
| [[Municipal Borough of Farnworth|Farnworth]]
| [[Blackrod Urban District|Blackrod]] • [[Horwich Urban District|Horwich]] • [[Kearsley Urban District|Kearsley]] • [[Little Lever Urban District|Little Lever]] • [[Turton Urban District|Turton]] • [[Westhoughton Urban District|Westhoughton]]
|
|-
| Manchester
| Manchester
|
|
| [[Ringway]]<ref>At [[31 March]] [[1974]], Ringway was a [[civil parish]] in the [[Bucklow Rural District]].</ref>
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]]
| [[County Borough of Oldham|Oldham]]
|
| [[Chadderton Urban District|Chadderton]] • [[Crompton Urban District|Crompton]] • [[Failsworth Urban District|Failsworth]] • [[Lees Urban District|Lees]] • [[Royton Urban District|Royton]] • [[Saddleworth Urban District|Saddleworth]]
|
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]]
| [[County Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]]
| [[Municipal Borough of Middleton|Middleton]] • [[Municipal Borough of Heywood|Heywood]] •
| [[Littleborough Urban District|Littleborough]] • [[Milnrow Urban District|Milnrow]] • [[Wardle Urban District|Wardle]]
|
|-
| [[City of Salford|Salford]]
| [[County Borough of Salford|Salford]]
| [[Municipal Borough of Eccles|Eccles]] • [[Swinton and Pendlebury]]
| [[Irlam Urban District|Irlam]] • [[Worsley Urban District|Worsley]]
|
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport|Stockport]]
| [[County Borough of Stockport|Stockport]]
|
| [[Bredbury and Romiley]] • [[Cheadle and Gatley]] • [[Hazel Grove and Bramhall]] • [[Marple Urban District|Marple]]
|
|-
| [[Tameside]]
|
| [[Municipal Borough of Ashton-under-Lyne|Ashton-under-Lyne]] • [[Municipal Borough of Dukinfield|Dukinfield]] • [[Municipal Borough of Hyde|Hyde]] • [[Municipal Borough of Mossley|Mossley]] • [[Municipal Borough of Stalybridge|Stalybridge]]
| [[Audenshaw Urban District|Audenshaw]] • [[Denton Urban District|Denton]] • [[Droylsden Urban District|Droylsden]] • [[Longendale Urban District|Longendale]]
|
|-
| [[Trafford]]
|
| [[Municipal Borough of Altrincham|Altrincham]] • [[Municipal Borough of Sale|Sale]] • [[Municipal Borough of Stretford|Stretford]]
| [[Bowdon Urban District|Bowden]] • [[Hale Urban District|Hale]] • [[Urmston Urban District|Urmston]]
| [[Bucklow Rural District|Bucklow]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|Wigan]]
| [[County Borough of Wigan|Wigan]]
| [[Municipal Borough of Leigh|Leigh]]
| [[Abram Urban District|Abram]] • [[Ashton in Makerfield Urban District|Ashton in Makerfield]] • [[Aspull Urban District|Aspull]] • [[Atherton Urban District|Atherton]] • [[Billinge and Winstanley Urban District|Billinge and Winstanley]] • [[Hindley Urban District|Hindley]] • [[Ince-in-Makerfield Urban District|Ince-in-Makerfield]] • [[Golborne Urban District|Golborne]] • [[Orrell Urban District|Orrell]] • [[Standish-with-Langtree]] • [[Tyldesley Urban District|Tyldesley]]
| [[Wigan Rural District|Wigan]]
|-
|}
===After 1974===
[[Image:G-Mex centre.jpg|thumb|right|The Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre (better known as the G-Mex centre and now branded [[Manchester Central (Conference Centre)|Manchester Central]]) was a converted former railway station in Manchester City Centre used for hosting the county's cultural events.]]
[[Image:Greater Manchester 1985.png|thumb|right|Greater Manchester Transport's former 95 service to [[Whitefield, Greater Manchester|Whitefield]], seen here at [[Piccadilly Gardens]] in 1985. The [[Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive]] was created in 1974.]]
[[Image:Westminster House.JPG|thumb|right|GMC County Hall (now known as Westminster House) in [[Manchester]] housed the [[Greater Manchester County Council]] until its abolition in 1986.]]
The [[Local Government Act 1972]] reformed [[local government in England]] by creating a system of two-tier [[metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England|metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties]] and [[Districts of England|district]]s throughout the country.<ref name=lga1972>HMSO. [[Local Government Act 1972]]. 1972 c.70</ref> The act formally established Greater Manchester on 1 April 1974, although [[Greater Manchester County Council]] had been running since [[United Kingdom local elections, 1973|elections in 1973]].<ref name="1973 Elections">{{Cite web|url=http://ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/collection.htm?uri=hist-5319-1|title=British Local Election Database, 1889-2003|publisher=AHDS — Arts and Humanities data service|date=28 June 2006}} retrieved on 5 March 2008.</ref> The leading article in ''[[The Times]]'' on the day the Local Government Act came into effect noted that the "new arrangement is a compromise which seeks to reconcile familiar geography which commands a certain amount of affection and loyalty, with the scale of operations on which modern planning methods can work effectively".<ref>{{cite news|title=All change in local affairs|work=[[The Times]]|date=1 April 1974}}</ref> Frangopulo noted that with the creation of the Greater Manchester "was the official unifying of a region which, through history and tradition, had forged for itself over many centuries bonds [...] between the communities of town and village, each of which was the embodiment of the character of this region".<ref name="FrangopuloPxii">Frangopulo (1977), p. xii.</ref>
By January 1974, a joint working party representing Greater Manchester had drawn up its county ''Structure Plan'', ready for implementation by the Greater Manchester County Council. The plan set out strategic and long-term objectives for the forthcoming metropolitan county.<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 246.</ref> The highest priority was to increase the quality of life for its inhabitants by way of improving the county's physical environment and cultural facilities which had suffered following deindustrialisation. Other objectives were to reverse the trend of depopulation in central-Greater Manchester, to invest in the county's country parks to improve the region's poor reputation on leisure and recreational facilities, and to improve the county's transport infrastructure and journey to work patterns.<ref>Frangopulo (1977), pp. 246–255.</ref> The Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre (better known as the G-Mex centre and now branded [[Manchester Central (Conference Centre)|Manchester Central]]) was a converted former railway station in Manchester City Centre used for cultural events.<ref>Parkinson-Bailey (2000), pp. 214–5.</ref>
Unlike most other modern counties (including [[Merseyside]] and [[Tyne and Wear]]), Greater Manchester was never adopted as a [[Postal counties of the United Kingdom|postal county]] by the [[Royal Mail]]. A review in 1973 noted that "Greater Manchester" would be unlikely to be adopted because of confusion with the [[M postal area|Manchester post town]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Changes in local government units may cause some famous names to disappear|work=[[The Times]]|date=2 January 1973}}<br/>•{{cite news|title=Post Office will ignore some new counties over addresses|work=[[The Times]]|date=26 November 1973}}</ref> And so the component areas of Greater Manchester held on to their pre-1974 postal counties until 1996, when they were abolished.<ref name=guide>{{cite book|publisher=[[Royal Mail]]|title=Address Management Guide|year=2004}}</ref>
A decade after they were established, the mostly [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]-controlled metropolitan county councils and the [[Greater London Council]] (GLC) had several high profile clashes with the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government of [[Margaret Thatcher]], with regards overspending and high [[rates (tax)|rates]] charging. Government policy on the issue was considered throughout 1982, and the Conservative Party put a "promise to scrap the metropolitan county councils" and the GLC, in their manifesto for the [[United Kingdom general election, 1983|1983 general election]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Tory plan to abolish GLC and metropolitan councils, but rates stay|author=Walker, David|work=[[The Times]]|date=15 January 1983}}<br/>•{{cite news|title=Tories may abolish county councils if they win election|author=Haviland, Julian|work=[[The Times]]|date=5 May 1983}}<br/>•{{cite news|title=Big cities defiant over police|author=Tendler, Stewart|work=[[The Times]]|date=16 June 1983}}</ref> Greater Manchester County Council was abolished on 31 March 1986 under the [[Local Government Act 1985]]. That the metropolitan county councils were controlled by the Labour Party led to accusations that their abolition was motivated by party politics: the general secretary of the [[National Association of Local Government Officers]] described it as a "completely cynical manoeuvre".<ref name=angry_reaction>{{cite news|title=Angry reaction to councils White Paper|work=[[The Times]]|date=8 October 1983]}}</ref><ref name="Political">[http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/issue-briefs/domestic-policy/local-government/local-government-structure/local-government-structure-$366613.htm politics.co.uk Issue Brief] and [http://jonathan.rawle.org/hyperpedia/counties/history.php Jonathan Rawle's website] refer.</ref> Most of the functions of the Greater Manchester County Council were devolved to the ten Greater Manchester [[metropolitan district]] councils, though some functions such as emergency services and public transport were taken over by [[Local government in England#Joint arrangements|joint boards]] and continued to be run on a county-wide basis. The [[Association of Greater Manchester Authorities]] (AGMA) was established to continue much of the county-wide services of the [[county council]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agma.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/about-agma/|title=About AGMA|publisher=agma.gov.uk|author=[[Association of Greater Manchester Authorities]]|date=}} Retrieved on 5 March 2008.</ref> The metropolitan county continues to exist in law, and as a geographic frame of reference,<ref name="geographic frame of reference"/> for example as a [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS 2]] administrative division for statistical purposes within the [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biser-eu.com/regions/Greater%20Manchester.pdf|title=Regional Portrait of Greater Manchester - 5.1 Spatial Structure|format=PDF|publisher=biser-eu.com|author=BISER Europe Regions Domain Reporting|date=2003}} Retrieved on 17 February 2007.</ref> Although having been a [[Lieutenancy area]] since 1974, Greater Manchester was included as a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] by the [[Lieutenancies Act 1997]] on 1 July 1997.<ref>HMSO. [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970023_en_1 Lieutenancies Act 1997]. 1997 c.23.</ref>
In 1998, the people of [[Greater London]] voted in a referendum in favour of establishing a new [[Greater London Assembly]], with mayor and an elected chamber for the county.<ref>{{cite book|author=Wood, Edward|title=Research Paper 98/115 –The Greater London Authority Bill: A Mayor and Assembly for London – Bill 7 of 1998-99|date=11 December 1998|location=London|publisher=House of Commons Library|url=http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp98/rp98-115.pdf}}</ref> The [[New Local Government Network]] proposed the creation of a new [[Manchester City Region]] based on Greater Manchester and other metropolitan counties as part of on-going reform efforts, while a report released by the [[Institute for Public Policy Research]]'s [[Centre for Cities]] has proposed the creation of two large [[city region]]s based on Manchester and [[Birmingham]]. In July 2007, [[HM Treasury|The Treasury]] published its ''Review of sub-national economic development and regeneration'', which stated that the government would allow those city regions that wished to work together to form a statutory framework for city regional activity, including powers over transport, skills, planning and economic development.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spending_review/spend_csr07/reviews/subnational_econ_review.cfm|title=Sub-national economic development and regeneration review|date=17 July 2007|publisher=hm-treasury.gov.uk|author=[[HM Treasury]]}} Retrieved on 28 February 2008.</ref> In January 2008, AGMA suggested that a formal government structure be created to cover the whole city region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/features_details.cfm?News_id=32036|publisher=publicfinance.co.uk|date=18 January 2008|title=Comment – A faster track for the city-regions|author=Fairley, Peter}} Retrieved on 28 February 2008.</ref> The issue resurfaced in June 2008 with regards to proposed [[Manchester congestion charge|traffic congestion pricing in Greater Manchester]]; [[Sir Richard Leese]] (leader of [[Manchester City Council]]) said "I've come to the conclusion that [a referendum on congestion charging should be held] because we don't have an indirectly or directly elected body for Greater Manchester that has the power to make this decision".<ref>{{Citation | last =Ottewell|first=David|title=Now YOU can vote on congestion charge|newspaper=[[Manchester Evening News]]|pages=1-2|year=2008|date=25 June 2008}}</ref> On 14 July 2008 the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester agreed to a strategic and integrated cross-county [[Multi Area Agreement]], a voluntary initiative aimed at making district councils "work together to challenge the artificial limits of boundaries" in return for greater autonomy from "[[Whitehall]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/892523|date=2008-07-14|title=More than the sum of their parts - partnerships seal deal to increase economic growth|publisher=communities.gov.uk}} Retrieved on 16 July 2008</ref>
==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Greater Manchester|List of places in Greater Manchester}}
[[Image:Greater Manchester Satelite View bright.png|thumb|right|A [[NASA]] satellite image of Greater Manchester]]
[[Image:Greater Manchester Urban Area 2001.png|right|thumb|The [[Greater Manchester Urban Area]], highlighted in red, against the boundaries of the Metropolitan County]]
[[Image:Stalybridge towards Manchester.jpg|thumb|right|A view over the borough of [[Tameside]], towards [[Manchester City Centre]].]]
