Everyone knows that London is, by far, the country’s largest city, but there has always been some competition between Manchester and Birmingham over who takes the title of second city.
Centre for Cities have released data that could decide once and for all which city can call themselves England’s true second city – at least in terms of population.
They have analysed UK cities by focusing on primary urban areas (PUAs) - a definition created by the Department for Communities and Local Government as a statistical tool for analysing the major cities of England. It captures the built up footprint of a city based on areas of continuous built-up land containing urban structures that are within 50 metres of each other.
London has passed the 10million mark in terms of population, surpassing all other English cities by a mile. So where does that leave us?
Here are the 10 most populated cities in England, starting with London.
1. London – 10,076,300
No surprises that London, capital of the UK, England and home to both the Royal family and government, is the most populated city with a population of over 10million. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
2. Birmingham - 2,574,300
Birmingham in the West Midlands is England’s second most populated city with a population of over 2.5million. With over 600 public parks, it ranks among the greenest cities in Europe, and has more miles of canal than Venice. (Photo: Carson Liu - stock.adobe.com)
3. Manchester - 2,538,600
Manchester has the third highest population in the country with around 2.5million people living here. Manchester came to prominence during the Industrial Revolution thanks to its thriving cotton industry and infrastructure. (Credit: Marketing Manchester)
4. Newcastle - 853,100
Newcastle is the fourth most populated city in England with a population of 853,100. The oldest of the city’s 10 bridges that cross the river Tyne, High Level Bridge, opened in 1849 and was the world’s first combined road and rail bridge. (Credit: GraemeJBaty - stock.adobe.com)