It's only when you see images from decades past that you realise how much has changed in our great city.
One picture shows the dense crowd gathered in Manchester to hear Prime Minister Churchill's election campaign speech in 1945 - a scene you're unlikely to witness in these modern times.
Other images remind us how areas of Manchester once looked, such as Market Street, Oxford Street and Piccadilly.
1. Trams in Piccadilly
Trams in Piccadilly, Manchester. circa 1880 (Photo by James Valentine/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
2. Manchester Ship Canal
29th April 1952: A 1,700 ton lock gate being towed towards the Manchester Ship Canal near Eastham. (Photo by Hall/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
3. Crowd in Manchester
A dense crowd gathered in Manchester to hear Prime Minister Churchill's election campaign speech on 26th June 1945. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
4. Market. Street
Shoppers outside Lewis's on Market Street, Manchester, 27th August 1931. (Photo by J. A. Hampton/Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)