Now most people, we find, don’t move that far at all.
We have helped some home movers who have stayed in the same suburb – Crumpsall, Didsbury, Ancoats, Chorlton – to name but four.
But we do have customers who move to Manchester from further away – Norfolk, for example, last December and many others from Lancashire, Cheshire and London.
58,000 are added to the population of Manchester each year
That means the city centre and its surrounding areas clearly has growing appeal and yet many don’t know that much about Manchester, other than it’s exciting, friendly, tolerant, multi-cultural and wet.
The weather
Now really the weather in Manchester – its rain for example – is a bit exaggerated. Despite many misconceptions, it does not rain every day and every night. Admittedly it does not have the dryness of the East of England, but summers can be hot and winters are often mild. In fact, it is ranked 15th out of UK cities:
Cardiff is Britain’s wettest city with 1,152m m falling on it each year. Manchester comes in at 15 behind Belfast and Leeds. London is one of the driest at number 63 with a mere 557mm of rain.
So don’t move here expecting flooding – it is often wet, admittedly, but the people radiate warmth.
The people
Manchester often ranks as being one of the friendliest places to live and work and it’s true. You may be surprised, particularly if you’ve moved from London, that locals strike up conversations with you in the street, in bars, on public transport, on walks. It’s what Mancunians do. It is naturally friendly and welcoming as a city. It also has its own dialogue – “mint” means great; “hanging” means horrible and the greeting “Alright?” is expected to be met with an “alright?” too.
Sir Ian McKellen sums it up well when he arrives at Piccadilly from London and is moved to tears by the warmth of a taxi driver. You can see that here.
Its cultures
There are 220 languages spoken in Manchester and with that tolerance and acceptance, it means you can eat global food any night of the week – Wilmslow Road, Rusholme is still called the Curry Mile but many of its restaurants are Turkish, Kurdish, Lebanese and you’ll find more typical Asian cuisine on Stockport Road, in Levenshulme and Longsight. There is a huge Chinese population here, and Manchester has its own China Town in the city centre.
Excitement
Manchester is an exciting city, or “town”, to many locals with many bars, cafés, theatres, cinemas and shops. It is really the Second City in the UK (though we are biased at Metro Man and Van). It is not a sleepy place, like some, as it has a 24 hour culture of work and play. Many love it as it is compact, and exciting.
Football
One of the big draws of Manchester for many is the football: Old Trafford with Manchester United, and the Etihad with Manchester City. Pep Guardiola actually lives off Deansgate in the city centre, as does the ex United player Gary Neville. There is even a university campus of football near Piccadilly Station and Sport City has transformed East Manchester for good.
So there you have it – weather that can be wet, warm, tolerant people, an embracing of other cultures, an exciting city centre and football.
It’s no wonder so many come here to study, live or work and find that Manchester becomes their spiritual and physical home.
If you’re looking to move into Manchester, Greater Manchester, do contact Kashif and his team – we have almost 50 five star Google reviews and would love to help you move.
Our contact details are here.
