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While the 'second city' status of any country is decided upon a variety of economic or cultural indices, both Birmingham and Manchester have shown an edge in each over the years (see also discussion of this article). For example in 2010, Manchester City Centre became second to London for new office building take-up with almost a million square foot (86,399 km<sup>2</sup>) occupied in the year,<ref>http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1404172_commercial_property_will_continue_to_prosper_in_2011</ref> whilst praise for Birmingham's striking modern architecture was sited as confirmation of its claim to second city status.<ref>http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/birmingham-britain’s-second-city.html</ref>
While the 'second city' status of any country is decided upon a variety of economic or cultural indices, both Birmingham and Manchester have shown an edge in each over the years (see also discussion of this article). For example in 2010, Manchester City Centre became second to London for new office building take-up with almost a million square foot (86,399 km<sup>2</sup>) occupied in the year,<ref>http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1404172_commercial_property_will_continue_to_prosper_in_2011</ref> whilst praise for Birmingham's striking modern architecture was sited as confirmation of its claim to second city status.<ref>http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/birmingham-britain’s-second-city.html</ref>
There have been a variety of frankly worthless Ministerial opinions on the subject for some time. These include:
There have been a variety of Ministerial opinions on the subject for some time. These include:


* [[David Miliband]], the former [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs]], current [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] and [[Member of Parliament]] for the constituency of [[South Shields (UK Parliament constituency)|South Shields]], [[Tyne and Wear]] "However, if you look at Birmingham, I think a lot of people would say that it's a city, Britain's second city..." <ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/sunday_am/4775814.stm |title = New Labour troubles |accessdate = 2007-08-01 |date = 5 March 2005 |work = BBC Sunday AM |publisher = BBC |quote = }}</ref>
* [[David Miliband]], the former [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs]], current [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] and [[Member of Parliament]] for the constituency of [[South Shields (UK Parliament constituency)|South Shields]], [[Tyne and Wear]] "However, if you look at Birmingham, I think a lot of people would say that it's a city, Britain's second city..." <ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/sunday_am/4775814.stm |title = New Labour troubles |accessdate = 2007-08-01 |date = 5 March 2005 |work = BBC Sunday AM |publisher = BBC |quote = }}</ref>

Revision as of 14:29, 17 February 2013

The identity of the second city of the United Kingdom is a subject of some disagreement. A country's second city is the city that is thought to be the second most important, usually after the capital or first city (London, in this case), according to criteria such as population size, economic importance and cultural contribution. The UK has no official second city, nor is there any official mechanism or criteria by which such status could be conferred. Citizens and civic leaders of rival cities often argue over their conflicting claims to this accolade.

Birmingham had previously been regarded as the second city of the United Kingdom, since around the time of World War I,[1] , but since the turn of the century, Manchester has been considered by most to be the Second City of the United Kingdom. Birmingham has the largest GDP (List of cities by GDP) outside London, but Manchester is catching up. In terms of population, although Birmingham is the largest city in the United Kingdom, a far more relevant statistic is the population of the Urban Area, citing Manchester as similar to that of Birmingham, at around 2.3 million. Numerous public polls, media references and global city rankings, have quoted Manchester as the second city since 2000. The rise has been attributed to Manchester's growing culture, media, music, sporting and transport connections and widespread renovation since the 1996 Manchester bombing.[2] Additionally, Manchester International Airport is by far the biggest airport in the United Kingdom outside London, carrying over twice as many passengers as Birmingham Airport (Busiest airport in the United Kingdom by total passenger traffic). The 2011 census confirmed Manchester as the fastest growing city outside of London population rise with a population rise of 19%, while Birmingham registered a population rise of 9%.[3][4].

Other cities in both England and Scotland have at times been considered the second city. For example, Liverpool in the past held the title of Second City of the Empire.[5] The city was also the world's first global city.[6] During the 19th and early 20th century, the whole of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. During some of this time Dublin was considered to be the second city.[7][8]

It is perhaps even more difficult to make a distinction based on cultural factors, as all major UK cities play an important role in the cultural make-up of the country: in addition to Birmingham and Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow (European Capital of Culture for 1990), Liverpool (joint European Capital of Culture for 2008), Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle upon Tyne, Kingston Upon Hull, Bradford and others all boast internationally recognised sporting, music and performing arts scenes.

