by Wanda Reynolds

Created on: April 30, 2008   Last Updated: February 27, 2010

Manchester the "Capital of the North"

When travelers think of England they think London, London may have the palace and the "royals" but Manchester epitomizes the "working man" it is the land of "Coronation street" and somewhat sets him at least historically speaking on a pedestal with its numerous historic memorials to his labors. Manchester is a center of the arts, media, and higher education and commerce. Manchester was the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, also famed for its two Premier League football teams, Manchester City and of course Manchester United.

Manchester has a work hard play hard attitude to life. The city epitomizes the British working class and its "do or die" mentality and just as well or it might never have recovered from the events of Saturday 15th June 1996. Manchester city center was shattered by a huge explosion caused by an IRA bomb, the city and its people were devastated, it was the largest IRA bomb ever to explode on British soil, and the largest bomb to detonate in Britain since the Second World War. Damage, valued by insurers at approximately 411 million, was caused, which led to the extensive renovation and rejuvenation of Manchester city center and the surrounding district. In a comparatively short period of time Manchester rose like the proverbial phoenix from its ashes and reinvented itself in to the "Capital of the North "we know today.

Manchester has two symphony orchestras, the Hall Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Manchester's main pop music venue is the Manchester Evening News Arena,. It seats over 21,000, is the largest arena of its kind in Europe. Other venues include the Manchester Apollo theatre and the Manchester Academy. Smaller venues are the Bierkeller, the Roadhouse, and the Night and Day Cafe.

Well known bands such as The Smiths, the Buzzcocks, The Fall, Joy Division, Oasis and the Doves are all bands that have emerged from Manchester's top notch music scene, they also include and perhaps better known to us oldies The Hollies, Simply Red, Herman's Hermits and the Bee Gees who, whilst usually associated with Australia, grew up in Chorlton a part of Manchester's suburbs.

Manchester has a very active theater district and several famous theaters they include the Manchester Opera House, featuring large-scale touring shows and West End productions; the Palace Theater; the Royal Exchange Theater in Manchester's former cotton exchange; and the Lowry Centre, a touring venue in Salford.

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