Page 5 | If you live in Greater Manchester but not the City of Manchester - do you see yourself as a Mancunian?

Londre · 2023-04-26T20:16:27+00:00

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.

Bluebellbike · 27/04/2023 19:16

Bluebellbike · 27/04/2023 18:35

I was born in the "city" of Manchester and lived there for 21 years then moved to Stockport, where I lived for 36 years.
When living in Manchester I used to say going "to town" when going to the city centre. Living in Stockport I still considered myself as a Manc but said "going to Manchester" or "going to Stockport" when out and about. Going to "town" only seemed right when I actually lived in Manchester itself.
I now live in Bury and say "going to Manchester", " to Stockport" or "to Bury." I have always considered myself to be a Manc though. With regard to my address I used to write Stockport,Cheshire and now it's Bury, Lancashire.

Just realised that's not true.
I don't say I'm going"to Bury". Because that's where I live. Within a short walk of Bury Town Centre.
I say "going to Asda, Tesco, M&S, the market, cinema or wherever. The whole point of moving here.

YunaBalloon · 27/04/2023 19:21

I love "in Manchester" when asked where I'm from. I actually live in one of the greater Manchester boroughs though. I'm not a Manc as I wasn't born or raised here I consider my children both Mancunians but were both actually born in the City of Manchester and I registered their births in the Manchester register office. You can birth your child in any Greater Manchester borough and register the birth in any other Manchester borough.

The Greater Manchester boroughs are:

City of Manchester
Salford
Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood
Bolton
Bury
Tameside
Stockport
Trafford
Wigan

So technically Wigan IS considered Manchester, but I do not know a single person who lives in Greater Manchester or Wigan who would actually consider that to be the case 😜

The Salford/ Manchester argument tends to vary by age, with older people much more staunchly Salfordian. Also depends if they were born there or not, incomers tend to consider it all Manchester really.

YunaBalloon · 27/04/2023 19:21

live, not love. Though I do actually love it!

Jins · 27/04/2023 19:31

@RedToothBrush cant argue with your post on historical boundaries apart from one tiny bit. Neston wasn’t formerly in Wirral, it’s always been Cheshire. Birkenhead used to be in Cheshire! Wirral was just the name of the peninsula then it became a metropolitan district and part of the Merseyside metropolitan county. Now they are all Unitary authorities.

Ellesmere Port and Neston was a borough council within Cheshire County, it was never a County in its own right. Neston was tacked on to Ellesmere Port when the rest of the Wirral was carved from the old Cheshire. It was never a happy marriage.

I agree about the boundary commission changes affecting identity. My old address was about a mile outside the Chester city boundary, it was in the Ellesmere Port and Neston parliamentary constituency and next election it will be Runcorn and Helsby.

EducatingArti · 27/04/2023 19:42

Salford was actually the main town going back hundreds of years. It was granted its market charter in 1230 and for hundreds of years was more significant culturally and economically than Manchester across the river.
I think this is where the origins come from of Salford people disliking being labeled as "from Manchester" Manchester was in the old Salford Hundred and only really grew hugely from the 1700s. Then of course they grew to become part of the same conurbation rather like Westminster was originally not part of the old City of London.
Salford people get upset because they feel that their significance as the primary town has been ignored. This is probably less so for younger people as others have commented.

Mermaidinmymind · 27/04/2023 19:47

Definitely not. I'm from Bolton & consider myself to be Boltonian.

x2boys · 27/04/2023 19:47

emmathedilemma · 27/04/2023 18:41

Does having your sibling saved in your mobile under “our kid” make you Mancunian? #askingforafriend

When I lived in Salford tats what people referred to their.siblings as " our kid " or how is your kid ect Salford is a stone's throw away from Manchester but a city in its own right so maybe Mancunians, do too🤔
I do refer to my sister as our "susan"( not real name) and my boys as our " steve" ,and our " jon" ( also not real names ) I think it's a northern thing ?

evtheria · 27/04/2023 19:48

When talking with others from Greater Mcr/nearby areas, no. If talking with people from outside eg Birmingham, London, etc.... then yeah, will generally feel 'manc'.

x2boys · 27/04/2023 19:49

Mermaidinmymind · 27/04/2023 19:47

Definitely not. I'm from Bolton & consider myself to be Boltonian.

I'm from Bury but live in Bolton. I'm definitely not a Boltonian😂
My dh,and sons are though😂

Etihad · 27/04/2023 19:52

YunaBalloon · 27/04/2023 19:21

I love "in Manchester" when asked where I'm from. I actually live in one of the greater Manchester boroughs though. I'm not a Manc as I wasn't born or raised here I consider my children both Mancunians but were both actually born in the City of Manchester and I registered their births in the Manchester register office. You can birth your child in any Greater Manchester borough and register the birth in any other Manchester borough.

