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Birmingham loses out to Manchester in second city face off
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Birmingham has lost its "second city" status to Manchester according to results
from a nationwide survey released on tonight's Inside Out programme.
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In the poll carried out exclusively for Â鶹Éç Inside Out, 48% of people in the UK
believed Manchester to be the second most important city after the capital
London.
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Birmingham, which has historically been known as the second city,
canvassed just 40% of the vote.
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The results appear to confirm the view that Manchester's reputation has grown
significantly over the last 50 years, catching up with its more southern rival.
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This gradual transition was reflected in the findings.
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Whilst Birmingham came
out on top in the over-64 age group by 48% to 42%, in the 16-24 age groups
Manchester topped the poll by 58% compared to Birmingham's 38%.
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In regional breakdowns, those in the North West and West Midlands had a
preference for their city as second city.
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In the West Midlands 83% named
Birmingham as second city and 12% named Manchester but in the North
West, 79% of people preferred Manchester as the holder and 13% cited
Birmingham.
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The title of second city is unofficial but is held in high regard - business
leaders admit that it is a useful title for marketing a city, helping to
attract tourism, industry and investment.
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However, there are no rules to
determine what constitutes a second city, and the survey does not reveal how
those polled arrived at their conclusions.
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With its population of more than one million people, Birmingham is the second
largest city in the country, more than twice that of Manchester (2005
population estimate: 441,000).
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Mancunians will argue their city also
includes a number of surrounding towns such as Salford which
increase its total.
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Apply the same logic to Birmingham though, and its
population rises to two million.
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So those who voted for Manchester must be looking elsewhere for inspiration.
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Perhaps being home to Manchester United, one of the most famous football clubs
in the world played its part.
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Or perhaps it is the city's legendary music
scene which has produced a stream of influential bands over the last
two decades including Oasis, the Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays and Joy
Division.
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For architect Ian Simpson, who has helped shape the skyline of both cities,
it's the atmosphere and attitude that's most important.
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"What I think
Manchester has at the moment, is that it just has a cool edge. I think most
people know it's a bit cool to be here, to work here, and to be part of this," he says.
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Inside Out goes out on Â鶹Éç One West Midlands on Friday 9 February at 7.30pm.
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Notes to Editors
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The survey of 1,000 people was carried out by GfK NOP on behalf of Â鶹Éç Inside
Out.
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The respondents were carefully selected as a representative cross-section of
the UK population.
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They were asked the question: "Which of the following cities, if any, do you
consider to be England's second city, after the capital city London?"
They could select between the answers: "Manchester", "Birmingham", "None of
these" or "Don't know".
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A further breakdown of the survey results is available to the media on request.
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BG
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