History

Since the formation of the United Kingdom, several places have been described as the "second city". Dublin was the second most populous city at the time of the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, though it lost that position later in the 19th century as other cities grew through more rapid industrialisation.[9] As such, it was often described as the second city of the UK.[7] Dublin, and the rest of the Republic of Ireland, became independent of the UK in the 1920s.

By the early 19th century, Glasgow was frequently referred to as the second city;[10] and during much of the 20th century it had a population of over one million, larger than that of Birmingham until the 1951 census. For example, the Official Census population for Glasgow was 0.784 million in April 1911; 1.034 million in April 1921; 1.088 million in April 1931 and 1.090 million in April 1951.[11] However, slum clearances in the 1960s led to displacement of residents from the city centre to new communities located outside the city boundaries. This, together with local government reorganisation, resulted in the official population of Glasgow falling sharply. The Glasgow City Council area currently has a population of 600,000 although the surrounding conurbation of Greater Glasgow has a population of 1,199,629.[12] In contrast, the population of the city of Birmingham has remained steady around the one million mark; its central population fell like Glasgow's, but the city boundaries were extended several times in the early 20th century. Occasional claims were made for Liverpool,[13] Birmingham[14] and Manchester.[15]

The title Second City of Empire or Second City of the British Empire was claimed by a number of cities in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Commercial trading city Liverpool was regarded as holding this title with its massive port, merchant fleet and world-wide trading links.[16][17][18] Liverpool was constantly referred to as the New York of Europe.[19] Others included Dublin,[20] Glasgow (which continues to use the title as a marketing slogan),[21][22] and (outside the UK) Kolkata (known as Calcutta during the British Empire)[23] and Philadelphia.[24]

Prior to the union with Scotland in 1707, from the English Civil War until the 18th century, Norwich was the second-largest city of England, being a major trading centre, Britain's richest provincial city and county town of Norfolk, at that time the most populous county of England.[25] Bristol was the second wealthiest city in England in the 16th century;[26] and by the 18th century, Bristol was often described as the second city of England.[27] During the 19th century, claims were made for Manchester,[28] Liverpool[29] and York.[30] York had also been named as the second city in earlier centuries.[31]

Current

Liverpool
Birmingham
Manchester

Since World War I, and up to the beginning of the 21st century, Birmingham had been considered by many to be the second city, but most recent polls and media references have indicated that Manchester is now considered to be The Second City of the United Kingdom.

In a 2007 survey commissioned by the BBC investigating the subject of the "'Second city' of England" (as opposed to the UK as a whole), 48% of 1,000 people said that Manchester deserves the distinction, with 40% choosing Birmingham.[32][33] The BBC further reported that Manchester is close to being the second city of the UK in 2005.[34] In a similar survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, commissioned by "Visit Manchester" (Manchester's tourism department), Manchester received the highest response for the category of second city at 34%, compared to Birmingham at 29%; and in the same poll, Manchester had the highest response for the category of third city with 27% of the vote, 6% more than the 21% for Birmingham.[35] Only 85% of respondents put London as first City.[36]

However, HSBC commissioned an intensive study of the growth of UK cities in 2009 and updated in mid 21011, and determined that there will be seven super-cities, with Manchester excluded:[37][38][39]

  • Newcastle - A science city producing world class scientific research
  • Leeds - A provincial hub of financial companies and ancillary services
  • Liverpool - A dynamic centre of cultural and branding businesses
  • Brighton - The capital of the UK's rebellious, alternative economy
  • London - A city state, where the creative sector will take a pre-eminent position
  • Bristol - Pioneering new material to become a centre of advanced manufacturing
  • Glasgow - A leading international force in the renewable energy sector

Based on population within actual city boundaries the City of Birmingham, the most populous local government district in Europe, is substantially larger than the City of Manchester, which is the fifth largest in the UK (2006 estimates, see List of English districts by population). However, most sources do not use formal city boundaries as the sole criterion for population comparison: for instance, the City of London, with a population of only 7,185 (2001 census), is very small, though London as a whole is the most populous city within city limits in the European Union[40] with an official population of 7.6 million (as of 2006) and has a metropolitan area with a population of between 12 million[41] and 14 million.[42]

The surrounding conurbations and the areas that can be considered informally part of each city are hard to define. However after the 1974 reorganisation of local government and the creation of metropolitan counties, the City of Birmingham was included with the City of Coventry and five other metropolitan boroughs (one, Wolverhampton gained city status in 2000) in a new West Midlands county. The City of Manchester joined with the neighbouring City of Salford and eight other Metropolitan boroughs within the County of Greater Manchester.

