Manchester lies in the heart of the United Kingdom and has a population of about 530,000 in the city itself and about 2.5 million in the metropolitan area. In the 19th century Manchester became the world’s first industrialised city. After a downturn from the 1960s, the revive of the city began in the late 1980s. Building projects like the Bridgewater Concert Hall, the Manchester Arndale (Englands largest city shopping centre), a casino, the Beetham Tower and the Metrolink transport system mark a prosperous evolution.
Manchester's economy is characterised by constant growth. In 2014, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked Manchester as a beta world city, the highest-ranked British city apart from London. Manchester is the third-most visited city in the UK. It is notable for its architecture, culture, musical exports, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs and transport connections. Manchester Liverpool Road railway station was the world's first inter-city passenger railway station and in the city scientists first split the atom and developed the stored-program computer.
Manchester is the home of many well-known artists like Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order, The Fall, The Charlatans, Simply Red and Take That. As UNESCO city of Literature, Manchester is associated with names like Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Charlotte Brontë, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Elizabeth Gaskell and Anthony Burgess.
The city life is characterised by the three universities, Premier League football, a lively nightlife, festivals, a big LGBT scene, marvellous shops, ancient buildings and an enriching scene of immigrants.
Picture Credits: © Manchester Central, Pixaby