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Oldham

Oldham the area

Oldham is a unitary authority on the north east of the Greater Manchester conurbation. The town spans 26 square miles and shares borders with Rochdale, Tameside and Manchester. The area contains a mixture of open countryside on the edge of the Pennines and the urban communities of Oldham, Failsworth & Hollinwood, Royton, Chadderton and Shaw.

Oldham rose to prominence during the Industrial Revolution in 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture. At its peak it was the most productive cotton spinning mill town in the world, spinning more cotton than France and Germany combined. However the town’s textile industry began to fall into decline during the mid-20th century, and its last mill closed in 1998. This demise has depressed the local economy and today Oldham is predominately a residential town and a centre for further education. In addition to secondary school sixth forms, the town has two colleges and a university centre.

The town is also home to League One football team Oldham Athletic and Rugby League team Oldham Roughyeds.

Local Confidence Survey Data for Oldham (March 2010) Use the plus and minus icons on the top of this document to increase/decrease the font size

Demographics

Population (based on data from the Office of National Statistics April 2001) 217,273
Population (based on mid 2008 estimates) 219,700
Male: 48.3%
Female: 51.7%
   
Race Profile (based on data from the Office of National Statistics April 2001)  
White: 86.1%
Minority Ethnic: 13.9%
   
Age: (based on data from the Office of National Statistics April 2001)  
0 - 19 years 61,231
20 - 30 years 28,892
31 - 40 years 32,988
41 - 50 years 27,819
50 - 65 years 37,161
65 + years 29,182
   
Information on Work and Deprivation In 2008 there were 3,899 people unemployed in Oldham. However this is down 4.2% on the 2007 figure of 4,069

To access crime statistics for Oldham visit the national crime mapping website and type Oldham in the search bar.

Useful Links

Oldham MBC Website

Political Information about Oldham

Oldham Neighbourhood Policing Team website

This page was last updated on 21 July 2010