The City of Birmingham has a population of 1,006,500 (2006 estimate). It forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation, which has a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census) and also includes the city of Wolverhampton, the towns of the Black Country, and other towns such as Solihull. The City of Manchester has a population of 498,000 (2010 estimate), while the Greater Manchester Urban Area is home to 2,240,230 people (2001 census) and also includes the City of Salford, and towns like Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Stockport. The populations of Metropolitan counties such as the West Midlands and Greater Manchester are also moderately higher than those of the urban areas with both being approximately 2.6 million. Birmingham City Council (BCC) is the largest local authority in Europe and is notable for having the largest wards, by population, in the whole of the UK (each ward has approximately 18,000 voters). BCC is also the UK's largest landlord, with its Housing Department managing just under (?) council homes.[43][dead link‍]

While the 'second city' status of any country is decided upon a variety of economic or cultural indices, both Birmingham and Manchester have shown an edge in each over the years (see also discussion of this article). For example in 2010, Manchester City Centre became second to London for new office building take-up with almost a million square foot (86,399 km2) occupied in the year,[44] whilst praise for Birmingham's striking modern architecture was sited as confirmation of its claim to second city status.[45]

There have been a variety of Ministerial opinions on the subject for some time. These include:

  • Digby Jones, Baron Jones of Birmingham (born and raised in Birmingham), former Minister of State at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Foreign Office (former Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said "Birmingham is naturally the second most important city in Britain after London because of where she is and how important she is as part of that crossroads,".[47] Jones later said "As a Brummie it's not easy to say, but I can find no better place than the north west in terms of having a diverse manufacturing base, whether it's engineering manufacturing at Rolls-Royce, automotive manufacturing at Bentley or pharmaceuticals manufacturing at AstraZeneca." which contradicts what he said about Birmingham being the most important base outside London. He also praised "Manchester's 'first-class global' university, knowledge and transport infrastructure were the two key factors that determined the success of a city or region."[48] In 2011, Jones stated that Birmingham is now in danger of losing its unofficial title to Manchester [49]
  • John Prescott (born in Wales and raised in Cheshire), former Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Hull East, was also quoted as saying "Manchester - our second city", but this was later played down by his department, claiming they were made in a "light-hearted context".[50]
  • Graham Stringer (born and raised in and currently representing Manchester), MP for Blackley and Broughton, responded with "Manchester has always been the second city after the capital, in many ways it is the first. Birmingham has never really been in the competition."[50]
  • Sandra White (born and raised in and representing Glasgow), a Scottish National Party MSP for Glasgow, claimed "Glasgow was always seen as the second city in the Empire, and Glasgow is still the second British city. Manchester is probably the second city in England after London."[50]

Other candidates for the title

Edinburgh,[52] Belfast[53] and Cardiff[citation needed] have a claim on the title of "second city" by virtue of their status as the respective capital cities of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Liverpool, Glasgow and Leeds make up the other major contenders.

Edinburgh

In addition to being the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is the second busiest tourist destination after London,[54] and since devolution has become the most important city after London in governmental terms, housing the Scottish Parliament. It is a growing financial centre and houses, amongst other financial and insurance companies, Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, two of the UK's big five banks.[55] Edinburgh is also home to the world's largest arts festival every August; is the only British city to have hosted the Commonwealth Games twice (1970 and 1986); and has since the 1990s been one of the main alternatives in the UK to London for hosting major political summits, having hosted meetings of the European Council (1992), G8 (2005, nearby at Auchterarder - see 31st G8 summit), and the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1997.

Glasgow

Glasgow (/ˈɡlæzɡoʊ/ ⓘ GLAZ-goh; Template:Lang-sco listenⓘ; Template:Lang-gd, pronounced [ˈkɫ̪as̪xu]) is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. A person from Glasgow is known as a Glaswegian.