The Greater Manchester boroughs are:

City of Manchester
Salford
Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood
Bolton
Bury
Tameside
Stockport
Trafford
Wigan

So technically Wigan IS considered Manchester, but I do not know a single person who lives in Greater Manchester or Wigan who would actually consider that to be the case 😜

The Salford/ Manchester argument tends to vary by age, with older people much more staunchly Salfordian. Also depends if they were born there or not, incomers tend to consider it all Manchester really.

And Oldham.
There are 10 boroughs

HundredMilesAnHour · 27/04/2023 19:52

x2boys · 27/04/2023 19:47

When I lived in Salford tats what people referred to their.siblings as " our kid " or how is your kid ect Salford is a stone's throw away from Manchester but a city in its own right so maybe Mancunians, do too🤔
I do refer to my sister as our "susan"( not real name) and my boys as our " steve" ,and our " jon" ( also not real names ) I think it's a northern thing ?

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Yep, it's a Northern thing rather than a Mancunian thing. I'm Lancastrian (outside Greater Manchester!) and my older cousins still refer to me as "our kid". I'm 53. @😂

evtheria · 27/04/2023 19:55

Soontobe60 · 27/04/2023 19:07

My view is that if you see city centre Manchester as ‘Town’, then youre Mancunian.
People from Wigan see Wigan as ‘town’, so consider themselves as Wiganners.
I’m a Mancunian, was married to a Wiganner. My DD considers herself to be a hybrid of the two 😂

This is very interesting to think about.
I used to live in Stretford, on the border of Longford Park, and would say 'go into town' to mean Manchester city centre, whereas my Chorlton born-and-bred housemate used 'town' to mean the Stretford Arndale. Cue many confused conversations!
I don't know anyone who says 'town' for Salford centre, they call it 'the precinct' and then town is Manchester.

x2boys · 27/04/2023 19:55

Mermaidinmymind · 27/04/2023 19:47

Definitely not. I'm from Bolton & consider myself to be Boltonian.

What's with the referring to any soft drink as pop all.about ?
Being from Bury Pop.was the fizzy stuff but I worked at RBH,for years and noticed many patients referring to any soft drink as pop,my dh ,Bolton,born and Bred used to do it toi🤔

itsabigtree · 27/04/2023 20:01

WeAreTheHeroes · 27/04/2023 18:56

I'm from Salford but would say I'm a Mancunian. I know it's a separate city, etc but it has no centre so if you go into town, you go into Manchester.

Salvors precinct is surely salford town center!?

x2boys · 27/04/2023 20:07

itsabigtree · 27/04/2023 20:01

Salvors precinct is surely salford town center!?

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What's it like these days?
I lived next to.Salford precinct as a student in the 90,s when it was as just a shopping centre it wasent,really like a city centre then at least .

WeAreTheHeroes · 27/04/2023 23:30

itsabigtree · 27/04/2023 20:01

Salvors precinct is surely salford town center!?

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No, it's not. Salford doesn't have a defined city centre. Never has had. The precinct is in Pendleton, which has never been the centre of Salford. The old town hall was in Bexley Square - I'm not sure what that part of Salford was/is known as; Greengate? That's never been the centre of Salford. The civic centre has been in Swinton since 1974. Again, not the centre of Salford. Salford gained city status in 1926. That was around the time its docks were booming. They were between Weaste and Ordsall, where Salford Quays and Media City are now.

Unlike Manchester city centre which grew out of a Roman settlement, Salford is made up of various towns and has never had a centre as such.

LillyLane5 · 27/04/2023 23:33

Another Tamesider here....

We're Mancs in this house

Can see the growing skyline when I'm walking the dog and love it

Wigan- never a Manc

YunaBalloon · 28/04/2023 10:17

Etihad · 27/04/2023 19:52

And Oldham.
There are 10 boroughs

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There are! I thought I'd written Oldham 😄

itsabigtree · 28/04/2023 19:53

@WeAreTheHeroes

Yep, it's a funny place. But 'salford central' train station is in Pendleton! But it's definitely not in the center of salford 😂

@x2boys it's great! It has a massive tesco extra now, lots of characters and erm 'Buskers'

ConstanceContraire · 28/04/2023 21:07

LillyLane5 · 27/04/2023 23:33

Another Tamesider here....

We're Mancs in this house

Can see the growing skyline when I'm walking the dog and love it

Wigan- never a Manc

Skyline.. does that refer to Werneth Low?
Lovely place

littleripper · 28/04/2023 21:08

I'm a Manc until I die. No matter where I live or where I am. It is incredibly important to me :)

WeAreTheHeroes · 28/04/2023 21:19

itsabigtree · 28/04/2023 19:53

@WeAreTheHeroes

Yep, it's a funny place. But 'salford central' train station is in Pendleton! But it's definitely not in the center of salford 😂

@x2boys it's great! It has a massive tesco extra now, lots of characters and erm 'Buskers'

Salford Central isn't in Pendleton

itsabigtree · 29/04/2023 13:59

@WeAreTheHeroes yeah I guess it's closer to Manchester town centre/ordsall but it all kinda blends.