The Industrial Revolution had a profound effect on the entire United Kingdom. Population movement increased city dwelling. Railway and canal networks proliferated and small communities were transformed into sprawling metropolises. All of these changes had profound impacts on the social situations of the city's inhabitants, visible in the living conditions and housing within Manchester. Describing the city, Mark Twain said:
"I would like to live in Manchester. The transition between Manchester and Death would be unnoticeable."
Factories, both for cotton and its associated industries, sprang up around the many canals. Castlefield housed the first wharf, for the Bridgewater canal, in 1765. But perhaps the area which grew most rapidly was Ancoats - the first industrial suburb.
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