Glasgow grew from the medieval Bishopric of Glasgow and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the 15th century, which subsequently became a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century. From the 18th century the city also grew as one of Britain's main hubs of transatlantic trade with British North America and the British West Indies. With the Industrial Revolution, the city and surrounding region shifted to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of heavy engineering,[56] most notably in the shipbuilding and marine engineering industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels. Glasgow was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period.[57][58][59][60] Today it is one of Europe's top twenty financial centres and is home to many of Scotland's leading businesses.[61] Glasgow is also ranked as the 57th most liveable city in the world.[62]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew to a population of over one million,[63] and was the fourth-largest city in Europe, after London, Paris and Berlin.[64] In the 1960s, large-scale relocation to new towns and peripheral suburbs, followed by successive boundary changes, have reduced the current population of the City of Glasgow unitary authority area to 580,690,[65] with 1,199,629[12] people living in the Greater Glasgow urban area. The entire region surrounding the conurbation covers approximately 2.3 million people, 41% of Scotland's population.[66]

Cardiff

Cardiff (/ˈkɑːdɪf/ ⓘ; Template:Lang-cy) is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. According to recent estimates, the population of the unitary authority area is 324,800, while the wider metropolitan area has a population of nearly 1.1 million, more than a third of the total Welsh population.[67] Cardiff is a significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 14.6 million visitors in 2009.[68]

The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities.[69] The Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area outside of the county boundary, and includes the towns of Dinas Powys, Penarth and Radyr. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city.

Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955. Since the 1990s Cardiff has seen significant development with a new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay which contains the Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex.

Sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium (the national stadium for the Wales national rugby union team and the Wales national football team), SWALEC Stadium (the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club), Cardiff City Stadium (the home of Cardiff City football team and Cardiff Blues rugby union team), Cardiff International Sports Stadium (the home of Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club) and Cardiff Arms Park (the home of Cardiff Rugby Club). The city was awarded with the European City Of Sport in 2009 due to its role in hosting major international sporting events.

Belfast

Belfast (Template:Lang-ga, "mouth of the sandbars") is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland and the second largest city in Ireland. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly.[70] The city forms part of the largest urban area in Northern Ireland, and the main settlement in the province of Ulster. The city of Belfast has a population of 267,500 and lies at the heart of the Belfast urban area, which has a population of 483,418. The Larger Urban Zone, as defined by the European Union, has a total population 641,638. Belfast was granted city status in 1888.

Historically, Belfast has been a centre for the Irish linen industry (earning the nickname "Linenopolis"), tobacco production, rope-making and shipbuilding: the city's main shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff, which built the ill-fated RMS Titanic, propelled Belfast on to the global stage in the early 20th century as the largest and most productive shipyard in the world. Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, establishing its place as a global industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century.

Industrialisation and the inward migration it brought made Belfast, if briefly, the largest city in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century and the city's industrial and economic success was cited by Ulster unionist opponents of Home Rule as a reason why Ireland should shun devolution and later why Ulster in particular would fight to resist it.

Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts, higher education and business, a legal centre, and is the economic engine of Northern Ireland. The city suffered greatly during the period of disruption, conflict, and destruction called the Troubles, but latterly has undergone a sustained period of calm, free from the intense political violence of former years, and substantial economic and commercial growth. Belfast city centre has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, notably around Victoria Square.

Belfast is served by two airports: George Best Belfast City Airport in the city, and Belfast International Airport 15 miles (24 km) west of the city. Belfast is also a major seaport, with commercial and industrial docks dominating the Belfast Lough shoreline, including the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard. Belfast is a constituent city of the Dublin-Belfast corridor, which has a population of 3 million, or half the total population of the island of Ireland.

Liverpool

Liverpool (pronounced /ˈlɪvɚpuːl/) is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880. The Liverpool City Region has a population of 1.6 million people.[71]

Historically a part of Lancashire, the urbanisation and expansion of Liverpool were both largely brought about by the city's status as a major port. By the 18th century, trade from the West Indies, Ireland and mainland Europe coupled with close links with the Atlantic Slave Trade furthered the economic expansion of Liverpool. By the early 19th century, 40% of the world's trade passed through Liverpool's docks, contributing to Liverpool's rise as a major city.

