Manchester

Industrial-chic Manchester is becoming a new capital of cool

One of Great Britain’s largest cities, Manchester is becoming increasingly important as major airlines now fly here from North America. In recent years, it’s made great strides to shake its image as an industrial wasteland. Though chimneys still spike the skyline, they no longer make the metropolitan sky an ash-filled canopy. Abandoned warehouses are being renovated to provide sleek new loft apartments. Rustic factory equipment turns up in museums. The overall effect is a gritty kind of charm.

Manchester's roots date from A.D. 79, when Romans settled here. In the mid-17th century, the city began to capitalize on the opportunity that the burgeoning textile industry presented, eventually becoming Dickensian paradigm of the industrial complex, using immigrants as factory laborers. It is apt indeed that the Museum of Science and Technology resides here.

Manchester’s most recent stars were the rock band Oasis—and though they haven't exactly done for Manchester what the Beatles did for Liverpool, they have made an impression: Manchester is increasingly cited for its hipness.

Furthermore, the once-dreary Manchester Docklands has a spiffy new life following a massive restoration. It's called simply "the Lowry," and is filled with theaters, shops, restaurants, and a plaza for outdoor performances.

© 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.