Greater Manchester is a landlocked county spanning [[List of ceremonial counties of England by area|492.7 square miles (1,276 km²)]]. The [[Pennines]] rise along the eastern side of the county, through parts of [[Oldham]], [[Rochdale]] and [[Tameside]]. The [[West Pennine Moors]], as well as a number of coalfields (mainly sandstones and shales) lie in the west of the county. The rivers [[River Mersey|Mersey]] and [[River Tame, Greater Manchester|Tame]] run through the county boundaries, both of which rise in the Pennines. Other rivers run through the county, including the [[River Beal|Beal]], the [[River Douglas|Douglas]] and the [[River Irk|Irk]]. [[Black Chew Head]] is the [[List of English counties by highest point|highest point]] of Greater Manchester, rising {{convert|542|m|ft|0}} above sea-level, within the parish of [[Saddleworth]].<ref>Dawson (1992), Chapter 6: The County Tops.</ref> [[Chat Moss]] at {{convert|10.6|sqmi|km2|0}} comprises the largest area of prime farmland in Greater Manchester and contains the largest block of semi-natural woodland in the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/living/planning/naturalenvironment/landscape/chatmoss.htm|title=Chat Moss|author=Salford City Council|publisher=salford.gov.uk|date=2007}} Retrieved on 13 November 2007.<br/>•{{cite web|url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/land-use/pdf/alcleaflet.pdf|title=Agricultural Land Classification|format=PDF|date=July 2003|publisher=[[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]]}} Retrieved on 12 July 2008.</ref>
There is a mix of high density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Greater Manchester, but overwhelmingly the land use in the county is urban.<ref name="GMLTP">{{cite web|url=http://www.gmltp.co.uk/gmltp2_html/section_123173639918.html |title=The Greater Manchester Area and its Regional Context |author=[[GMPTE|Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority]] |publisher=gmltp.co.uk}} Retrieved on 11 April 2007.}</ref> It has a strong regional central business district, formed by [[Manchester City Centre]] and the adjoining parts of [[Salford]] and [[Trafford]]. However, Greater Manchester is also a polycentric county with ten metropolitan districts,<ref name="GMLTP"/> each of which has a major town centre—and in some cases more than one—and many smaller settlements. Greater Manchester is arguably the most complex urban area in the UK outside London,<ref name="GMLTP"/> and this is reflected in the density of its transport network and the scale of its needs for investment to meet the growing and diverse movement demands generated by its development pattern.
The table below outlines many of the county's settlements, and is formatted according to their metropolitan borough.
<!---IF POPULATING THIS TABLE, PLEASE ARRANGE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER. PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT A DISTRICT OF A SETTLEMENT ALREADY MENTIONED IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO LINK HERE - THESE SHOULD BE WITHIN THEIR SETTLEMENT'S ARTICLE--->
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;border:0px;text-align:left;line-height:150%;"
! Metropolitan county || colspan="2" | Metropolitan borough || Centre of administration || Other components
|-
|rowspan=10| '''Greater Manchester'''
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Bury|Bury]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterBury.png|50px|]]
| [[Bury]]
| [[Prestwich]], [[Radcliffe, Greater Manchester|Radcliffe]], [[Ramsbottom]], [[Tottington, Greater Manchester|Tottington]], [[Whitefield, Greater Manchester|Whitefield]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Bolton|Bolton]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterBolton.png|50px|]]
| [[Bolton]]
| [[Blackrod]], [[Farnworth]], [[Horwich]], [[Kearsley]], [[Little Lever]], [[South Turton]], [[Westhoughton]]
|-
| [[Manchester]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterManchester.png|50px|]]
| [[Manchester City Centre|Manchester]]
| [[Blackley]], [[Cheetham Hill]], [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]], [[Didsbury]], [[Ringway]], [[Withington]], [[Wythenshawe]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterOldham.png|50px|]]
| [[Oldham]]
| [[Chadderton]], [[Shaw and Crompton]], [[Failsworth]], [[Lees, Greater Manchester|Lees]], [[Royton]], [[Saddleworth]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterRochdale.png|50px|]]
| [[Rochdale]]
| [[Heywood, Greater Manchester|Heywood]], [[Littleborough, Greater Manchester|Littleborough]], [[Middleton, Greater Manchester|Middleton]], [[Milnrow]], [[Newhey]], [[Wardle, Greater Manchester|Wardle]]
|-
| [[City of Salford|Salford]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterSalford.png|50px|]]
| [[Swinton, Greater Manchester|Swinton]]
| [[Eccles, Greater Manchester|Eccles]], [[Walkden]], [[Worsley]], [[Salford]], [[Irlam]], [[Pendlebury]], [[Cadishead]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport|Stockport]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterStockport.png|50px|]]
| [[Stockport]]
| [[Bramhall]], [[Bredbury]], [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]], [[Gatley]], [[Hazel Grove]], [[Marple, Greater Manchester|Marple]], [[Romiley]]
|-
| [[Tameside]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterTameside.png|50px|]]
| [[Ashton-under-Lyne]]
| [[Audenshaw]], [[Denton, Greater Manchester|Denton]], [[Droylsden]], [[Dukinfield]], [[Hyde, Greater Manchester|Hyde]], [[Longdendale]], [[Mossley]], [[Stalybridge]]
|-
| [[Trafford]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterTrafford.png|50px|]]
| [[Stretford]]
| [[Altrincham]], [[Bowdon, Greater Manchester|Bowdon]], [[Hale, Greater Manchester|Hale]], [[Old Trafford, Greater Manchester|Old Trafford]], [[Sale, Greater Manchester|Sale]], [[Urmston]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|Wigan]] || [[Image:GreaterManchesterWigan.png|50px|]]
| [[Wigan]]
| [[Abram, Greater Manchester|Abram]], [[Ashton-in-Makerfield]], [[Aspull]], [[Astley, Greater Manchester|Astley]], [[Atherton, Greater Manchester|Atherton]], [[Bryn]], [[Golborne]], [[Higher End]], [[Hindley, Greater Manchester|Hindley]], [[Ince-in-Makerfield]], [[Leigh, Greater Manchester|Leigh]], [[Orrell, Greater Manchester|Orrell]], [[Standish-with-Langtree]], [[Shevington]], [[Tyldesley]], [[Winstanley, Greater Manchester|Winstanley]]
|-
|}
The [[Greater Manchester Urban Area]] is an area of land defined by the [[Office for National Statistics]] consisting of the large conurbation surrounding and including the City of Manchester. Its territory spans much, but not all of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. It excludes settlements such as [[Wigan]] and [[Marple, Greater Manchester|Marple]] from the Greater Manchester county boundaries (Wigan itself forming the [[Wigan Urban Area]]), but includes some settlements which are outside of the county boundaries, such as [[Wilmslow]] and [[Alderley Edge]] in [[Cheshire]], and [[Whitworth, Lancashire|Whitworth]] in [[Lancashire]]. Although neither the Greater Manchester county, nor the [[Greater Manchester Urban Area]] have been granted [[city status in the United Kingdom]], [[European Union]] literature suggests that the conurbation surrounding Manchester constitutes a homogonous urban [[city region]].<ref> [http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/strongprosperous State of the English Cities: Volume 1] Produced for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, (2006). Online Report Accessed 17 December 2006.</ref>
[[Image:Greater Manchester.jpg|thumb|900px|center|A view over Greater Manchester. The county is heavily [[urbanised]] and consists of vast [[Urban area|built up]] areas and many settlements.]]
