Second city of the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions
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The '''[[second city]]''' of a [[country]] is the [[city]] that is thought to be the second-most important, usually after the [[capital (government)|capital]] or first city, according to some criteria such as [[population]] size, [[economic]] or [[commerce|commercial]] importance, [[political]] importance or some [[cultural]] sense. There is no official mechanism by which second city status is conferred on a city, rather, it is a description which is unofficial carrying no authority, and arguments often take place between citizens and civic leaders of rival cities making conflicting claims. |
The '''[[second city]]''' of a [[country]] is the [[city]] that is thought to be the second-most important, usually after the [[capital (government)|capital]] or first city, according to some criteria such as [[population]] size, [[economic]] or [[commerce|commercial]] importance, [[political]] importance or some [[cultural]] sense. There is no official mechanism by which second city status is conferred on a city, rather, it is a description which is unofficial carrying no authority, and arguments often take place between citizens and civic leaders of rival cities making conflicting claims. |
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[[Birmingham]] |
[[Birmingham]] has generally been described as the second city of the [[UK]] since around the [[First World War]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Hopkins, Eric|title=Birmingham: The Making of the Second City 1850-1939|publisher=Tempus Publishing|year=2001|isbn= ISBN 0-7524-2327-4}}</ref> However, in a recent survey commissioned by the [[BBC]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6349501.stm|title=Manchester tops second city poll|accessdate=2007-02-10|publisher=BBC NEWS|year=2007}}</ref> 48% of 1,000 people claimed that [[Manchester]] deserves the distinction with 40% choosing Birmingham.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mori.com/polls/2002/manchester.shtml|title= Manchester 'England's second city'|accessdate=2007-02-09|publisher=Ipsos MORI|year=2002}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4293814.stm|title=Manchester 'close to second city'|accessdate=2006-05-03|publisher=BBC NEWS|year=2005}}</ref> However, Manchester is sometimes reported by some secondary international articles as the UK's third city.<ref>[http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/281330/1/.html "Channelnewsasia"], "...the Bishop of Manchester, Britain's third city...", [[10 June]] [[2007]], retrieved [[07 July]] [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9904E3DC1139F936A35752C1A963958260 "New York Times"], Correction: December 3, 1995, Sunday. An article on Nov. 5 about Manchester, England, misstated the size ranking of Greater Manchester.", [[05 November]] [[1995]], retrieved [[07 July]] [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun102007/foreign200706106686.asp?section=updatenews Deccan Herald], "...the Bishop of Manchester, Britain's third city...", [[10 June]] [[2007]], retrieved [[15 July]] [[2007]].</ref> |
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Since the formation of the UK, [[Bristol]], [[Glasgow]], and [[Liverpool]] have all also been seen as the second city, and indeed Glasgow was often described as the second city of the entire [[British Empire]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref>[http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/The+Second+City.htm Glasgow City Council History pages - The Second City of the Empire]</ref> All three cities were prominent because of their economic importance, especially the central role which they played in overseas trade, and are still some of the largest cities in the country. |
Since the formation of the UK, [[Bristol]], [[Glasgow]], and [[Liverpool]] have all also been seen as the second city, and indeed Glasgow was often described as the second city of the entire [[British Empire]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref>[http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/The+Second+City.htm Glasgow City Council History pages - The Second City of the Empire]</ref> All three cities were prominent because of their economic importance, especially the central role which they played in overseas trade, and are still some of the largest cities in the country. |
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{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Birmingham, England]] |
[[Category:Birmingham, England]] |
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[[Category:Cities in the United Kingdom]] |
[[Category:Cities in the United Kingdom]] |
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[[Category:Liverpool]] |
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[[Category:Edinburgh]] |
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[[Category:Glasgow]] |
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[[Category:Bristol]] |
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Revision as of 19:27, 18 July 2007
The second city of a country is the city that is thought to be the second-most important, usually after the capital or first city, according to some criteria such as population size, economic or commercial importance, political importance or some cultural sense. There is no official mechanism by which second city status is conferred on a city, rather, it is a description which is unofficial carrying no authority, and arguments often take place between citizens and civic leaders of rival cities making conflicting claims.
