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Original poster

If you live in Greater Manchester but not the City of Manchester - do you see yourself as a Mancunian?

123 replies

Londre · 26/04/2023 21:16

Was having a chat with a colleague who live in Wigan (which I believe is in Greater Manchester) but she doesn’t view herself as someone from Manchester.

I live in the West Midlands county but I don’t view myself as a Brummie.

OP posts:
Meandyouandyouandme · 26/04/2023 21:53

I’ve lived in Sale most of my life, I now live in Cheshire, I’m still a Manc though.

Iwantmybed · 26/04/2023 21:53

I live in Wigan Borough although not "from" here. As PP advised it was historically Lancashire, some of the local addresses still put Lancs, I'm not sure why?

Along the East Lancs Road it doesn't feel like Manchester until past Tyldesley, maybe Swinton or Walkden, certainly inside the M60.

Clawdy · 26/04/2023 21:53

Live in Stockport, but born and brought up in inner-city Manchester so definitely see myself as a Manc!

Latenightreader · 26/04/2023 21:54

I lived in Bury until recently and would usually say I lived in Lancashire. These days I am more likely to say that I used to live in Manchester (meaning GM), but I definitely felt I was a Bury lass rather than Mancunian. I was in actual Bury rather than one of the other six towns though.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 26/04/2023 21:54

OnTheBoardwalk · 26/04/2023 21:50

Nope. You'll get the talk if you say to people from Salford they are Mancunian. Although they do say going into town and meaning Manchester City centre

I recall Shaun Ryder getting shirty with an interviewer saying he was from Manchester saying 'nah I’m over the bridge on the other side of the river'

Shaun Ryder is 60. That attitude definitely has existed but it isn't replicated to the same extent amongst younger generations. My teenage cousins there would say they're Manc.

ConstanceContraire · 26/04/2023 21:55

CampervanKween · 26/04/2023 21:46

I'm from Sale. When I was a child it was Sale, Cheshire. Then Sale, Greater Manchester. I think we are in Trafford though actually. But I do think of myself as a Manc.

Trafford is a 'Metropolitan Borough' of greater Manchester. Cheshire and Greater Manchester are both counties.
Large parts of Trafford and Tameside (not sure if there are others) all used to be part of Cheshire, and now part of the 'historic country of Cheshire'.
The area that is now 'South Manchester' has traditionally been more affluent, and still has a strong Cheshire identity.
The modern day Cheshire goes as far as Runcorn, Widnes and Warrington (which have historically been in Lancashire) but the people there don't' identify as such IME. What is now 'Cheshire East' and 'Cheshire West' is the bit that's actually in 'proper Cheshire'.

It really confused me when I first moved here and the locals used to identify with various places, never knew which they were talking about.

Sale is lovely! Lots of canals, nice independents. I'm quite cross to see it described on Wikipedia as a commuter town. I have many fond memories at the Slug and Lettuce ;)

GettingTooOldForThis · 26/04/2023 21:57

I live in Bury, I am a Lancastrian first living near Manchester. Unless it's about football then I'm a Manc!

Luckypoppy · 26/04/2023 21:59

Lots of people in Wigan still say they're from Lancashire even though officially we aren't anymore! Wiganers are wiganers. 😂

OnTheBoardwalk · 26/04/2023 22:01

Ah @BashirWithTheGoodBeard are they saying they are Manc to say they live in the city centre when they don’t? Where do they actually live or clam to live?

Noddy21 · 26/04/2023 22:02

I’m about 10 away from Manchester and don’t consider myself a manc….that is unless I’m abroad and someone asks where in England do you live, then it’s easier to say Manchester rather than the actual town I’m from

Lucimaya · 26/04/2023 22:03

My family are from Trafford, Greater Manchester (currently living in Bowdon/Hale/Altrincham - greater Manchester) so yes are proud Mancs through and through!

weekfour · 26/04/2023 22:07

I was once in Ibiza with two friends. When we were asked where were from we all replied at once with different answers; Stockport, Manchester and Cheshire. Its obviously a deeply personal thing for us Stopfordians.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 26/04/2023 22:09

OnTheBoardwalk · 26/04/2023 22:01

Ah @BashirWithTheGoodBeard are they saying they are Manc to say they live in the city centre when they don’t? Where do they actually live or clam to live?