===Climate===
Greater Manchester experiences a temperate [[Oceanic climate|maritime climate]], like most of the [[British Isles]], with relatively cool summers and mild winters. The county's average annual rainfall is {{convert|806.6|mm|in|2}}<ref name="Greater Manchester weather">{{cite web|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/manchester_airport.html|title=Manchester Airport 1971–2000 weather averages |publisher=[[Met Office]]|year=2001}} Retrieved on 15 July 2007.</ref> compared to the UK average of {{convert|1125.0|mm|in|2}},<ref name="UK weather">{{Cite web|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/uk.html|title=UK 1971–2000 averages|accessdate=2007-07-15|publisher=[[Met Office]]|year=2001}}</ref> and its mean rain days are 140.4 per annum,<ref name="Greater Manchester weather"/> compared to the UK average of 154.4.<ref name="UK weather"/> The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom.<ref name="Climate01">{{cite web |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/uk.html |author=Met Office |title=Annual UK weather averages |publisher=Met Office |date=2007}} Retrieved on 23 April 2007.</ref> Greater Manchester also has a relatively high humidity level, which lent itself to the optimised and breakage-free textile manufacturing which took place around the county. Snowfall is not a common sight in the built up areas, due to the [[Urban climate|urban warming]] effect. However, the [[Pennine]] and [[Rossendale Forest]] hills around the eastern and northern edges of the county receive more snow, and roads leading out of the county can be closed due to heavy snowfall,<ref name="Snow">{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/147/147321_roads_chaos_as_snow_sweeps_in.html|title=Roads chaos as snow sweeps in Manchester|work=[[Manchester Evening News]]|year=2005}} Retrieved on 15 July 2007.</ref> notably the [[A62 road]] via [[Standedge]], the [[A57 road|A57]] ([[Snake Pass]]) towards [[Sheffield]],<ref name="Peaks">{{cite web|url=http://www.highpeak.co.uk/hp/h_snakbd.htm|title=Peak District sightseer's guide – Snake Pass|publisher=High Peak|year=2002}} Retrieved on 6 July 2007.</ref> and the [[M62 motorway|M62]] over [[Saddleworth Moor]].
{{Manchester weatherbox}}
==Governance==
{{seealso|List of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester|List of civil parishes in Greater Manchester|High Sheriff of Greater Manchester}}
[[Image:Gtr Man arms.png|thumb|right|The coat of arms of the former [[Greater Manchester County Council|Greater Manchester Council]], which was abolished in 1986]]
[[Image:Stockport Town Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Stockport Town Hall]] houses government and administrative functions for the [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport]].]]
[[Image:Civic Centre at Oldham.png|thumb|Oldham Civic Centre is where the borough of [[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]]'s government functions take place.]]
Greater Manchester is divided into 28 [[United Kingdom constituencies|Parliamentary constituencies]] – 18 [[Borough constituencies]] and 10 [[County constituencies]]. Most of Greater Manchester is controlled by the [[Labour party (UK)|Labour party]], and is generally considered a Labour stronghold,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/119/119942_lib_dems_close_in_on_manchester.html |title=Lib Dems close in on Manchester|work=[[Manchester Evening News]]|date=11 June 2004}} Retrieved on 26 February 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/manchester/feature/2009/4/Labour_party_returns_to_Manchester.html#articleAfterMpu |title=Labour party returns to Manchester|publisher=timeout.com|date=2006}} Retrieved on 26 February 2008.</ref> with only four constituencies (since the [[United Kingdom general election, 2005|2005 General Election]]) belonging to the [[Liberal Democrats]], and one constituency to the [[Conservative party (UK)|Conservative party]]. [[Local government in England|Local governance]] in Greater Manchester is currently provided by the councils of ten [[Districts of England|districts]], known as [[metropolitan borough]]s, these are: [[Metropolitan Borough of Bolton|Bolton]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Bury|Bury]], the [[Manchester|City of Manchester]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]], the [[City of Salford]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport|Stockport]], [[Tameside]], [[Trafford]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|Wigan]].
Eight of the ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester are named after the eight former county boroughs that now compose the largest centres of population and greater historical and political prominence.<ref name="FrangopuloP138">Frangopulo (1977), p. 138.</ref> As an example, the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is centred on the town of [[Stockport]], a former county borough, but includes other smaller settlements, such as [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]], [[Gatley]], and [[Bramhall]].<ref name="FrangopuloP138"/> The names of two of the metropolitan boroughs were given a neutral name because, at the time they were created, there was no agreement on the town to be put forward as the administrative centre and neither had a [[county borough]]. These boroughs are [[Tameside]] and [[Trafford]], centred on [[Ashton-under-Lyne]] and [[Stretford]], respectively, and are named with reference to geographical and historical origins.<ref name="FrangopuloP138"/>
For the first 12 years after the county was created in 1974, the county had a two-tier system of [[local government in England|local government]], and the metropolitan borough councils shared power with the [[Greater Manchester County Council]].<ref name="politics">{{Cite web|url=http://www.politics.co.uk/issue-briefs/domestic-policy/local-government/local-government-structure/local-government-structure-$366613.htm|title=Local Government Structure — What is the structure of local government?|publisher=politics.co.uk}} Retrieved on 5 March 2008.</ref> The Greater Manchester County Council, a strategic authority running regional services such as transport, strategic planning, emergency services and waste disposal, comprised 106 members drawn from the ten [[metropolitan borough]]s of Greater Manchester.<ref>Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (N.D.), p. 65.</ref> However in 1986, along with the five other [[metropolitan county]] councils and the [[Greater London Council]], the Greater Manchester County Council was abolished, and most of its powers were devolved to the boroughs, which effectively became [[unitary authorities]].<ref name="politics"/> Various [[civil parish]]es exist in certain parts of Greater Manchester.
Although the [[county council]], which was based in what is now Westminster House off [[Piccadilly Gardens]], has been abolished, a number of local government functions take place at the county level. The ten authorities of Greater Manchester co-operate through the [[Association of Greater Manchester Authorities]] (AGMA), which meets to create a co-ordinated county-wide approach to many issues. The AGMA funds some county-wide bodies such as the [[Greater Manchester County Records Office]]. Through the AGMA, the ten authorities of Greater Manchester co-operate on many policy issues, including county-wide [[Local Transport Plan]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmltp.co.uk|title=Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan|work= Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan website|publisher=<!--none obvious-->}} Retrieved on 12 December 2006.</ref> Some local services are provided county-wide, administered by statutory [[Local government in England#Joint-boards|joint boards]]. These are [[Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive]], (GMPTE) which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating [[public transport]] across the county; the [[Greater Manchester Police]], who are overseen by a joint [[Police authority]]; the [[Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service]], who are administered by a joint "Fire and Rescue Authority"; and the [[Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority]]. These joint boards are made up of councillors appointed from each of the ten boroughs (except the Waste Disposal Authority, which does not include the [[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan]]). The ten boroughs jointly own the [[Manchester Airport Group]] which controls [[Manchester Airport]] and three other UK airports. Other services are directly funded and managed by the local councils.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Greater Manchester – 'up and going'? |author=Hebbert, Michael|coauthors=Iain Deas |journal=Policy & Politics |volume=28 |year=2000 |pages= 79–92 |issue=1 |issn=0305 5736}}</ref>
Greater Manchester is a [[ceremonial county]] with its own [[Lord-Lieutenant]] who is the personal representative of the monarch. The Local Government Act 1972 provided that the whole of the area to be covered by the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester would also be included in the [[Duchy of Lancaster]] – extending the duchy to include areas which were formerly in the counties of Cheshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. Until 31 March 2005, Greater Manchester's [[Keeper of the Rolls]] was appointed by the [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]]; they are now appointed by the [[Lord Chancellor|Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/output/page61.asp|publisher=duchyoflancaster.co.uk|title=Keeper of the Rolls|author=[[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]]}} Retrieved on 8 July 2008.</ref> The first Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester was Sir William Downward who held the title from 1974 to 1988.<ref>The Lord-Lieutenants Order 1973 (1973/1754)</ref> The current Lord Lieutenant is Warren James Smith.<ref>{{LondonGazette | issue= 58395 |date=18 July 2007 |startpage=10329 | notarchive=yes}}</ref> As a geographic county, Greater Manchester is used by the government (via the [[Office for National Statistics]]) for the gathering of county-wide statistics, and organising and collating general register and census material.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10056925&c_id=10001043 |title=Greater Manchester Met. C |author=A Vision of Britain through time}} Retrieved on 6 April 2007.</ref>
==Demography==
{{main|Demography of Greater Manchester}}
[[Image:Population of Greater Manchester.png|thumb|right|upright|The population of Greater Manchester has increased from around 328 thousand in 1801, to 2.5M in 2001. It was at its peak in 1971, however, at 2.7M.]]
[[Image:Salford, Urban Splash.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Much of Greater Manchester's housing stock consists of [[terraced house]]s constructed as low-cost dwellings for the populations of local [[mill town|factory towns]]. This street in [[Salford]] has been renovated by [[Urban Splash]].]]
Greater Manchester has a population of 2,553,800 (as of 2006), making it the [[List of ceremonial counties of England by population|third most populous county]] in the United Kingdom (after [[Greater London]] and the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]).<ref name=population>{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=9666&More=Y|title=T 09: Quinary age groups and sex for local authorities in the UK; estimated resident population Mid-2006 Population Estimates|date=30 May 2008|publisher=National Statistics}} Retrieved on 8 July 2008.</ref> It is the seventh most densely populated county of England.
