Trafford

Borough of Trafford
Metropolitan borough
Trafford Town Hall
Coat of arms
Motto:  Hold fast that which is good
Trafford shown within Greater Manchester
Coordinates: 53°26′46″N 2°18′29″W / 53.44611°N 2.30806°W / 53.44611; -2.30806
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	North West
Ceremonial county and city region	Greater Manchester
Incorporated	1 April 1974
Administrative HQ	Trafford Town Hall
Government [1]
• Type	Metropolitan borough
• Body	Trafford Council
• Executive	Leader and cabinet
• Control	Labour
• Leader	Tom Ross (L)
• Mayor	Dolores O'Sullivan
• MPs	3 MPs Connor Rand (L) Mike Kane (L) Andrew Western (L)
Area [2]
• Total	41 sq mi (106 km2)
• Rank	192nd
Population  (2022)[3]
• Total	236,301
• Rank	78th
• Density	5,770/sq mi (2,228/km2)
Ethnicity (2021) [4]
• Ethnic groups	List 77.8% White 12.6% Asian 3.8% Mixed 3.4% Black 2.5% other
Religion (2021) [4]
• Religion	List 48.4% Christianity 33.1% no religion 8.7% Islam 2.0% Hinduism 1.0% Judaism 0.8% Sikhism 0.4% Buddhism 0.4% other 5.1% not stated
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area	M WA
Dialling code	0161
ISO 3166 code	GB-TRF
GSS code	E08000009
Website	trafford.gov.uk

Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 236,301 in 2022.^[3] It covers 106 square kilometres (41 sq mi)^[5] and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Sale. The borough was formed in 1974 as a merger of six former districts and part of a seventh. The River Mersey flows through the borough, separating North Trafford from South Trafford, and the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. Trafford is the seventh-most populous district in Greater Manchester.^[3]

There is evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Roman activity in the area, two castles – one of them a Scheduled Ancient Monument – and over 200 listed buildings. In the late 19th century, the population rapidly expanded with the arrival of the railway. Trafford is the home of Manchester United F.C. and Lancashire County Cricket Club, as well as Altrincham F.C. and Trafford F.C.. The Imperial War Museum North, opened in 2002, is located in the borough.

Trafford has a strong economy with low levels of unemployment and contains both Trafford Park industrial estate and the Trafford Centre, a large out-of-town shopping centre. Apart from the City of Manchester, Trafford is the only borough in Greater Manchester to be above the national average for weekly income. Socially, the area includes both working class and middle class areas like Bowdon and Hale. In Parliament, Trafford is represented by three constituencies: Stretford and Urmston; Altrincham and Sale West; and Wythenshawe and Sale East, which mainly covers neighbouring Manchester.