Wouldn't have thought so? They live near the uni, so the closer side to town but still clearly not city centre.

I just never hear that I'm Salford not Manc thing from anyone under about 55.

weekfour · 26/04/2023 22:09

Also, if you say your from Manchester, people talk to you about football. If you say Stockport they talk about the motorway. 🤣
Don't know which is worse.

Lucimaya · 26/04/2023 22:12

We do also have friends who live in Trafford, like us, who pretend they live in Cheshire! Nope, it is Greater Manchester. Same with friends from Wirral, that used to be Cheshire but it is Merseyside.

Friends from Southport & Formby who live in Merseyside but pretend they live in West Lancashire. If you can't beat them join them and move to the desire county!

BluebellBlueballs · 26/04/2023 22:13

weekfour · 26/04/2023 22:09

Also, if you say your from Manchester, people talk to you about football. If you say Stockport they talk about the motorway. 🤣
Don't know which is worse.

Yeah, Stockport most famous thing is the way of getting far far away from Stockport

Findyourneutralspace · 26/04/2023 22:15

Wiganers aren't Mancs. They are served by GMP and fall under Greater Manchester but they have their own council and their own vibe. Although they probably say they’re from Manchester when they are on holiday. It’s easier than explaining where Wigan is.

OnTheBoardwalk · 26/04/2023 22:16

It's still a Salford thing not Manchester from young people I know rather than people who have moved into the area over the last few years . Saying that I heard a reference to Salford tonight for the first time in Corrie tonight

They've never mentioned Salford previously as Corrie was based in Salford. I was 'acting' in my school when Ken got his divorce papers from Deidre

OnTheBoardwalk · 26/04/2023 22:17

And don’t get me started that Salford Quays and the Lowry Hotel are in Manchester 😁

Original poster
Londre · 26/04/2023 22:17

I can totally relate to Wiganers then! I live in Solihull and don’t call myself a Brummie (although I know some people might) however when I go abroad, I say I’m from Birmingham.

OP posts:
BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 26/04/2023 22:19

Just not my experience at all. I don't doubt that people who are from Salford and don't identify as Manc exist, but it won't be anything close to the default.

goldfootball · 26/04/2023 22:23

IME people living in Sale/Trafford and Tameside would describe themselves as living in Manchester and then everywhere else in Greater Manchester seems to be more distinct. I don’t think anyone I’ve met from Bolton would describe themselves as living in Manchester unless they were on holiday like a PP said.

Stockport is funny depending on which bit like people have said 😂 this became apparent when we had regional lockdowns and people in Cheadle had to admit to themselves they had a Stockport postcode and don’t actually live in Cheshire.

goldfootball · 26/04/2023 22:26

though actually I contradict myself because only recently I was shocked by how big Tameside actually is, if you live in the Peak District but in Tameside I don’t suppose you would say you were form
Manchester.

OnTheBoardwalk · 26/04/2023 22:29

@BashirWithTheGoodBeard where do you live?

@goldfootball the stockport/Cheshire thing is funny. I was at Rewind North one year and an act said 'hello Manchester' the large amount of mutterings around me saying 'it's Cheshire actually ' was very funny

ConstanceContraire · 26/04/2023 22:32

goldfootball · 26/04/2023 22:23

IME people living in Sale/Trafford and Tameside would describe themselves as living in Manchester and then everywhere else in Greater Manchester seems to be more distinct. I don’t think anyone I’ve met from Bolton would describe themselves as living in Manchester unless they were on holiday like a PP said.

Stockport is funny depending on which bit like people have said 😂 this became apparent when we had regional lockdowns and people in Cheadle had to admit to themselves they had a Stockport postcode and don’t actually live in Cheshire.

Well the SK postcodes also include Wilmslow and Alderley Edge... the heart of Cheshire where all the rich footballers etc live. So I don't blame them for wanting to be associated, plus they did use to be Cheshire.

Also Stockport is both a Metropolitan borough and a town in its own right. Unlike Tameside which like Trafford is mainly bits carved off historic Cheshire.

I live in Dukinfield and you can still see on Rightmove etc places are sold as 'Dukinfield, Cheshire'...

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