Birmingham has generally been described as the second city of the UK since around the First World War.[1] However, in a recent survey commissioned by the BBC,[2] 48% of 1,000 people claimed that Manchester deserves the distinction with 40% choosing Birmingham.[3] [4] However, Manchester is sometimes reported by some secondary international articles as the UK's third city.[5][6][7]
Since the formation of the UK, Bristol, Glasgow, and Liverpool have all also been seen as the second city, and indeed Glasgow was often described as the second city of the entire British Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[8] All three cities were prominent because of their economic importance, especially the central role which they played in overseas trade, and are still some of the largest cities in the country.
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 industrialisation.[9] Dublin, and the rest of the Republic of Ireland, ceased to be a part of the UK in the 1920s.
Edinburgh also has a claim on the title of "second city"[10] by virtue of its status as the capital city of Scotland. In addition, it was until recently the second busiest tourist destination after London,[11] (with Glasgow having recently overtaken it) and since devolution has become the most important city after London in governmental terms, housing the Scottish Parliament. It is a growing financial centre[12] and houses, amongst other financial and insurance companies, Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, two of the UK's big five banks.
City boundaries
Based on population within actual city boundaries the City of Birmingham, the most populous in the UK, is substantially larger than the City of Manchester, which is the sixth largest in England (see List of English cities by population). However, some people believe that formal city boundaries should not be regarded as the sole criterion; 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[13] with an official population of 7.6 million (as of 2006)[14] and has a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million people.[15][16]
The surrounding conurbations and the areas that can be considered informally part of each city are hard to define. However after the 1974 re-organisation of local government and the creation of the Metropolitan county, the City of Birmingham was included with the City of Coventry and five other "Metropolitan boroughs" (one, Wolverhampton gained city status in 2000) into a new administrative county called the 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 1,001,200 (2005 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 and Sutton Coldfield. The City of Manchester has a population of 437,000, 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 population of Metropolitan counties such as the West Midlands and Greater Manchester also vary slightly from both the "urban areas" and other population statistics criteria like the "Travel to Work Area (TTWA)".
Cultural factors
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, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and others all boast internationally recognised sporting, music and performing arts scenes. In Scotland, meanwhile, Edinburgh has played host to the world's largest arts festival for 60 consecutive years, and Glasgow, 1990's European Capital of Culture, and numerous other festivals including Celtic Connections music festival makes it an important centre for culture also.
Partisans of both Birmingham and Manchester are able to cite numerous examples of cultural factors supporting the case of each city.
References
- ^ Hopkins, Eric (2001). Birmingham: The Making of the Second City 1850-1939. Tempus Publishing. ISBN ISBN 0-7524-2327-4.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help) - ^ "Manchester tops second city poll". BBC NEWS. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ "Manchester 'England's second city'". Ipsos MORI. 2002. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
- ^ "Manchester 'close to second city'". BBC NEWS. 2005. Retrieved 2006-05-03.
- ^ "Channelnewsasia", "...the Bishop of Manchester, Britain's third city...", 10 June 2007, retrieved 07 July 2007.
- ^ "New York Times", Correction: December 3, 1995, Sunday. An article on Nov. 5 about Manchester, England, misstated the size ranking of Greater Manchester.", 05 November 1995, retrieved 07 July 2007.
- ^ Deccan Herald, "...the Bishop of Manchester, Britain's third city...", 10 June 2007, retrieved 15 July 2007.
- ^ Glasgow City Council History pages - The Second City of the Empire
- ^ 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."
- ^ 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."
- ^ 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"]
- ^ "Overview of Scotland's Financial Industry". Scottish Financial Enterprise. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
- ^ http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=384
- ^ [1]
- ^ World Gazetteer - World: metropolitan areas
- ^ Demographia - Southeast England Population by Area from 1891