Manchester Ideal Org Project

Introduction to Manchester

Manchester is a relatively new city. It was born of the Industrial Revolution when it came to the forefront of world textile manufacture and production, a position it held until the 1960s. It is a vibrant dynamic city, one of the largest metropolitan conurbations in the United Kingdom. While 2.6 million people live within its actual boundaries, over 7 million others live in the wider region, making it second only to London in Great Britain. Additionally, 11 million people live within 50 miles of the City of Manchester.

History

The original Manchester was an old town which has been inhabited since Roman times, when General Julius Agricola built a fort just north of the site of present day city, though it was not until the 18th century that this hitherto remote and inconspicuous little town sprang into the forefront of world attention, and not until the mid-19th century that it became a city.

During the Industrial Revolution Manchester became the hub of a wide network of innumerable townships which serviced its massive cotton industry - surrounding towns like Blackburn, Burnley, Bolton, Wigan, Salford, Oldham and Rochdale, (to name but a few) sent their woven and spun produce to the Exchange in Manchester and from thence to the world via the Manchester Ship Canal, and received raw materials which were distributed out from the city and its well established system of canals and railways.

Manchester was nicknamed "Cottonopolis" where 'King Cotton' ruled. It held onto its reputation as the prime source of world textiles until its decline in the 1950s, when cheaper foreign imports sounded the death knell for the region's pre-eminence. 

Manchester Today

Manchester is an international centre. "The Times" newspaper places 80 of its top 100 companies in the city and over 60 Foreign and International Banks operate from here. Some 46,000 students currently study for Higher Education at its colleges and universities. More than 90 world airlines fly into Manchester Airport from 165 destinations world wide. In 1993 over 13 million people passed through the airport terminal, and that figure is soon expected to surpass 22 million. 

It is cosmopolitan - it offers more than 30 styles of foreign cuisine, with distinctive Chinese and Asian areas of speciality. It has 80 golf courses, more theatres than any other city outside London, two Premier League football teams, two major television companies, three Universities, two symphony orchestras, and many small chamber ensembles.

Photographs of Manchester