Sale, Greater Manchester

Sale
Sale Town Hall
Sale Location within Greater Manchester
Population	54,515 (2021 census)[1]
OS grid reference	SJ785915
• London	162 mi (261 km) SE
Metropolitan borough	Trafford
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SALE
Postcode district	M33
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Altrincham and Sale West Wythenshawe and Sale East
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°25′26″N 2°19′19″W / 53.424°N 2.322°W / 53.424; -2.322

Sale is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England,^[2] in the historic county of Cheshire on the south bank of the River Mersey, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Stretford, 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Altrincham, and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Manchester. In 2021, it had a population of 54,515.

Evidence of Stone Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon activity has previously been discovered locally. In the Middle Ages, Sale was a rural township, linked ecclesiastically with neighbouring Ashton upon Mersey, whose fields and meadows were used for crop and cattle farming. By the 17th century, Sale had a cottage industry manufacturing garthweb, the woven material from which horses' saddle girths were made.

The Bridgewater Canal reached the town in 1765, stimulating Sale's urbanisation. The arrival of the railway in 1849 triggered Sale's growth as an important town and place for people who wanted to travel to and from Manchester, leading to an influx of middle class residents; by the end of the 19th century, the town's population had more than tripled. Agriculture gradually declined as service industries boomed.

Sale's urban growth resulted in a merger with neighbouring Ashton upon Mersey, following the Local Government Act 1929. The increase in population led to the granting of a charter in 1935, giving Sale honorific borough status. Since then, Sale has continued to thrive as one of the main urban centres of Trafford due to its proximity to the M60 motorway and the connections to Manchester and other areas by the Manchester Metrolink network.