Manchester City and Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester, England. Manchester, situated in the north west of England, was granted city status in 1853 and lies at the centre of the wider Greater Manchester Urban Area, which has a population in excess of two million and is the United Kingdoms third largest conurbation. Manchester has the second largest urban zone in the UK. Manchester is often described as the Capital of the North and is a centre for the media, arts, commerce and higher education. Manchester is regarded by many as the best place in the UK to locate a business and a recent report published in 2007 showed Manchester to be the fastest-growing UK city economically. Manchester is the third most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors and is now often considered to be the second city of the UK. Manchester is easy to reach being served by the M6, M56, M60, and M62 motorways, a main line railway station (Manchester Piccadilly) and Manchester International Airport located on the outskirts of the city.