Greater Manchester is home to a diverse population and is a multicultural agglomeration with significant ethnic minority population comprising 8.49% of the total population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biser-eu.com/regions/Greater%20Manchester.pdf|title=Regional Portrait of Greater Manchester - 5.3 Population Structure/Migration (demography)|format=PDF|publisher=BISER Europe Regions Domain Reporting|year=2003}} Retrieved on 18 February 2008.</ref><ref name="ManchesterLieutenancy">{{cite web|url=http://www.manchesterlieutenancy.org/|publisher=manchesterlieutenancy.org|title=Warren Smith welcomes you to the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy}} Retrieved on 8 July 2008.</ref> There are currently over 66 refugee nationalities in the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.can.uk.com/exodus/exodus_about.htm|publisher=can.uk.com|title=Exodus: The Facts|date=2003}} Retrieved on 27 February 2008.</ref> As of the 2001 UK census, 74.2% of Greater Manchester's residents were Christian, 5.0% Muslim, 0.9% Jewish, 0.7% Hindu, 0.2% Buddhist, and 0.1% Sikh. 11.4% had no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 7.4% did not state their religion. This is similar to the rest of the country, although the proportions of Muslims and Jews are nearly twice the national average.<ref name="Trafford neighbourhood stats">{{cite web |title=Greater Manchester (health authority) religion |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=789833&c=M7+4FU&d=14&e=16&g=353838&i=1x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=0&s=1201894343750&enc=1&dsFamilyId=95}} Retrieved on 1 February 2008.</ref> Greater Manchester is covered by the Roman Catholic Dioceses of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford|Salford]] and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury|Shrewsbury]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury |url=http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org |publisher=Dioceseofshrewsbury.org}} Retrieved on 7 May 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Parishes of the Diocese |publisher= Salforddiocese.org.uk |url=http://www.salforddiocese.org.uk/parishes/masstimes.html}} Retrieved on 7 May 2007.</ref> and the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool|Archdiocese of Liverpool]]. Most of Greater Manchester is part of the [[Anglican Diocese of Manchester]],<ref>{{cite web | title = The Church of England Diocese of Manchester |url=http://www.manchester.anglican.org/default.asp | publisher = Manchester.anglican.org}} Retrieved on 17 January 2008.</ref> apart from [[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|Wigan]] which lies within the [[Anglican Diocese of Liverpool|Diocese of Liverpool]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Welcome to the Diocese of Liverpool | url = http://www.liverpool.anglican.org | publisher = Liverpool.anglican.org}} Retrieved on 1 February 2008.</ref>
Following the [[deindustrialisation]] of Greater Manchester in the mid-20th century, there was a significant economic and population decline in the region, particularly in Manchester and Salford.<ref name="Renewal">{{cite web|url=http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/BVIR/9AC95DA0-C6A1-4b9b-9A0D-D305DE72FFC8/ManchesterSalford.pdf|format=PDF|title=Market Renewal: Manchester Salford Pathfinder|date=2003|publisher=[[Audit Commission]]}} Retrieved on 22 February 2008.</ref><ref name="Shrinking" /> Vast areas of low-quality squalid [[terraced housing]] that were built throughout the [[Victorian era]] were found to be in a poor state of repair and unsuited to modern needs; many [[inner-city]] districts suffered from chronic social deprivation and high levels of unemployment.<ref name="Shrinking" /><ref>Cooper (2005), p. 47.</ref> [[Urban Renewal|Slum clearance]] and the increased building of [[Public housing|social housing]] [[overspill estate]]s by Salford and Manchester City Councils lead to a decrease in population in central Greater Manchester.<ref name="Slums">{{cite journal |last=Shapely |first=Peter |year=2002–3 | title=The press and the system built developments of inner-city Manchester | journal = Manchester Region History Review | volume = 16 | pages = 30–39 | publisher = Manchester Centre for Regional History |location=Manchester | issn = 0952-4320 |url=http://www.mcrh.mmu.ac.uk/pubs/pdf/mrhr_16_shapely.pdf |format=PDF }} Retrieved on 22 November 2007.</ref> During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the population of Greater Manchester declined by over 8,000 inhabitants a year.<ref name="Shrinking"/> While the population of the City of Manchester shrank by about 40% during this time (from 766,311 in 1931 to 452,000 in 2006), the total population of Greater Manchester only decreased by 8%.<ref name="Shrinking"/>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="8"|'''Population totals for Greater Manchester'''
|-
!Year!!Population!!<!---blank--->!!Year!!Population!!<!---blank--->!!Year!!Population
|-
! 1801
|<center> 328,609
|rowspan="7" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
! 1871
| <center>1,590,102
|rowspan="7" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
! 1941
| <center>2,693,775
|-
! 1811
| <center>409,464
! 1881
| <center>1,866,649
! 1951
| <center>2,688,987
|-
! 1821
| <center>526,230
! 1891
| <center>2,125,318
! 1961
| <center>2,699,711
|-
! 1831
| <center>700,486
! 1901
| <center>2,357,150
! 1971
| <center>2,729,741
|-
! 1841
| <center>860,413
! 1911
| <center>2,617,598
! 1981
| <center>2,575,441
|-
! 1851
| <center>1,037,001
! 1921
| <center>2,660,088
! 1991
| <center>2,569,700
|-
! 1861
| <center>1,313,550
! 1931
|<center> 2,707,070
! 2001
| <center>2,482,352
|-
| colspan="8" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Greater Manchester<br />''Source: [[Great Britain Historical GIS]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10056925&c_id=10001043&add=N |title=Greater Manchester Met. C: Total Population |author=A Vision of Britain through time}} Retrieved on 6 April 2007.</ref>
|}
Greater Manchester's housing stock comprises a variety of types. [[Manchester City Centre]] is noted for its high-rise apartments,<ref name="ManchesterHighRise">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2004/11/24/high_rise_living_hys_feature.shtml|title=Manchester — Features — A cut above: high rise living is back|publisher=[[bbc.co.uk]]|date=24 November 2004|author=Yakub Qureshi}} Retrieved on 25 February 2008.</ref> while [[Salford]] has some of the tallest and most [[population density|densely populated]] [[tower block]] estates in Europe.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2001/feb/28/housingpolicy.keyworkerhousing|title=Tower blocks to make a comeback|date=28 February 2001|author=Cunningham, John|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited|work=[[The Guardian]]}} Retrieved on 26 February 2008.</ref> Throughout Greater Manchester, rows of [[terraced house]]s are common, most of them built during the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] and [[Edwardian period]]s. The [[Housing Market Renewal Initiative]] has identified [[Manchester]], Salford, [[Rochdale]] and [[Oldham]] as areas with terraced housing unsuited to modern needs. Although Greater Manchester has a reputation as an urban sprawl, the county does have areas of [[green belt]], and includes some of the most affluent areas in the country;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greatermanchesterpropertysales.co.uk/|title=Welcome to Greater Manchester Property Sales|publisher=greatermanchesterpropertysales.co.uk|date=}} Retrieved on 26 February 2008.</ref> [[Altrincham]], with its neighbours [[Bowdon, Greater Manchester|Bowdon]] and [[Hale, Greater Manchester|Hale]], is said to constitute a "stockbroker belt, with well-appointed dwellings in an area of sylvan opulence".<ref>Frangopulo (1977), p. 224.</ref>
==Education==
{{Seealso|List of schools in Greater Manchester}}
Greater Manchester has four universities: the [[University of Bolton]], the [[University of Manchester]], [[Manchester Metropolitan University]], and the [[University of Salford]]. Together with the [[Royal Northern College of Music]] they had a combined population of students in higher education of 101,165 in 2007—the third highest number in England behind Greater London (360,890) and the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] (140,980),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/institution0607.xls|title=Table 0a — All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07|year=2008|format=XLS|work=Students and Qualifiers Data Tables|publisher=[[Higher Education Statistics Agency]]}} Retrieved on 21 March 2008.</ref> and the thirteenth highest in England per head of population.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Tight|first=Malcolm|year=2007|month=July|title=The (Re)Location of Higher Education in England (Revisited)|journal=Higher Education Quarterly|volume=61|issue=3|pages=250–265|doi=10.1111/j.1468-2273.2007.00354.x}}</ref> The majority of students are concentrated on [[Wilmslow Road, Manchester|Oxford Road]] in Manchester, Europe's largest urban higher education precinct.<ref name="Higher edu">Hartwell (2001), p. 105.</ref>
Primary, secondary and further education within Greater Manchester are the responsibility of the constituent boroughs which form [[local education authority|local education authorities]] and administer schools and colleges of further education. The county is also home to a number of [[independent school]]s such as [[Manchester Grammar School]], [[Bolton School]] and [[Bury Grammar School]].
==Economy==
{{seealso|List of companies based in Greater Manchester|Economy of Manchester}}
[[Image:Oldham From Glodwick.png|thumb|right|[[Oldham]], painted during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Many towns in Greater Manchester were built around the mills.]]
[[Image:Manchester Skyline Image.jpg|thumb|right|[[Manchester City Centre]], the [[central business district]] of Greater Manchester, is a major centre of trade and commerce.]]
[[Image:SalfordQuays.jpg|thumb|[[Salford Quays]] is the [[City of Salford]]'s main business district.]]
[[Image:Trafford Centre escalators.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Trafford Centre]] is one of the [[List of shopping centres in the United Kingdom by size|largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom]].]]
Much of Greater Manchester's wealth was generated during the Industrial Revolution. The world's first [[cotton mill]] was built in the town of [[Royton]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldham.gov.uk/working/economic_profile/innovation_technology.htm|title=Oldham's Economic Profile — Innovation and Technology|work=Oldham MBC web pages|publisher= Oldham Council|date=<!--undated-->}} Retrieved on 27 October 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk/journey.php?Title=NW+Cotton+towns+learning+journey&step=2&theme=places|title=NW Cotton Towns Learning Journey|work=Spinning the web|publisher=Manchester City Council}} Retrieved on 27 October 2006.</ref> and the county encompasses several former [[mill town]]s. An [[Association for Industrial Archaeology]] publication describes Greater Manchester as "one of the classic areas of industrial and urban growth in Britain, the result of a combination of forces that came together in the 18th and 19th centuries: a phenomenal rise in population, the appearance of the specialist industrial town, a transport revolution, and weak local lordship".<ref name="M&N"/> Much of the county was at the forefront of [[textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution]] and into the early 20th century, represented by the former textile mills found throughout the county.<ref name="M&N"/>
The territory that makes up Greater Manchester experienced a rapid decline of these traditional sectors, partly during the [[Lancashire Cotton famine]] brought on by the [[American Civil War]], but mainly as part of the [[Great Depression in the United Kingdom|post-war economic depression]] and [[deindustrialisation]] of Britain that occurred during the 20th century.<ref name="Shrinking">{{cite web|format=PDF|title=Shrinking Cities: Manchester/Liverpool II|url=http://shrinkingcities.com/fileadmin/shrink/downloads/pdfs/WP-II_Manchester_Liverpool.pdf|date=March 2004|page=36|publisher=shrinkingcities.com|author=}} Retrieved on 4 March 2008.</ref> Considerable industrial restructuring has helped the region to recover.<ref name=BISER6>{{cite web|url=http://www.biser-eu.com/regions/Greater%20Manchester.pdf|title=Regional Portrait of Greater Manchester - 6 Economic Factors|format=PDF|publisher=BISER Europe Regions Domain Reporting|year=2003}} Retrieved on 17 February 2007.</ref> Historically, the docks at [[Salford Quays]] were an industrial port, though are now (following a period of disuse) a commercial and residential area which includes the [[Imperial War Museum North]] and [[The Lowry]] theatre and exhibition centre. A major [[BBC]] centre is also scheduled to open there in 2010.<ref name="MediaCity">{{Cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/215/215813_salford_bid_wins_bbc_move_north.html|title=Salford bid wins BBC move north|work=[[Manchester Evening News]]|year=2006|author=Ian Wylie}} Retrieved on 5 March 2008.</ref>
Today, Greater Manchester is the economic centre of the [[North West England|North West]] region of England and is the largest sub-regional economy in the UK outside London and [[South East England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.investinmanchester.com/MarketIntelligence/EconomicOverview/|title=Manchester city region — Economic Overview|publisher=investinmanchester.com|date=}} Retrieved on 30 May 2008.</ref> Greater Manchester represents more than £42 billion of the UK regional [[Measures of national income and output|GVA]], more than Wales, Northern Ireland or [[North East England]].<ref name="GVA">{{cite web|url=http://www.investinmanchester.com/be_econ|title=Greater Manchester Economic Data|publisher=Midas Manchester|year=2003|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070813023005/http://www.investinmanchester.com/be_econ|archivedate=13 August 2007}} Retrieved on 10 July 2008.</ref> [[Manchester City Centre]], the central business district of Greater Manchester, is a major centre of trade and commerce and provides Greater Manchester with a global identity, specialist activities and employment opportunities; similarly, the economy of the city centre is dependent upon the rest of the county for its population as an employment pool, skilled workforce and for its collective purchasing power.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmep.org.uk/ccm/navigation/the-greater-manchester-strategy/|publisher=gmep.org.uk|title=The Greater Manchester Strategy: Foreword|date=2004}} Retrieved on 9 July 2008.</ref> Manchester today is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and commerce. In a poll of British business leaders published in 2006, Manchester was regarded as the best place in the UK to locate a business.<ref name="Best for business">{{cite web|url=http://www.omis.co.uk/Downloads/BBC06.pdf|title=Britain's Best Cities 2005–2006 Executive Summary|publisher=OMIS Research|year=2006|format=PDF|archiveurl=http://web.petabox.bibalex.org/web/20060517041837/http://www.omis.co.uk/Downloads/BBC06.pdf|archivedate=2006-05-17}}</ref> A report commissioned by Manchester Partnership, published in 2007, showed Manchester to be the "fastest-growing city" economically.<ref name="Fastest Growing City"> Retrieved on 30 May 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=2915|title=Manchester – The State of the City|publisher=Manchester City Council|year=2007}} Retrieved on 11 September 2007.</ref> It is the third most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors<ref>{{cite press release | title=International Visitors To Friendly Manchester Up 10% | publisher=Marketing Manchester |date=17 September 2007 |url=http://www.marketingmanchester.com/news/newsdetails.xsql?id=258}} Retrieved on 17 July 2008.</ref> and is now often considered to be the [[Second city of the United Kingdom|second city of the UK]].<ref name="Second city">{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2253035.stm|title=Manchester 'England's second city'|publisher=[[BBC]]|year=2002}} Retrieved on 2 May 2007.