Liverpool's status as a port city has contributed to its diverse population, which, historically, were drawn from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, particularly those from Ireland. The city is also home to the oldest Black African community in the country and the oldest Chinese community in Europe.

The popularity of The Beatles and the other groups from the Merseybeat era contributes to Liverpool's status as a tourist destination; tourism forms a significant part of the city's modern economy. The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007, and it held the European Capital of Culture title together with Stavanger, Norway, in 2008. Several areas of the city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. Referred to as the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City, the site comprises six separate locations in the city including the Pier Head, Albert Dock and William Brown Street and includes many of the city's most famous landmarks.

The city is one of only four cities in the UK with its own partially underground rapid-transit urban rail network called Merseyrail The city has its own airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Leeds

Leeds, a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England.[72] In 2001 Leeds's main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247,[73] while the entire city had a population of 770,800 (2008 est.) making it the third largest in the country.[74] Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of the West Yorkshire Urban Area,[75][76] which at the 2001 census had a population of 1.5 million. Leeds is the UK's largest centre for business, legal, and financial services outside London.[77]

The contemporary economy of Leeds has been shaped by Leeds City Council having the vision of building a '24-hour European city' and a 'capital of the north'. It has developed from the decay of the post-industrial era to become a telephone banking centre, connected to the electronic infrastructure of the modern global economy.There has been growth in the corporate and legal sectors and increased local affluence has led to an expanding retail sector, including the luxury goods market. Leeds was voted 'Britain's Best City for Business' by OMIS Research in 2003[78] but dropped to 3rd place behind Manchester and Glasgow in 2005 ("Relative under-performance over the past two years in transport improvements and cost competitiveness were the major contributing factors"). It is also regarded by some as one of the fastest growing cities in the UK.

Over 124,000 people work in financial and business services in Leeds, the largest number of any UK city outside London. The strength of the economy is also indicated by the low unemployment rate. Although Leeds's economy has boomed in recent years, the prosperity has not spread to all parts of the city.

Leeds has an extensive and diverse range of shops and department stores, and has been described by the Lonely Planet guides as the 'Knightsbridge of the North'. The diverse range of shopping facilities, from individual one-off boutiques to large department stores such as Harvey Nichols and Louis Vuitton outlets, has greatly expanded the Leeds retail base.

