Manchester Spent 15 Years Building a ‘Smart City,’ Now It Wants Tourists

[gallery ids="128492,128517,128496,128491,128510,128495,128497,128498,128494,128489,128511,128512,128513"] Located two hours north of London by train, Manchester is England’s second most populous city, but it’s always had a bit of an identity problem among U.S. travelers. Other than being home to the world’s most famous soccer team, Manchester has never registered significantly in the States because it's typically overshadowed by the bucket list travel experiences in London and the surrounding English countryside. That's beginning to change. Manchester’s civic, business and cultural leaders have spent the last 15 years following an all-encompassing redevelopment plan to forge a “smart city" of the future anchored around one of Europe’s most integrated and innovative urban renewal strategies. Manchester has been at the forefront of technology, industry and culture since the 1600s, illustrated in this list of Manchester Firsts, including the world's f