<br />• {{cite web|url=http://www.ipsos-mori.com/content/manchester-englands-second-city.ashx|title=Manchester 'England's Second City'|publisher=Ipsos MORI|year=2002}} Retrieved on 30 May 2008.
<br />• {{cite web|url=http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article541043.ece|title=Can Birmingham halt its decline?|work=[[The Times]]|year=2005|author=Riley, Catherine}} Retrieved on 1 August 2007.
<br />• {{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4293814.stm|title=Manchester 'close to second city'|publisher=[[BBC]]|year=2005}} Retrieved on 2 May 2006.
<br />• {{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6349501.stm|title=Manchester tops second city poll|publisher=[[BBC]]|year=2007}} Retrieved on 18 June 2007.
<br />• {{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/02_february/09/birmingham.shtml|title=Birmingham loses out to Manchester in second city face off|publisher=[[BBC]]|year=2007}} Retrieved on 18 June 2007.</ref> The [[Trafford Centre]] is one of the [[List of shopping centres in the United Kingdom by size|largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom]], and is located within the [[Metropolitan Borough of Trafford]].
As of the 2001 UK census, there were 1,805,315 residents of Greater Manchester aged 16 to 74. The economic activity of these people was 40.3% in full-time employment, 11.3% in part-time employment, 6.7% self-employed, 3.5% unemployed, 5.1% students without jobs, 2.6% students with jobs, 13.0% retired, 6.1% looking after home or family, 7.8% permanently sick or disabled and 3.5% economically inactive for other reasons. The figures follow the national trend, although the percentage of self-employed people is below the national average of 8.3%.<ref>{{cite web | title =Greater Manchester (health authority) economic activity | publisher = Statistics.gov.uk | url =http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=789833&c=Greater+Manchester&d=81&e=16&g=352906&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1202045463826&enc=1&dsFamilyId=107}} Retrieved on 3 February 2008.</ref> The proportion of unemployment in the county varies, with the [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport]] having the lowest at 2.0% and the [[City of Manchester]] the highest at 7.9%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Promoting a Dynamic Economy |publisher=Greater Manchester e-Government Partnership |url=http://www.gmep.org.uk/ccm/content/agma/promoting-a-dynamic-economy.en;jsessionid=64C7688F205BEE012F17A5E3001818D5}} Retrieved on 12 December 2007.</ref> In 2001, of the 1,093,385 residents of Greater Manchester in employment, the industry of employment was: 18.4% retail and wholesale; 16.7% manufacturing; 11.8% property and business services; 11.6% health and social work; 8.0% education; 7.3% transport and communications; 6.7% construction; 4.9% public administration and defence; 4.7% hotels and restaurants; 4.1% finance; 0.8% electricity, gas, and water supply; 0.5% agriculture; and 4.5% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, except for the proportion of jobs in agriculture which is only about a third of the national average of 1.5%, due to the overwhelmingly urban, built-up land use of Greater Manchester.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greater Manchester (health authority) industry of employment |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=789833&c=Greater+Manchester&d=81&e=16&g=352906&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1202046400846&enc=1&dsFamilyId=119}} Retrieved on 3 February 2008.</ref><ref name=BISER6/>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: 2em; width: 60%; font-size: 100%;" cellspacing="3"
!colspan="5"|'''Regional gross value added by the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester at current basic prices. Figures are in millions of British pounds sterling.<ref name="RGVA">{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf|title=Regional Gross Value Added (pp. 240–253)|publisher=[[Office of National Statistics]]|date=21 December 2005|format=PDF}} Retrieved on 5 March 2008.</ref>'''
|-
! Year || Regional Gross Value Added{{ref label|Rounding|A|A}} || Agriculture{{ref label|Agriculture|B|B}} || Industry{{ref label|Industry|C|C}} || Services{{ref label|Services|D|D}}
|-
| 1995 || '''25,368''' || 59 || 8,344 || 16,966
|-
| 2000 || '''32,995''' || 38 || 8,817 || 24,140
|-
| 2003 || '''38,300''' || 48 || 8,973 || 29,279
|-
| 2005<ref name="GVA_2007">{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/Regional_GVA_December_2007.pdf|title=Regional GVA December 2007|publisher=statistics.gov.uk|year=2007|format=PDF}} Retrieved on 3 February 2008.</ref> || '''42,082''' || — || —— || ——–
|}
<small>
:{{note label|Rounding|A|A}}Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
:{{note label|Agriculture|B|B}}Includes hunting and forestry
:{{note label|Industry|C|C}}Includes energy and construction
:{{note label|Services|D|D}}Includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
</small>
==Transport==
{{seealso|Transport in Manchester|Manchester Metrolink|Manchester Congestion Charge|List of railway stations in Greater Manchester}}
[[Image:M60 at Cutler Hill, Failsworth.jpg|thumb|right|The [[M60 motorway]], seen here at [[Failsworth]], is an [[Beltway|orbital motorway]] in Greater Manchester.]]
[[Image:Metrolink at Dolly Molly.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Manchester Metrolink]] tram approaching [[Radcliffe, Greater Manchester|Radcliffe]], part of Greater Manchester's light rail public transport system]]
[[Image:First Manchester Scania artic.jpg|thumb|right|[[First Manchester]] operate bus services in northern-Greater Manchester.]]
Public transport services in Greater Manchester are co-ordinated by the [[Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive]] (GMPTE), a public body ([[Passenger Transport Executive]]) established as SELNEC PTE in 1969 in accordance with the [[Transport Act 1968]].<ref name="FrangopuloP187"/> The original SELNEC Passenger Transport Authority was taken over by the [[Greater Manchester County Council]] on 1 April 1974 in order to co-ordinate bus and rail services within the new county.<ref name="FrangopuloP187"/> The council had overall responsibility for strategic planning and all policy decisions covering public transport and highways. GMPTE's purpose was to secure the provision of a completely integrated and efficient system of passenger transport to meet the needs of its area.<ref name="FrangopuloP187"/> In 1977, it was noted as the largest authority for public transport in the United Kingdom after [[Transport in London|London Transport]].<ref name="FrangopuloP187">Frangopulo (1977), p. 187.</ref>
Greater Manchester lies at the heart of the [[North West England|North West]] transport network. Much of the infrastructure is centred on the [[Manchester|City of Manchester]] with the [[Manchester Inner Ring Road]], an amalgamation of several major roads, circulating the city centre. The county is the only place in the UK to have a fully [[Beltway|orbital motorway]],<ref name="M60P141">Hyde, O'Rourke, and Portland (2004) p. 141.</ref> the [[M60 motorway|M60]], which passes through all of the boroughs except Bolton and Wigan. Greater Manchester has a higher percentage of the [[motorway]] network than any other county in the country,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldham.ac.uk/study/local|quote=The Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester has the most extensive motorway network in the United Kingdom|title=Local information: About Oldham|publisher=oldham.ac.uk|author=[[The Oldham College]]|date=}} Retrieved on 6 March 2008.</ref> and according to the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'', it has the most traffic lanes side by side (17), spread across several parallel carriageways ([[M61 motorway|M61]] at [[Linnyshaw]] in [[Walkden]], close to the M60 interchange).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbrd.co.uk/roadsfaq/#446 |title=British Roads Database|publisher=cbrd.co.uk}} Retrieved on 6 March 2008.<br />•{{cite news |title=The number's up for Britain's roads|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2002/10/04/emfnum05.xml |work=Telegraph.co.uk |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |date=October 2002 |language= |quote=The west side of Manchester is notoriously busy and holds the record for the widest section of motorway — an impressive 17 lanes where the M61 and M60 meet.}} Retrieved on 7 July 2007.<br />•{{cite book |author=Matthews, Peter (ed) |title=The Guinness Book of Records 1993|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=Enfield |date=1992 |isbn=0-85112-978-1 |pages=p. 121}}</ref> Greater Manchester's {{convert|85|mi|km|0}} of motorway network saw 5.8 billion vehicle kilometres in 2002—about 6% of the UK's total, or 89,000 vehicles a day.<ref name="M60P141"/> The [[A580 road|A580 "East Lancs" road]] is a [[primary status|primary]] [[A road]] that connects Manchester and Salford with [[Liverpool]]. It was the UK's first purpose-built intercity highway and was officially opened by [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] on 18 July 1934.<ref name="lancshistoric">{{cite web |url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/historichighways/eastlancs/index.asp |title=Early Highways Liverpool-East Lancashire Road A580 |work=Historic Highways |publisher=lancashire.gov.uk|author=[[Lancashire County Council]]}} Retrieved on 19 January 2008.</ref> The [[Manchester Congestion Charge]] is a proposed [[road pricing]] scheme for Greater Manchester.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1007/1007736_ccharge_details_revealed.html |title=C-charge details revealed |first=Alan |last=Salter |work=Manchester Evening News |publisher=M.E.N. Media Ltd |date=5 May 2007}} Retrieved on 25 November 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/jul/27/communities.environment |title=Manchester makes move towards congestion charge |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |date=27 July 2007}} Retrieved on 25 November 2007.</ref> Unlike the current version of the [[London congestion charge|London scheme]], two cordons will be used, one covering the main urban core of the [[Greater Manchester Urban Area]] and another covering the Manchester City Centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2007/01/24/240106_road_pricing_feature.shtml |title=Traffic Congestion charging: FAQs |publisher=BBC Manchester}} Retrieved on 26 November 2007.</ref>
There is an extensive bus network which radiates from Manchester City Centre. The largest providers are [[First Manchester]] for the northern parts of the county and [[Stagecoach Manchester]] for the southern parts. In addition to the network of bus routes, a light rail system began operating in 1992 called [[Manchester Metrolink]]. The tram system serves the City of Manchester, [[City of Salford]], [[Bury]] and [[Trafford]]. An expansion of the system is due to begin in 2008 which will see the system run to all boroughs except Bolton and Wigan. Greater Manchester has a rail network of 142 route miles (229 km) with [[List of railway stations in Greater Manchester|98 stations]], forming a central hub to the North West rail network.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmpte.com/content.cfm?category_id=102785|title=GMPTE — Trains|author=[[GMPTE]]|publisher=gmpte.com|date=N.D.}} Retrieved on 13 September 2007.</ref> Train services are provided by private operators and run on the national rail network which is owned and managed by [[Network Rail]]. An extensive canal network also remains from the Industrial Revolution. [[Manchester Airport]], which is the fourth largest in the United Kingdom, serves the county with flights to more destinations than any other airport in the UK:<ref name="State of the City"/> since June 2007 it has served 225 routes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uk-airport-news.info/manchester-airport-news-030607.htm |title=Manchester Airport offers more destinations than Heathrow and Gatwick|puablisher=uk-airport-news.info|date=3 June 2006|work=UK Airport News|publisher=TMC Ltd}} Retrieved on 10 July 2008.</ref>
The three modes of public transport in the area are heavily used. 19.7 million rail journeys were made in the GMPTE-supported area in the 2005/2006 financial year—an increase of 9.4% over 2004/2005; there were 19.9 million journeys on Metrolink; and the bus system carried 219.4 million passengers.<ref name="State of the City">{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/State_of_the_City_appendix.pdf|title=State of the City Report 2006/2007|format=PDF|publisher=manchester.gov.uk|date=September 2007}} Retrieved on 26 February 2008.</ref>
==Sports==
{{seealso|Sport in Manchester}}
[[Image:CIMG1475.JPG|thumb|right|The East Stand of [[Old Trafford]]]]
[[Image:City of Manchester Stadium 2.jpg|thumb|right|The [[City of Manchester Stadium]], the main venue of the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] and home to [[Manchester City F.C.]]]]
