Why is Greater Manchester Great?

The City of Manchester was surrounded by many County Boroughs. The County Boroughs were Bury, Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan were all located in Lancashire, with Stockport located in the County of Cheshire.

The county of Lancashire was historically to the North and West of the City of Manchester.

In 1974 The Greater Manchester Metropolitan County was created as an administrative entity.

The 10 metropolitan borough towns are a real confederation and act as one body the majority of the time.

The Greater Manchester Metropolitan County consisted of two cities and eight boroughs.

The title of Greater Manchester Metropolitan County was principally a convenient entity created for practical administrative purposes.

This was to make the postal system more straightforward and give each borough political distinction.

Tameside and Trafford were the newly introduced boroughs, but confusingly they do not geographically exist.

Also adding to the confusion parts of Trafford and Stockport are within the County of Cheshire.

Six former County Boroughs, Bury, Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Rochdale and Wigan, were renamed as towns.

The old County Boroughs Bury, Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Rochdale and Wigan were renamed as towns.

The new Metropolitan boundaries included Manchester and Salford as two separate cities in their own right.

Manchester and Salford were created as two separate cities and was independent of county status.

However many Boltonians, Oldhamers, Wiganers and Rochdalians still declare to this day that they live in Lancashire and not in Greater Manchester.

The loss for some was so great they felt like they were losing their identity and heritage.

In response to what they saw as a great lost they created an organisation called ‘Friends of Real Lancashire’.

SOURCE:
Wikipedia