Manchester in 1999 is a vibrant and expanding city, number one in the North of England and considered number two in the UK. The reconstruction of the city centre is well underway after the devastating IRA bomb of June 1996. Despite many initiatives by local and national government, Manchester still has many districts blighted by unemployment and poverty. But there has never been a greater sense of pride and confidence in the city. (Please wait while the pictures and text download.)

The City: Today & fifty years ago Manchester has a wide range of historic buildings, many of which have been cleaned and renovated, revealing magnificent carvings and embellishments. St Anne's Square and King Street are attractive pedstrianised areas with fashionable shops and cafes. Piccadilly and some areas around the Arndale Centre are less attractive, but will shortly be improved. The Victorian face of Manchester has been altered by an array of post-war buildings, from the Piccadilly Plaza, completed in 1965 to the much-praised Bridgewater Hall, opened in 1997. Massive building work is is transforming the Corporation St/Cannon St area. A redevelopment plan was drawn up in late 1996 and aims to turn Manchester's central shopping area into one of the most impressive and attractive in the world. A gigantic new Marks & Spencers store is nearing completion. In other areas of the city centre, old warehouse buildings are being converted for use as offices and apartments. The inner city area of Hulme has been transformed from the failed post-war slum of the nineteen sixties into an attractive district of varied 1990's brick dwellings. Chorlton-on-Medlock was completely rebuilt in the 60's & 70's with council houses and blocks of flats, which are currently being renovated. Construction of housing on "green-field" sites is being reduced in favour of so-called "brown-field" locations closer to the city centre. In previously run-down districts, new, privately built houses are being constructed and sold to first time buyers. Meanwhile, local councils continue renovation schemes to improve housing estates, though crime and deprivation continue to affect some areas.. Colleges and Universities: Today & fifty years ago Manchester University and Manchester Metropolitan University have expanded into Hulme and Chorlton on Medlock to form a huge extended campus. UMIST extends from Whitworth St to the Mancunian Way, transforming the former industrial district into a centre for technological research and study. Salford University has expanded into a along the River Irwell and on either side of the Crescent. Castle Irwell is a university residence and sports centre. The Manchester area has the largest student population in Europe. Many come from overseas to study on the hundreds of different courses available here. Manchester University is an award winning centre centre for teaching and research, with more than 18,000 full-time students. Research programmes in computer science and artificial intelligence continue the pioneering spirit exemplified 50 years earlier by Freddie Williams and Tom Kilburn, who developed the first stored program computer in the world. Media: Today & fifty years ago Manchester is a major centre for the media, though the national newspapers have moved out of the city. The Manchester Evening News, with offices on Deansgate, is Manchester's only evening newspaper, with one of the highest circulations in the country. Its subsidiary Diverse Media publishes the what's on magazine City Life, and runs Manchester Online. Local and national tv and radio programmes are broadcast by the BBC from their complex on Oxford Rd. Granada, on Quay St, is one of the leading TV companies in the country, and produces the famous Coronation Street soap opera. The Granada Studios Tour is an award-winning tourist attraction. Many independent local radio stations from broadcast from Manchester and surrounding areas. Transport Today & fifty years ago The pride of Manchester is the Metrolink tram system, which opened in 1992. The trams run on former rail tracks to Altrincham in the south and Bury in the north. They cross the city centre on specially built tram lines. A new route to Eccles is under construction and further lines to Ashton and Didsbury are planned. A variety of private companies provide bus services in and around Manchester. FirstBus, operating mainly in the north of the city, and Stagecoach, mainly in the south, are national companies. Mayne, Bee Line, Finglands and UK North are among local companies operating bus services in Manchester. Public transport is co-ordinated by GMPTE, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. Train services are also provided by private operators, including North West Trains and Virgin. Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria are the main stations. The journey from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston on Virgin Trains takes about two and a half hours, but in a few years, high speed tilting trains will reduce the time to 1hr 45 minutes. Manchester Airport is the busiest outside London and is undergoing constant expansion, including construction of the Second Runway. Coach services operate from Chorlton St bus station to hundreds of places all over the UK. The roads around Manchester are among the busiest in the country. The eastern section of the M60, Manchester's orbital motorway is nearing completion. The journey to by car or bus to London takes around three hours, longer if the traffic is heavy. Industry: Today & fifty years ago Manchester's industrial and manufacturing base was devastated by post-war changes in international markets. Heavy engineering, the cotton industry and the Docks were all badly affected. The Cotton Industry died, and the Docks were closed by the 1970's. By the 80's and 90's, high tech industries are bringing new prosperity. Trafford Park is being redeveloped, and the Docks have been transformed into Salford Quays, with its futuristic office and residential buildings. Manchester Airport's Second Runway will boost commerce with the rest of the world, as the Ship Canal did in the past. British Aerospace factories at Woodford and Chadderton continue to manufacture aircraft and aircraft parts. Tourism has become a major industry, and museums celebrate and preserve the city's cultural and industrial heritage. Attractions include the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester, the Manchester Museum, Salford Museum & Art Gallery, the Lancashire Mining Museum, Astley Colliery, the Museum of Transfport and Granada Studios Tour. Hotels include the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Midland, the Britannia, the Piccadilly Hotel, the Palace (housed in the former Refuge Assurance Buidling) and the Malmaison. Clothes shops, restaurants, hairdressers, cafe bars, pubs and night clubs have developed over the last twenty years to provide the city centre with a vibrant and growing daytime and nighttime economy. Entertainment & Sport: Today & fifty years ago Manchester has a wide and growing selection of cinemas. The Odeon, Oxford Street is the biggest in the city centre. The Cornerhouse offers alternative and art house films. There are multiplex cinemas at Virgin Salford Quays, Showcase, Gorton and at Arena 7 in the Nynex complex, Victoria Station. The Royal Exchange Theatre will shortly return to the renovated Royal Exchange building, on St Anne's Square. Other venues include the Library Theatre, the Palace, the Opera House, the Dance House & the Contact Theatre. The Manchester United stadium, museum and shop are in Old Trafford. The Manchester City ground at Maine Road may move to a new stadium after the Commonwealth Games in 2002 . Construction for the Games on the east Manchester site, near the Velodrome, is in planning. Others sports include dog racing at Belle Vue, and cricket at the Lancashire County Cricket Ground, Old Trafford. Shopping Today & fifty years ago The Arndale Centre is the main shopping venue in Manchester city centre. Despite a much-cricicised exterior, which is about to be improved, it is very popular with shoppers. Lewis's, Debenhams and Kendal's are the city centre's three main department stores. King St and St Anne's Square offer a wide range of fashionable clothes shops and boutiques. The Barton Arcade and St Ann's Arcade, between St Anne's Square and Deansgate, offer specialist shops and a quiet haven from the bustle of city streets. Alternative traders, selling second hand clothes, memorabilia, hand-made jewellery, and recorded music, can be found at Affleck's Palace and the Coliseum Centre, near Piccadilly. The Trafford Centre opened on 10 Sept 1998. It is situated around five miles south west of the City Centre, and is the biggest shopping complex in Europe. It threatens to take business away from Manchester and the surrounding towns. Whether this happens remains to be seen. Summary: Today & fifty years ago Manchester in 1999 is considered by many to be one of the most exciting, vibrant and attractive cities in the UK. As the milennium draws closer, the renaissance is set to continue. Manchester will have an exciting future in the 21st century.