[[Image:LCCC Entrance.jpg|thumb|right|The main entrance of Old Trafford Cricket Ground]]
Manchester hosted the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] which was, at a cost of £200M for the sporting facilities and a further £470M for local infrastructure, by far the biggest and most expensive sporting event held in the UK and the first to be an integral part of urban regeneration.<ref name=Gratton>{{cite journal|last=Gratton|first=Chris|coauthors=Simon Shibli; Richard Coleman|year=2005|title=Sport and Economic Regeneration in Cities|journal=Urban Studies|volume=42|issue=5–6|pages=985–999|publisher=Urban Studies Journal Limited|doi=10.1080/00420980500107045}}</ref> A mix of new and existing facilities were used. New amenities included the [[Manchester Aquatics Centre]], [[Bolton Arena]], the [[National Squash Centre]], and the [[City of Manchester Stadium]]. The [[Manchester Velodrome]] was built as part of the bid to hold the [[2000 Olympic Games]].<ref>Parkinson-Bailey (2000), pp. 249–250.</ref> After the Commonwealth Games the City of Manchester Stadium was converted for football use, and the adjacent warm-up track upgraded to become the Regional Athletics Arena.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/features/newsid_1993000/1993683.stm|author=|title=City enjoys £600m windfall|publisher=BBC.Online|date=16 June 2006}} Retrieved on14 September 2007.<br •/>{{cite web|url=http://www.gameslegacy.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi/34|title=Sporting Legacy|year=2003|work=Commonwealth Games Legacy Manchester 2002|publisher=Commonwealth Games Legacy}} Retrieved on 23 September 2007.</ref> Other facilities continue to be used by elite athletes.<ref name=Gratton/> The net amount of regeneration to the area is not easy to quantify. Cambridge Policy Consultants estimate 4,500 full-time jobs as a direct consequence, and Grattan points to other long-term benefits accruing from publicity and the improvement of the area's image.<ref name=Gratton/>
In [[football (soccer)|football]], four Greater Manchester teams will play in the 2008–09 [[Premier League]]. [[Manchester United F.C.]] are one of the world's best-known football teams, and in April 2008 ''[[Forbes]]'' estimated that they were also the world's richest club.<ref>{{cite news|title=Soccer Team Valuations #1 Manchester United|url=http://www.forbes.com/business/lists/2008/34/biz_soccer08_Manchester-United_340001.html|work=forbes.com|publisher=Forbes.com LLC|date=30 April 2008}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> They are the current Premier League and [[UEFA Champions League]] champions, have won the [[English football champions|league championship]] seventeen times, the [[FA Cup]] a record eleven times and have been European champions three times.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/gloryglory.html | title= Glory, Glory, Man United |work=The website of dreams}} Retrieved on 2 June 2008.</ref> Their [[Old Trafford]] ground has hosted the [[FA Cup Final]] and international matches. [[Manchester City F.C.]] moved from [[Maine Road]] to the City of Manchester Stadium after the 2002 Commonwealth Games. They have won the league championship twice and the FA Cup four times.<ref name=FACup/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pagegid={B7CC47CB-001B-4A66-B8D1-42F9530F1FF7}|title=roll of honour|work=Manchester City Football Club official website|publisher=Manchester City FC}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.]] have won the FA cup four times.<ref name=FACup>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/History/Postings/2003/11/FACupStatistics.htm
|title=Cup Final Statistics|year=2001–2008|work=TheFA.com|publisher=The Football Association}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> [[Wigan Athletic F.C.]] are one of the league's younger sides, and have yet to win a major title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wiganlatics.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10429,00.html|title=Brief history of Wigan Athletic|date=11 June 2007|work=Wigan Athletic the official website|publisher=Wigan Athletic Football Club}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> In addition, [[Oldham Athletic A.F.C.]] and [[Stockport County F.C.]], will play in [[Football League One|League One]]; [[Bury F.C.]] (two FA Cup wins) and [[Rochdale A.F.C.]] will play in [[Football League Two|League Two]].
In [[rugby union]], Stockport's [[Sale Sharks]] compete in the [[Guinness Premiership]], and won the league in 2006.<ref name="sale sharks">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/english/5009064.stm|publisher=BBC|title=BBC Rugby Union – English – Sale 45-20 Leicester|date=27 May 2006}} Retrieved on 28 February 2008.</ref> Whitefield based [[Sedgley Park R.U.F.C.|Sedgley Park RUFC]] compete in [[National Division One]], [[Manchester Rugby Club|Manchester RUFC]] in [[National Division Two]] and Wigan side [[Orrell RUFC]] in [[National Division Three North]]. In [[rugby league]], [[Wigan Warriors]] compete in the [[Super League (Europe)|Super League]]; they have won the Super League/[[Rugby League Championship|Championship]] seventeen times, the [[Rugby League Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] seventeen times, and the [[World Club Challenge]] three times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wiganwarriors.com/MidContent.asp?cid=8|title=Honours|work=wiganwarriors.com|year=2008|publisher=Wigan Warriors}} Retrieved on 3 May 2008.</ref> [[Leigh Centurions]], [[Rochdale Hornets]], and [[Salford City Reds]] take part in [[Rugby League National Leagues|National League One]], with [[Oldham Roughyeds]] local rivals of [[Swinton Lions]] in National League Two.
[[Lancashire County Cricket Club]] began as [[Manchester Cricket Club]] and represents the ([[Historic counties of England|historic]]) county of Lancashire. Lancashire contested the original 1890 [[County Championship]]. The team has won the County Championship eight times, and in 2007 finished third, narrowly missing their first title since 1950.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lancashire County Cricket Club — Origins|url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=27|publisher=LCCC.co.uk}} Retrieved on 5 March 2008.<br />•{{cite web|title=The County Championship|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/NATIONAL/ENG/CHAMPIONSHIP/|publisher=Cricinfo.com}} Retrieved on 5 March 2008.<br />•{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/7007937.stm|author=|title=Lancs bid falls agonisingly short|publisher=BBC Online|date=22 September 2007}} Retrieved on 13 December 2007.<br />•{{cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/lancashire/content/story/261951.html|author=|title=Lancashire honours|publisher=Cricinfo.com}} Retrieved on 13 December 2007.</ref> Their [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Old Trafford]] ground, near the football stadium of the same name, regularly hosts [[Test cricket|test matches]]. Possibly the most famous took place in 1956, when [[Jim Laker]] took a record nineteen wickets in the fourth test against [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/16172.html|title=Jim Laker|work=Cricinfo|publisher=}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> Cheshire County Cricket Club are a [[Minor counties of English cricket|minor counties]] club who sometimes play in the south of the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheshire-county-cricket-club.org.uk/|title=Cheshire CCC <!-- no other meaningful information -->}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref>
The Kirkmanshulme Lane stadium in [[Belle Vue, Manchester|Belle Vue]] is the home to top-flight speedway team the [[Belle Vue Aces]] and regular greyhound racing. Professional ice hockey returned to the area in early 2007 with the opening of a purpose-designed rink in [[Altrincham]], the [[Altrincham Ice Dome]], to host the [[Manchester Phoenix]]. Their predecessor, [[Manchester Storm]], went out of business in 2002 due financial problems which led to them being unable to pay players' wages or the rent for the [[Manchester Evening News Arena]] in which they played.<ref>{{cite web |title=D-day for Storm |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/2403993.stm |author=Stuart Hughes |publisher=BBC Online |date=5 November 2002}} Retrieved on 9 July 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Storm sink as cash bid fails |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/2447365.stm |author=Stuart Hughes |publisher=BBC Online |date=12 November 2002}} Retrieved on 9 July 2008.</ref>
<!-- too much 'racing'-->Horse racing has taken place at several sites in the county. The two biggest courses were both known as [[Manchester Racecourse]]—though neither was within the boundaries of Manchester—and ran from the 17th century until 1963. Racing was at [[Kersal Moor]] until 1847 when the racecourse at [[Castle Irwell]] was opened. In 1867 racing was moved to New Barnes, [[Weaste]], until the site was vacated (for a hefty price) in 1901 to allow an expansion to [[Salford Docks|Manchester Docks]]. The land is now home to Dock 9 of the re-branded [[Salford Quays]]. Racing then moved back to Castle Irwell which later staged a [[British Classic Races|Classic]] – the 1941 [[St. Leger Stakes|St. Leger]] – and was home to the [[Lancashire Oaks]] (nowadays run at [[Haydock Park Racecourse|Haydock Park]]) and the [[November Handicap]], which was traditionally the last major race of the flat season. Through the late 50s and early 60s the track saw [[Scobie Breasley]] and [[Lester Piggott]] annually battle out the closing acts of the jockey's title until racing ceased on 7 November 1963.<ref>{{cite book | title= Farewell Manchester: history of Manchester Racecourse | author= Ramsden, Caroline | year= 1966 | publisher= J A Allen & Co | location= London }}<br/>•{{cite web|title=Transcript of Kersal Dale Video|url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/parks/parksinsalford/countryparks/thecliff/kersaldalevideo.htm|author=Salford Metropolitan Borough Council|publisher=Salford.gov.uk}} Retrieved on 5 March 2008.<br/>•{{cite book|author=Farrer, William |coauthors=Brownbill, John|title=The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster. - Lancashire.|origyear=1911 |url=|accessyear=|accessmonth=|edition=|series=|volume=4 |year=2003–2006|publisher=University of London & History of Parliament Trust|pages=pp. 217–222|chapter=Townships: Broughton|chapterurl=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41408}} Retrieved on 25 February 2008.</ref>
Athletics takes place at the Regional Athletics Arena in [[Sportcity]], which has hosted numerous national trials, Robin Park in Wigan, Longford Park in Stretford (home to Trafford Athletic Club), Woodbank Stadium in Stockport (home to Stockport Harriers) and the Cleavleys Track in [[Winton, Greater Manchester|Winton]] (home to Salford Harriers). As of 2008, new sports facilities including a 10,000 capacity stadium and athletics venue are being constructed at [[Leigh Sports Village]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk/index1.htm|title=leighsportsvillage <!--??-->|work=Leigh Sports Village web pages|publisher=Leigh Sports Village}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref>
==Culture==
[[Image:UrbisManchester20051020 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The [[Urbis]] exhibition centre in Manchester]]
[[Image:ImperialWarMuseumNorth02.jpg|thumb|right|upright| The [[Imperial War Museum North]] in Trafford Park was designed by [[Daniel Libeskind]], and is one of the Imperial War Museum's five branches.]]
