Bolton is a very special place. It is a dynamic, vibrant town with a positive reputation. A place where people enjoy living, working, learning and visiting - and where people will return again and again, because they feel welcome.
In the heart of Greater Manchester, Bolton is a borough of contrasts. Surrounded by glorious countryside and yet with easy access to major cities and transport links. It is seeped in history but has an exciting future to look forward to with new developments emerging all the time.
It is a thriving town where families can relax and enjoy a day out; visit the vast array of shops in a pedestrianised town centre; the excellent sporting facilities like Reebok and Bolton Arena; take in the rich heritage that celebrates Bolton’s glorious past.
The last few years have seen major developments take place – the town’s striking centrepiece Victoria Square; the thriving leisure and retail centres at Middlebrook, Market Place and The Gates and there is more to come.
Manchester was the birthplace of the industrial revolution and today is one of Britain's most lively and dynamic cities. It is the north west's regional centre for finance, commerce, retail, culture and leisure, home to a major international airport and one of the largest student populations in Europe. It is transforming itself from an industrial city dependent on manufacturing to a thriving, modern, dynamic, international city, a great location for business, for visitors and as a place to live, work and study.
Oldham Metropolitan Borough is situated in the North West of Greater Manchester and covers an area 14,000 hectares. The Council serves a mixed heritage population of around 219,000.
A borough of rich contrasts from the natural beauty of Saddleworth to the vibrant town centre, thriving industrial and manufacturing industries to the diversity of it cultural heritage, Oldham is in a prime position to take advantage of the opportunities on offer in the 21st Century.
The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale includes not only the town of Rochdale but also Middleton, Heywood, Littleborough, Milnrow and Wardle, each of which retains its own separate identity and character.
Between and around the towns and villages are vast expanses of open space. Dominating the skyline to the north and east of the borough are spectacular views of open moorland along the magnificent pennine edge while to the south and west are pleasant river valleys, woodlands and meadows.
The borough has much to offer the people of the area and visitors alike. The high quality of life includes a wide choice of places to live at a reasonable cost; interesting local heritage, attractive countryside, a varied multi-racial culture and a thriving business community.
Architectural gems, picturesque villages, and cultural city centres are all on your doorstep. The city covers 37 square miles and the five districts of Salford, Eccles, Worsley, Irlam & Cadishead, and Swinton & Pendlebury. Some 220,000 people are proud to call Salford their home.
Salford is about 250 miles north west of London, and with excellent road and public transport links to all parts of the UK, the city is well placed as a visitor and commercial centre and Manchester's airport, gateway to over 200 international destinations, is just a few miles away.
Stockport has a population of almost 300,000 and is home to an estimated 16,000 businesses, a major economic player within the North West.
Stockport is very unusual in that its countryside extends to the heart of the town centre and also for such a well-populated borough, more than 45% is green belt. Each of the districts that makes up the borough is within easy reach of the town centre and has its own distinctive identity. The borough benefits from a superb location, at the centre of an international travel network.
Many thousands of people benefit from the services provided by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and many more look to Stockport for employment or entertainment. The borough is divided into 21 wards, each elect three councillors to serve on the council.
Lying seven miles due east of Manchester, in the North West region of England, Tameside is a neat, compact borough in an area of scenic beauty, industrial heritage and easy communication with the rest of the country. Tameside is roughly eight miles across - with just under a quarter of a million people settled in its 40 square miles.
Tameside is framed to the north by the River Medlock, to the south by the River Etherow and the scenic beauty of Werneth Low, to the east by the pennines, and to the west by the City of Manchester. The borough was created in 1974 and takes its name from the River Tame which links the nine towns constituting the borough: Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Longdendale (comprising the villages of Broadbottom, Hollingworth and Mottram), Mossley, Stalybridge.
Trafford is home to 220,000 people and brings together a vibrant mix of inner-city, leafy suburban and rural communities. As well as our ancient traditions - such as the market in Altrincham which dates back to the time of Chaucer - we also have Trafford Park, the biggest business park in Europe, employing 50,000 people; and the Trafford Centre, a new kind of shopping and leisure complex for the 21st century. Each town and village in the borough has its own identity; together they create the overall character of Trafford.
Trafford is also home to Manchester United, the world-famous football club, which has its stadium at Old Trafford, while a short walk away is another much-revered sporting venue, Lancashire County Cricket Club, the home of test matches for more than 100 years.
But the story does not stop here. Trafford is continuing to develop and produce exciting new projects - in early 2002, the new Imperial War Museum (North) will rise on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal.
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is an area with a rich heritage, moving confidently forward as the third Millennium gets under way. It is a place where the best northern traditions of neighbourliness and a warm welcome are still strong, and where the old myths of industrial drabness have long been laid to rest.
The borough lies midway between Liverpool and Manchester. It brings together a number of friendly communities grouped around the two larger towns of Wigan and Leigh and forms the most westerly part of the county of Greater Manchester.
There are many signs of the borough's confidence, attractive shopping developments, new businesses and hotels, and a major sporting and leisure complex at Wigan's Robin Park.
