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Britain's Second City?

CharltonMadrid
CharltonMadrid Posts: 5,091
in Not Sports Related
Been following a discussion about this and thought I'd get the opinion of the good folk of Charlton Life. What do you regard as Britain/the UK 's second city and why? Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh or any other? Be interested to see the views and what the majority opinion is.
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Comments

  • bolloxbolder
    bolloxbolder Posts: 8,049
    Never thought it was even up for discussion. Always been told as a lad by the media it is Birmingham. 
  • CharltonMadrid
    CharltonMadrid Posts: 5,091
    Definitely Birmingham for population but there seems to be an argument for others for commercial and cultural impact.
  • stockportugaladdick
    stockportugaladdick Posts: 1,168
    bolloxbolder said:
    Never thought it was even up for discussion. Always been told as a lad by the media it is Birmingham. 
    Me too, always been Brum
  • usetobunkin
    usetobunkin Posts: 2,277
    Only Greater London, and Greater Manchester, Brum is only an urban sprawl linked  by dual carriage ways and submerged under a motorway interchange
  • se9addick
    se9addick Posts: 32,209
    Birmingham if you’re talking population. Edinburgh if you’re talking history, Manchester if you’re talking culture and Glasgow if you’re talking football. 

    Of course across all of those metrics they pale in comparison to London! 
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 21,106
    edited September 2022
    Glasgow - second city of empire!

    England - for me it is now Manchester, irrespective of population figures (which are now pretty close with Birmingham).
  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 70,473
    Manchester these days. Very much capital of the North, far enough away from London to have its own importance.

    Before independence, Dublin might have been considered the second city of the UK
  • CharltonMadrid
    CharltonMadrid Posts: 5,091
    I would say Manchester as well. Birmingham just doesn't really have much beyond its population.
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,315
    Always thought is was Brum. Was very surprised to find that it's not official. 
  • BR7_addick
    BR7_addick Posts: 10,231
    Obviously Birmingham is commonly known as the second city.  But if you ask me personally, as someone who grew up in the 90s, it’s Manchester.  

    For three reasons, Oasis, Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and that I believe Manchester would be the second city on the tip of the tongue for the rest of the world.  

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  • valleynick66
    valleynick66 Posts: 5,007
    No prizes for coming second 
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,315
    valleynick66 said:
    No prizes for coming second 
    But there is a certain satisfaction in lasting that long  ;)
  • eaststandmike
    eaststandmike Posts: 14,956
    Manchester for me.
  • WelshAddick
    WelshAddick Posts: 1,322
    Never Liverpool. It’s smaller than Bristol 
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 21,106
    WelshAddick said:
    Never Liverpool. It’s smaller than Bristol 

    Yes it is too small - but very good in parts.

    Manchester is a truly great city full of so many different faces. It's only 30 minutes from me as well!

    London is still the king and always will be.
  • AllHailTheHen
    AllHailTheHen Posts: 3,105
    WelshAddick said:
    Never Liverpool. It’s smaller than Bristol 
    Not even part of England according to scousers.
  • charltonkeston
    charltonkeston Posts: 7,405
    2nd =1st loser 
  • Addick Addict
    Addick Addict Posts: 40,481
    valleynick66 said:
    No prizes for coming second 
    And no one remembers them. Clearly.
  • InspectorSands
    InspectorSands Posts: 5,212
    I know it's meant to be Birmingham, but Manchester is definitely England's second city these days. 

    If it's the UK's second city... Edinburgh might run it close. 
  • Curb_It
    Curb_It Posts: 21,275
    Definitely Manchester. I reckon they say Brum  given it’s proximity to the greatest city in the world. But Manchester is the second city. 

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  • SporadicAddick
    SporadicAddick Posts: 6,999
    London, Glasgow, Manchester. 
  • guinnessaddick
    guinnessaddick Posts: 29,120
    edited September 2022
    AllHailTheHen said:
    WelshAddick said:
    Never Liverpool. It’s smaller than Bristol 
    Not even part of England according to scousers.
    It would have been the second city, but the locals keep nicking bits of it.
  • guinnessaddick
    guinnessaddick Posts: 29,120
    B’ham was the second city due to the amount of industry in the past, it was the metal bashing centre of the country. Things have changed and Manchester is probably now the second city.
  • guinnessaddick
    guinnessaddick Posts: 29,120
    edited September 2022
    bobmunro said:
    Glasgow - second city of empire!

    Glasgow has it as a hand me down, as Dublin (thankfully) had grown out of it and no longer needed it.
  • johnnybev1987
    johnnybev1987 Posts: 11,462
    Always thought it was Birmingham
  • rananegra
    rananegra Posts: 3,717
    Manchester. It has the cultural weight. I bet more of us can name the Mayor of Manchester over the Mayor of the West Midlands. And more players for United or City than Villa or Brum. And more Manc bands than Brum. 

    I know Birmingham is officially bigger than Manchester but add in Greater Manchester and I'm pretty sure it's on a par with the West Midlands.

    Just checking the populations and found this https://citymonitor.ai/environment/where-are-largest-cities-britain-1404
    which argues that in terms of urban area - continuous urban development with no countryside in between, Manchester is 2nd to London (2.7M people to London's 11.12 which would include places like Watford and Dartford). It then uses other definitions to put Brum back into 2nd. 
  • Algarveaddick
    Algarveaddick Posts: 21,360
    Used to be Brum, now Manchester in my eyes. 
  • Elthamaddick
    Elthamaddick Posts: 15,967
    Manchester is a great place
  • Cardinal Sin
    Cardinal Sin Posts: 5,233
    Edinburgh - classy, beautiful Auld Reekie high on the banks of the Forth Estuary. Birmingham and Manchester are shabby sprawling urban messes. Glasgow too tired around the egdes.
  • The Red Robin
    The Red Robin Posts: 26,379
    I’d say Manchester 

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