Bolton
§ This page gives an overview of the Bolton local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Bolton, set on the foothills of the West Pennine Moors in Greater Manchester, combines a busy town centre with surrounding countryside and villages. The town is noted for landmarks such as Bolton Town Hall and the Octagon Theatre, while the moors provide open spaces, reservoirs, and scenic trails. Surrounding communities such as Horwich, with its close ties to Rivington Pike and Winter Hill, offer access to popular walking areas. Historic mills and Victorian architecture reflect Bolton’s industrial past, while green spaces like Queen’s Park balance the urban setting.
The administrative boundary of Bolton can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Bolton.
Key Facts about Bolton
What region is Bolton in? Bolton is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Bolton in? Bolton is located in the county of Greater Manchester.
Is Bolton a city? No, Bolton is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Bolton? The local government for this district is: Bolton Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Bolton Borough Council 🔗 bolton.gov.uk
Which police force covers Bolton? Policing in Bolton is provided by Greater Manchester Police 🔗 gmp.police.uk, which serves 10 local authority districts: Bolton ⁞ Bury ⁞ Manchester ⁞ Oldham ⁞ Rochdale ⁞ Salford ⁞ Stockport ⁞ Tameside ⁞ Trafford ⁞ Wigan.
Constituencies in Bolton
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Bolton
Bolton is divided into 20 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Astley Bridge
- Bradshaw
- Breightmet
- Bromley Cross
- Farnworth North
- Farnworth South
- Great Lever
- Halliwell
- Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor
- Horwich North
- Horwich South & Blackrod
- Hulton
- Kearsley
- Little Lever & Darcy Lever
- Queens Park & Central
- Rumworth
- Smithills
- Tonge with the Haulgh
- Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill
- Westhoughton South
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Bolton
Bolton is part-parished: 3 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 4 unparished areas.
- Blackrod
- Horwich
- Westhoughton
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Bolton
Bolton covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Adlington (Chorley) *
- Aspull *
- Atherton *
- Blackrod
- Bolton (Bolton) *
- Bottom o' th' Moor
- Chew Moor
- Clifton (Salford) *
- Farnworth *
- Hindley *
- Horwich *
- Hunger Hill (Bolton)
- Kearsley
- Little Hulton *
- Little Lever *
- Westhoughton *
- Wingates
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Bolton.)
Bolton compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Bolton compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Bolton has 20 electoral wards.
Bolton has a population of 310,085 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Bolton can be found on the ONS statistics for Bolton.