In terms of culture, Leeds is the only English city outside London with its own repertory theatre, opera house and ballet companies. The West Yorkshire Playhouse also stages more productions each year than any other theatre outside London.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hopkins, Eric (2001). Birmingham: The Making of the Second City 4850-1939. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2327-4.
  2. ^ "Manchester tops second city poll". BBC News. 10 February 2007.
  3. ^ "Census 2011: Five lesser-spotted things in the data". BBC News. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
  4. ^ "Census shows increase in population of the West Midlands". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
  5. ^ "The Empire in one city?". Manchester University Press. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  6. ^ http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/visit/galleries/global/
  7. ^ a b Sidney Edwards Morse and Jedidiah Morse, A New System of Geography, Ancient and Modern, p.177, 1824
  8. ^ Provincial Towns in Early Modern England and Ireland: Change, Convergence, and Divergence, Oxford University Press, p.22, 2002
  9. ^ BBC: "A Short History of Ireland" - "The population, which had been 58,000 in 1683, was close to 129,000 by 1772 and 182,000 including the garrison by 1798, making Dublin the second largest city in the British Empire."
  10. ^ For example, see T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland, p.566, 1816 or Spencer Walpole, A History of England from the Conclusion of the Great War in 1815, p.103, 1878
  11. ^ Roberson, D. J. (1958). "Population, Past and Present". Chapter 2 in: Cunnison, J. and Gilfillan, J. B. S. (1958). The Third Statistical Account of Scotland, Volume V. The City of Glasgow. Glasgow: William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.
  12. ^ a b "Key Statistics for Settlements and Localities Scotland". General Register Office for Scotland. Retrieved 2008-09-08. Cite error: The named reference "GRO" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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  14. ^ W. Stewart & Co., The Journal of Education, p.38, 1867.
  15. ^ Chetham Society, Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancashire and Chester, 1862, p.531.
  16. ^ http://www.liv.ac.uk/researchintelligence/issue30/liverpool800.html Liverpool University: "... the city's pre-eminent position at the turn of the 19th century resulted from the port's willingness to handle a very wide range of cargo (including millions of migrants to the new world). Liverpool was second only to London in this respect - and this, together with its great ethnic diversity, was the basis of its claim to being the 'second city of empire'."
  17. ^ "The Empire in one city?". Manchester University Press. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  18. ^ http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/home/ahzsh1/Empire/Project.htm
  19. ^ http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/GBR_Port_of_Liverpool_86.php
  20. ^ "When you remember that Dublin has been a capital for thousands of years, that it is the second city of the British Empire, that it is nearly three times as big as Venice it seems strange that no artist has given it to the world." James Joyce, Letter to Stanislaus Joyce, c. 24 September 1905 (Letters of James Joyce, vol. II, pp. 109-112. (Viking Press, 1966).
  21. ^ "The Second City". Glasgow City Council (glasgow.gov.uk).
  22. ^ W Hamish Fraser. "Second City of The Empire: 1830s to 1914". The Glasgow Story.
  23. ^ Tourism of India - Special Feature - Relics of the Raj
  24. ^ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania facts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania travel videos, flags, photos - National Geographic
  25. ^ Williams, Laura. "Enabling Norwich in the Knowledge Economy" (PDF). The Work Foundation web pages. The Work Foundation. p. 11. Archived from the original (pdf) on October 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ J. E. T. and A. G. L. Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, p.82, 1887
  27. ^ Charles Knight, The Popular History of England, p.8, 1859
  28. ^ Robert Southey, Letters from England, p.177, 1836
  29. ^ James Richard Joy, An Outline History of England, p.26, 1890
  30. ^ John Major, Aeneas James George Mackay and Thomas Graves Law, A History of Greater Britain as Well England as Scotland, p.xxxvi, 1892
  31. ^ John Macky, A Journey Through England, p.208, 1722
  32. ^ "Manchester tops second city poll". BBC NEWS. 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  33. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TChOJVCV3HM
  34. ^ "Manchester 'close to second city'". BBC NEWS. 2005-09-29. Retrieved 2006-05-03.
  35. ^ // Visit Manchester / Homepage //
  36. ^ "Manchester 'England's second city'". Ipsos MORI North. 2002. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  37. ^ http://www.newsroom.business.hsbc.co.uk/press/release/new_british_landscape_unveiled
  38. ^ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/economics/article3047843.ece
  39. ^ http://i49.tinypic.com/29bhyfl.jpg
  40. ^ National Statistics Online
  41. ^ "The Principal Agglomerations of the World". City Population. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ "British urban pattern: population data" (pdf). ESPON project 1.4.3 Study on Urban Functions. European Spatial Planning Observation Network. 2007. p. 119. Retrieved 2010-02-22. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  43. ^ Birmingham City Council: "About the Housing Department"
  44. ^ http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1404172_commercial_property_will_continue_to_prosper_in_2011
  45. ^ http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/birmingham-britain’s-second-city.html
  46. ^ "New Labour troubles". BBC Sunday AM. BBC. 5 March 2005. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  47. ^ "Manchester tops second city poll". BBC News. BBC. 9 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  48. ^ "Jones: North west best for innovation". Manchester Evening News. 10 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  49. ^ Leading Article: Second Best, www.independent.co.uk. accessed 18.05.2011
  50. ^ a b c "Prescott ranks Manchester as second city". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N media. 3 February 2005. Retrieved 2007-08-20. We have had fantastic co-operation here in Manchester - our second city, I am prepared to concede.
  51. ^ "'Setting the Standard' - Speech by Phil Woolas MP at the fifth Annual Assembly of Standards Committees on 16 October 2006". Department for Communities and Local Government. Department for Communities and Local Government. 16 October 2006. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved 2007-09-02. And, of course, I, and colleagues in Manchester, am pleased to see its very sensible plans to relocate to Manchester - Britain's third city.
  52. ^ New York Times, August 6, 1989: "Edinburgh's castle high on the rock has looked down on many a triumph and tragedy in the proud Scots capital, but every year since 1947, Britain's Second City steals the spotlight from London during the three weeks of the international festival."
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  54. ^ http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk "Edinburgh is the UK’s second city of tourism after London and acts as a gateway to the rest of Scotland. It generates 22% of UK and 33% of overseas tourism spend in Scotland"
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