Manchester city was granted city status in 1853 and lies at the centre of the Greater Manchester urban area. The city has a population of a little over 450,000 people and the area of Greater Manchester population is in the region of 2,200,000 people. It is the second largest urban zone in the UK and the fourteenth most populated in Europe.
Manchester is sometimes described as ‘The Capital of the North’ due to it’s size and status. It is the centre of arts, media, higher education, commerce and much more for the northern regions of England. In a 2006 poll of British business leaders, Manchester was voted as the best place in the UK to locate a business. It has a bustling tourist trade and is the third most visited UK city by foreign visitors. Manchester was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century, and became a major centre for manufacturing. These days, the city’s economy is largely service based, and as of 2007 Manchester was deemed the UK’s fastest growing City economy.
Financial and professional services, creative, cultural and media industries, manufacturing and communications industry are all part of the City’s business culture today, and Manchester is a focus for business both locally and in the regional, national and international markets. One of the largest financial centre’s in Europe is based here in Manchester too, with more than 15,000 people employed in banking and finance and more than 60 banking institutions. The Central Business District in the centre of Manchester’s city is a £1.5 billion mixed use development that is expanding the district.
The area is designed for office space, retail, catering facilities and much more, and a civil justice centre also opened here in October 2007. Manchester’s retail is ranked as the fourth biggest retail area in the UK based on sales and the city centre retail area contains a wide variety of shops from department stores and major chains to high end boutiques and independent shops. The city has several large shopping precincts including the Manchester Arndale which is the UK’s largest inner city shopping mall. Many companies have their UK or International headquarters here, including ITV franchisee Granada Television, and various local programmes for the north-west region are produced here.
Other companies with headquarters here are Royal Bank of Scotland, Research Triangle Institute and IGM Resins. Manchester has two universities, The University of Manchester which is the largest full time non-collegiate university in the UK, and Manchester Metropolitan University which was originally formed as Manchester Polytechnic back in 1970. It gained university status in 1992.
By: Ross Fraser
© 2012 University Jobs
