Manchester City Centre is at the heart of the City of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, North West England. Manchester City Centre has been extensively redeveloped in recent years. This redevelopment was prompted by the IRA bombing of the city in 1996. This event and the awarding of the 2002 Commonwealth Games to the city have proved to be the catalyst for much change in the area.

One of the most notable effects of this redevelopment has been a large increase in property development in the City Centre and there are now nearly 5000 residential properties in the City Centre, mostly in the form of apartments. Well over half of these have been built since 1996. Some of the most notable developments are No. 1 Deansgate and Urban Splash. The prices of these homes has also risen and the first £2 million penthouse was sold in 2002.

The Castlefield area of the City Centre has seen particular change and now has a vibrant nightlife as well as being home to many houses and offices.The Beetham Tower, 171m high, under construction Manchester City Centre has an active nightlife with many nightclubs following in the

footsteps of the world famous Hacienda nightclub which has now closed and been redeveloped as a housing complex. There is a large Gay village around the Canal Street area of the city centre, which plays host to a yearly Mardi Gras, and also the largest Chinatown in Europe offering many opportunities for good eating.

There are restaurants in the City Centre catering for all tastes with restaurants owned by world famous chefs Marco Pierre White and Paul Heathcote situated there. There is also a stock of good quality hotels in the area with Manchester’s first five-star hotel, the Lowry Hotel opening in the City Centre in 2001.

The city is rated as one of the best shopping centres in England after London. It is home to the world’s largest Marks and Spencer and is also home to Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. Deansgate and Market St are the city centre’s principal retail streets, and are lined by many well known names in UK retailing. There is also a large indoor shopping mall called the Arndale Centre. There are many leisure facilities in the City Centre also with the recent opening of the Printworks, a large facility containing a cinema (including an IMAX screen), numerous bars, clubs and restaurants and also Manchester’s first Hard Rock Cafe, contributing further to this.

The Northern Quarter, centred around Oldham Street, is known for its bohemian atmosphere and independent shops and cafes.

The landscaping of the City Centre has also provided many public spaces including the newly developed Piccadilly Gardens, which incorporates fountains, green spaces and a Metrolink station, as well as Exchange Square. This is right by the new Urbis. This is a museum of cities and provides a uniquely modern museum experience. There are other museums in Manchester City Centre including the Manchester Museum which contains many ancient artifacts and natural history items and the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry which includes many hands-on exhibits with families in mind.

All this contributes to making Manchester one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities in Europe at the present time and this can be demonstrated by the large increase in the numbers of tourists in the recent past.