Rochdale

Rochdale
Top: Rochdale Town Centre skyline Upper: Old Town Hall, Municipal Offices Lower: St Chad's Church, Milkstone Mosque
Rochdale Location within Greater Manchester
Area	22 sq mi (57 km2)
Population	111,261 [1]
• Density	5,057/sq mi (1,953/km2)
OS grid reference	SD893130
• London	222 mi (357 km) SSE
Metropolitan borough	Rochdale
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROCHDALE
Postcode district	OL11, OL12, OL16
Dialling code	01706
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Rochdale Heywood and Middleton
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°37′N 2°10′W / 53.61°N 2.16°W / 53.61; -2.16

Rochdale (/ˈrɒtʃdeɪl/ ROTCH-dayl) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale.^[2] In the 2021 census the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wider borough.^[3][4] Rochdale is in the foothills of the South Pennines and lies in the dale (valley) of the River Roch, 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Oldham, and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Manchester.

Rochdale's recorded history begins with an entry in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Recedham Manor" but can be traced back to the 9th century. The ancient parish of Rochdale was a division of the Salford Hundred and one of the larger ecclesiastical parishes in England, comprising several townships. By 1251, the town had become of such importance that it was granted a royal charter.

The town became a centre of northern England's woollen trade, and by the early 18th century was described as being "remarkable for its many wealthy merchants".^[5] In the 19th century it became a mill town and centre for textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. The town is historically within Lancashire, and was a county borough within it before 1974.