Art, tourism, culture and sport provide 16% of employment in Greater Manchester. The proportion is highest in Manchester.<ref name=Robson/>
Greater Manchester has the highest number of theatre seats per head of population outside London. Most, if not all, of the larger theatres are subsidised by local authorities or the North West Regional Arts Board.<ref name=Conway2005>{{cite journal |last=Conway |first=Tony |coauthors=Whitelock, Jeryl |year=2007 |title=Relationship marketing in the subsidised arts: the key to a strategic marketing focus | journal=European Journal of Marketing | volume = 41 | issue = 1/2 | pages = 199–222 | publisher = Emerald Group Publishing Limited | issn = 0309-0566 | doi = 10.1108/03090560710718184 }}</ref> The [[Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester|Royal Exchange Theatre]] formed in the 1970s out of a peripatetic group staging plays at venues such as at the University [of Manchester] Theatre and the [[Manchester Apollo|Apollo Theatre]]. A season in a temporary stage in the former [[Royal Exchange, Manchester]] was followed by funding for a [[theatre in the round]], which opened in 1976.<ref name=Murray>{{cite book |title=The worst it can be is a disaster |last=Murray |first=Braham |year=2007 |publisher=Methuen Drama, A & C Black Publishers |location= London |isbn=978-0-7136-8490-2}}</ref> [[The Lowry]] houses two theatres, used by travelling groups in all the performing arts.<ref name=Robson>{{cite journal |last=Robson |first=Brian |year=2004 |title=Culture and the City: A View from the 'Athens of the North' |journal=Built Environment |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=246–255 |doi=10.2148/benv.30.3.246.54298 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelowry.com/aboutthelowry/default.html |title=About The Lowry |work=The Lowry web pages |publisher= <!--none obvious--> }} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> The [[Manchester Opera House|Opera House]] is a 1,900-seat venue hosting travelling productions, often musicals just out of the [[West End theatre|West End]].<ref name=CityLifeGuide2007>{{cite book |title=Manchester: the complete guide 2007 |author= Schofield, Jonathan (ed)|year=2007 |publisher=City Life |location=Manchester |isbn= <!--ain't one-->}}</ref> Its sister venue, [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|The Palace]], hosts generally similar shows. The Oldham Playhouse, one of the older theatres in the region, helped launch the careers of [[Stan Laurel]] and [[Charlie Chaplin]]. Its productions are described by the 2007 CityLife guide as 'staunchly populist' – and popular.<ref name=CityLifeGuide2007/> There are many other venues scattered throughout the county, of all types and sizes.<ref name=CityLifeGuide2007/>
Art galleries in the county include: [[Gallery Oldham]], which has in the past featured work by [[Pablo Picasso]];<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Exhibits at Gallery Oldham|url=http://www.galleryoldham.org.uk/exhibitions/past-exhibitions.htm|publisher=GalleryOldham.org.uk}} Retrieved on 9 January 2008.</ref> [[The Lowry]] at Salford Quays, which has a changing display of [[L. S. Lowry]]'s work alongside travelling exhibitions; [[Manchester Art Gallery]], a major provincial art gallery noted for its collection of [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood|Pre-Raphaelite]] art and housed in a Grade I listed building by [[Charles Barry]];<ref>{{cite web|title=City Art Gallery|url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=388331|publisher=Images of England}} Retrieved on 14 December 2007.<br />•{{cite web|title=Manchester Art Gallery: About Us|url=http://www.manchestergalleries.org/about-us/|publisher=Manchestergalleries.org}} Retrieved on 9 January 2008.</ref> [[Salford Museum and Art Gallery]], a local museum with a recreated Victorian street;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/museums/sh-learningservices/study-larkhill.htm |title=Lark Hill Place Shops |work=Salford City Council web pages|publisher=Salford City Council }} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> and [[Whitworth Art Gallery]], a broad-based gallery now run by the University of Manchester.
Greater Manchester has four professional orchestras, all based in Manchester. The [[Hallé Orchestra]] is the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra (and the fourth oldest in the world),<ref>Parkinson-Bailey (2000), p. 77.</ref> supports a choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label.<ref name=HalleHistory>{{cite web |url=http://www.halle.co.uk/publishedSite/history.asp |title=The Hallé — HISTORY |work=Hallé web pages |publisher=The Hallé Concerts Society 2002}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> The Hallé is based at the Bridgwater Hall but often tours, typically giving 70 performances "at home" and 40 on tour.<ref name=HalleHistory/> The [[BBC Philharmonic Orchestra]], one of five BBC orchestras, can trace its history back to the early days of radio broadcasting in 1926.<ref>{{cite press release |title=BBC Orchestras |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=February 2006 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/orchestras.shtml}} Retrieved on 10 July 2008.</ref> As of 2008 it is based at the BBC's Oxford Road studios,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/philharmonic/about_us/history.shtml |title=History of the BBC Philharmonic |work=bbc.co.uk|publisher=[[BBC]] }} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> but is expected to move to [[mediacity:uk]] in Salford.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Launch of the BBC Connect And Create Partnership – speech given at Huddersfield University |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=11 January 2008 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/speeches/stories/thomsoncaroline_huddersfield.shtml}} Retrieved on 10 July 2008.</ref> The Manchester Camerata and the Northern Chamber Orchestra are smaller, though still professional, organizations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchestercamerata.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=6 |title=Manchester Camerata |work=Manchester Camerata web pages|publisher=Manchester Camerata}} Retrieved on 2 May2008.<br />•{{cite web |url=http://www.ncorch.co.uk/about.htm |title=About the NCO |work=Northern Chamber Orchestra web pages}} Retrieved on 2 May 2008.</ref> The main classical venue is the 2,341-seat [[Bridgewater Hall]] in Manchester, opened in 1996 at a cost of £42M.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bridgewater Hall facts and figures |publisher=Bridgewater-hall.co.uk |url=http://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/about/architecture/facts.html}} Retrieved on 17 January 2008.<br />•{{cite news | title = Good Venue Guide; 28 – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. | work = [[Independent on Sunday]] | publisher= |date=12 April 1998}}</ref>
Manchester is also a centre for musical education, via the [[Royal Northern College of Music]] and [[Chetham's School of Music|Chetham’s School of Music]].<ref>Redhead (1993), pp. 60–61.</ref>
The main popular music venue is the [[Manchester Evening News Arena]], next to [[Manchester Victoria railway station|Victoria station]]. It seats over 21,000, is the largest indoor arena in Europe, has been voted ''International Venue of the Year'', and for several years was the most popular venue in the world.<ref name="MEN">{{cite web|url=http://www.pollstaronline.com/PCIA-Static/2001winners.htm|title=Pollstar Concert Industry Awards Winners Archives|publisher=Pollstar Online|year=2001}} Retrieved on 24 June 2007.<br />•{{cite news|first=Rachel|last=Brown|title=M.E.N Arena's world's top venue|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/s/1013/1013264_arenas_worlds_top_venue.html|work=[[Manchester Evening News]]|publisher=M.E.N Media|quote=The M.E.N. Arena is the top-selling venue in the world.}} Retrieved on 12 August 2007.<br />•{{cite web |url=http://www.smg-europe.com/venue-profile.php?iVenuesId=8 |author= |title=Manchester Evening News arena |publisher=smg-europe.com}} Retrieved on 28 March 2008.</ref> The sports grounds in the county also host some of the larger pop concerts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Manchester City stadium history|url=http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pagegid={20E7C2B7-4832-46D1-B772-AB8CCA2FD0D5}|publisher=MCFC.co.uk}} Retrieved on 11 January 2008.<br />•{{cite web|title=Vote for Old Trafford Cricket Ground|url=http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=1672|publisher=LCCC.co.uk|date=17 October 2007}} Retrieved on 11 January 2008.<br />•{{cite news| url=http://www.nme.com/news/arctic-monkeys/26053| publisher=[[NME]]| title=Arctic Monkeys confirm festival plans| date=26 January 2007}} Retrieved on 5 February 2007.</ref><!-- www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=1672 did exist, and mentioned music wait until autumn 2008 for archive.org -->
