Salford

Salford ( SOL-fərd) is a city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former town hall, Salford Cathedral, Salford Lads' Club and St Philip's Church. In 2021 it had a population of 129,794. The demonym for people from Salford is Salfordian. Salford is the main settlement of the wider City of Salford metropolitan borough, which incorporates Eccles, Pendlebury, Swinton and Walkden. Salford was named in the Early Middle Ages, though evidence exists of settlement since Neolithic times. It was the seat of the large Hundred of Salford in the historic county of Lancashire and was granted a market charter in about 1230, which gave it primary cultural and commercial importance in the region. It was eventually overtaken by Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. The former County Borough of Salford was granted city status in 1926; the current wider borough was established in 1974. The economy of the city in the 18th and 19th centuries was focused on a major factory district for cotton and silk spinning and weaving, and as a major inland port after the opening of Salford Docks in 1894. Industrial decline in the 20th century led to the city having run-down and antisocial areas. Salford has been subject to slum clearances and other regeneration programmes since the 1930s. From 2007, multiple media companies set up headquarters at the MediaCityUK development in Salford Quays, an area established in the 1980s on former dockland. Organisations in the city include the University of Salford, Salford City Football Club, Salford Red Devils, BBC North and ITV Granada.