Stretford

Stretford is technically Trafford, not Manchester, but nobody who lives there cares. It's where Old Trafford sits, both the football ground (Manchester United) and the cricket ground (Lancashire CCC) within half a mile of each other. Stretford Foodhall on Chester Road is the anchor of the new scene, a vendor-style hall with Dokes Pizza, Madre tacos, and the Beat Street Bar. The Bowling Green on Kings Road is a brilliant pub with a pizza oven out back. Longford Park is 53 acres of mature trees, tennis courts and a cafe. The Bridgewater Canal runs along the southern edge and you can walk from Stretford to Castlefield in an hour on the towpath. The A56 corridor can be rough round the edges but the side streets of Gorse Hill and Firswood are quiet, family, and getting more desirable by the year.