Some of Greater Manchester's museums showcase the county's industrial and social heritage. The [[Hat Works]] in Stockport is the UK’s only museum dedicated to the hatting industry; the museum moved in 2000 to a Grade II listed Victorian mill, previously a hat factory.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Stockport Hat Works|url=http://www.hatworks.org.uk/about_us.asp|publisher=Hatworks.org.uk}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.</ref> The [[Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester]], amongst other displays, charts the rise of science and industry and especially the part Manchester played in its development; the [[Museums, Libraries and Archives Council]] described the displays as "pre-eminent collections of national and international importance".<ref>{{cite web|title=Museum of Science & Industry|url=http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/museum/NW000070.html|publisher=24hourmuseum.org.uk|work=The National Virtual Museum}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.</ref> [[Urbis]] is a museum of the modern city that attempts to explain the effects and experiences of life in the city; it has had mixed success since its opening in 2002, but had its most successful year in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=Urbis visitors increase by 550%|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/3619813.stm|publisher=BBC Online|date=12 April 2004}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.<br />•{{cite web|title=Visitors flock to Urbis as revamp pays off|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/230/230097_visitors_flock_to_urbis_as_revamp_pays_off.html|work=[[Manchester Evening News]]|date=6 December 2006}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.</ref> Stockport Air Raid Shelters uses a mile of underground tunnels, built to accommodate 6,500 people, to illustrate life in the [[World War II|Second World War's]] air raid shelters.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Stockport air raid shelters|url=http://www.airraidshelters.org.uk/about_shelters.asp|publisher=Airraidshelters.org.uk}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.</ref> The [[Imperial War Museum North]] in Trafford Park is one of the Imperial War Museums five branches. Alongside exhibitions of war machinery are displays describing how peoples’ lives are affected by war.<ref>{{cite web|title=Imperial War Museum North|url=http://north.iwm.org.uk/|publisher=north.iwm.org.uk}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.</ref> The [[Museum of Transport in Manchester]], which opened in 1979, has one of the largest collections of vehicles in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introduction to the Museum of Transport|url=http://www.gmts.co.uk/museum/index.html|publisher=gmts.co.uk}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.</ref> The [[People's History Museum]] is "the national centre for the collection, conservation, interpretation and study of material relating to the history of working people in Britain"; the museum is closed for redevelopment and will reopen in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introduction to the People’s History Museum|url=http://www.phm.org.uk/|publisher=phm.org.uk}} Retrieved on 10 January 2008.</ref> The Pankhurst Museum is based in the early feminist [[Emmeline Pankhurst]]'s former home and includes a parlour laid out in contemporary style.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/museum_gfx_en/AM25570.html|title=The Pankhurst Centre|publisher=24 Hour Museum|work=The National Virtual Museum|date=<!--undated-->}} Retrieved on 8 July 2008.</ref> Manchester United, Manchester City, and Lancashire CCC all have dedicated museums illustrating their histories. [[Wigan Pier]], best known from [[George Orwell]]’s book ''[[The Road to Wigan Pier]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=On the road again |author=Vallely, Paul |work=[[The Independent]] |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/on-the-road-again-596066.html |date=30 April 2004}} Retrieved on 17 January 2008.</ref> was the name of wharf on the [[Leeds and Liverpool Canal]] in [[Wigan]]. The name has been reused to describe an industrial-based visitor attraction, partly closed for redevelopment as of 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wlct.org/Tourism/Wiganpier/wiganpier.htm|title= Wigan Pier Closing Down Message|publisher=Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust|work= Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust web pages |date=<!--undated-->}} Retrieved on 8 July 2008.</ref>
==See also==
{{portalpar|North West England|Flag of North West England.svg}}
*[[Greater Manchester Employer Coalition]]
*[[List of companies based in Greater Manchester]]
==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|2}}
===Bibliography===
*{{cite book|title=The Cotton Industry|last=Aspin|first=Chris|publisher=Shire Publications|location= Aylesbury|date=1981|isbn=0-85263-545-1}}
*{{cite book |first=Don |last=Bayliss |date=1996 |title=Historical Atlas of Trafford |publisher=Don Bayliss|location=Hale|isbn=0-9529300-0-5}}
*{{cite book |first=Glynis |last=Cooper |title=Salford: An Illustrated History |publisher=The Breedon Books Publishing Company |location= Derby |year=2005 |isbn=1-85983-455-8}}
*{{cite book|title=It Happened Round Greater Manchester; Railways|last=Clarke|first=John|publisher=[[Greater Manchester County Council|Greater Manchester Council]]|date=1976}}
*{{cite book|title=It Happened Round Greater Manchester; Textiles|last=Cowhig|first=W.T.|publisher=[[Greater Manchester County Council|Greater Manchester Council]]|date=1976}}
*{{cite book | title= Relative hills of Britain | author= Dawson, Alan | year= 1992 | publisher= Cicerone Press | location= Milnthorpe | isbn= 1-85284-068-4 }}
*{{cite book | title= The reorganisation of British local government: old orthodoxies and a political perspective | author= Dearlove, John | year= 1979 | publisher= Cambridge University Press | location= Cambridge | isbn= 0-521-29456-8 }}
*{{cite book | title= Tradition in action: the historical evolution of the Greater Manchester County | author= Frangopulo, Nicholas Joseph | year= 1977 | publisher= EP Publishing | location= Wakefield | isbn= 0-7158-1203-3}}
*{{cite book|title=Greater Manchester: A panorama of people and places in Manchester and its surrounding towns|last=Gibb|first=Robert|publisher=Myriad|date=2005|isbn=1-904736-86-6}}
*{{cite book|title=Francis Frith's Greater Manchester|isbn=978-1859372661|last=Hardy|first=Clive|date=2005|publisher=Frith Book Company}}
*{{cite book|title=Pevsner Architectural Guides: Manchester|last=Hartwell|first=Clare|date=2001|publisher=Penguin Books|location=London|isbn=0-14071-131-7}}
*{{cite book | title= Lancashire : Manchester and the South-East | series= The buildings of England | author= Hartwell, Clare|coauthors=Matthew Hyde and Nikolaus Pevsner | year= 2004 | publisher= Yale University Press | location= New Haven, Conn.; London | isbn= 0-300-10583-5}}
*{{cite book|title=Around the M60: Manchester's Orbital Motorway|author=Hyde, M.|coauthors= A. O'Rourke and P. Portland|date=2004|isbn=1-897762-30-5|publisher=AMCD|location=Altrincham}}
*{{cite book |author=Matthews, Peter (ed) |title=The Guinness Book of Records 1993|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=Enfield |date=1992 |isbn=0-85112-978-1}}
*{{cite book|title=A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Greater Manchester|author=McNeil, Robina |coauthors= Michael Nevell|publisher=[[Association for Industrial Archaeology]]|date=2000|isbn=0-9528930-3-7}}
*{{cite book |title=The worst it can be is a disaster |last=Murray |first=Braham |year=2007 |publisher=Methuen Drama, A & C Black Publishers |location= London |isbn=978-0-7136-8490-2}}
*{{cite book |author=Nevell, Mike and Redhead, Norman (eds) |year=2005 |title=Mellor: Living on the Edge. A Regional Study of an Iron Age and Romano-British Upland Settlement |publisher=[[Manchester University|University of Manchester Archaeological Unit]], Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit, and the Mellor Archaeological Trust |isbn=0-9527813-6-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Parkinson-Bailey|first=John J|authorlink=|title=Manchester: an Architectural History|year=2000|publisher=Manchester University Press|location=Manchester|isbn=0-7190-5606-3}}
*{{cite book | title= Farewell Manchester: history of Manchester Racecourse | author= Ramsden, Caroline | year= 1966 | publisher= J A Allen & Co | location= London }}
*{{cite book | title= English local government reformed | author= Redcliffe-Maud, John Primatt | coauthors= Bruce Wood | |authorlink= John Redcliffe-Maud, Baron Redcliffe-Maud | year= 1975 | publisher= OUP | location= London | isbn= 0-19-885091-3 }}
*{{cite book | author= Redcliffe-Maud ''et al''| authorlink= John Redcliffe-Maud, Baron Redcliffe-Maud|title= Royal Commission on Local Government in England 1966-1969, Volume I: Report (Cmnd. 4040) | year= 1969 | month= June | publisher= HMSO | location= London }}
*{{cite book | last = Redhead | first = Brian | title = Manchester: a Celebration | authorlink = Brian Redhead | publisher = Andre Deutsch Ltd | location = London | year = 1993 | isbn = 0-233-98816-5}}
*{{cite book |author=Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council |date=N.D. |title=Metropolitan Rochdale Official Guide|publisher=Ed. J. Burrow & Co. Limited|location=London |isbn=}}
*{{cite book |title=Manchester: the complete guide 2007 |author= Schofield, Jonathan (ed)|year=2007 |publisher= City Life |location=Manchester |isbn= <!--ain't one-->}}
==External links==
{{commonscat|Greater Manchester}}
*[http://www.agma.gov.uk/ www.agma.gov.uk], the [[Association of Greater Manchester Authorities]].
*[http://www.gmcro.co.uk/ www.gmcro.co.uk], the [[Greater Manchester County Records Office]], for historical records relating to Greater Manchester.
*[http://www.gmpte.com www.gmpte.com], the website of the [[Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive]], for information on buses, trains and tram services.
*[http://www.gmts.co.uk/index.html www.gmts.co.uk], the Greater Manchester Transport Society.
*[http://www.visitmanchester.com/index.aspx www.visitmanchester.com], the official tourism website for Greater Manchester.
{{Greater Manchester}}
{{England_counties}}
{{NW_England}}
{{coor title dm|53|30|N|2|19|W|region:GB_type:city}}
[[Category:Greater Manchester|*]]
[[Category:Metropolitan counties]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:1974 establishments]]
[[bn:গ্রেটার ম্যানচেস্টার]]
[[ca:Gran Manchester]]
[[cy:Manceinion Fwyaf]]
[[de:Greater Manchester]]
[[es:Gran Manchester]]
[[eo:Greater Manchester]]
[[eu:Manchester Handia]]
[[fr:Grand Manchester]]
[[hi:ग्रेटर मैनचेस्टर]]
[[id:Greater Manchester]]
[[is:Stórborgarsvæði Manchesters]]
[[it:Greater Manchester]]
[[lv:Lielā Mančestra]]
[[lb:Greater Manchester]]
[[ms:Greater Manchester]]
[[nl:Greater Manchester]]
[[ja:グレーター・マンチェスター]]
[[no:Stor-Manchester]]
[[pl:Greater Manchester]]
[[pt:Grande Manchester]]
[[ro:Greater Manchester]]
[[ru:Большой Манчестер]]
[[sco:Greater Manchester]]
[[simple:Greater Manchester]]
[[sk:Veľký Manchester]]
[[fi:Suur-Manchester]]
[[sv:Greater Manchester]]
[[zh:大曼徹斯特郡]]