Trafford
§ This page gives an overview of the Trafford 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 ⁞ Trafford, in Greater Manchester, blends urban centres, sports landmarks, and rural countryside. Altrincham, a historic market town, is known for its lively food market and heritage buildings, while Sale and Stretford are suburban hubs along the Bridgewater Canal. Trafford Park is one of Europe’s largest industrial estates, while Old Trafford is world-famous as the home of Manchester United Football Club and Lancashire Cricket Ground. The district also includes parts of Dunham Massey, a historic estate with deer park and gardens, balancing heritage and modern development.
The administrative boundary of Trafford can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Trafford.
Key Facts about Trafford
What region is Trafford in? Trafford is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Trafford in? Trafford is located in the county of Greater Manchester.
Is Trafford a city? No, Trafford is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Trafford? The local government for this district is: Trafford Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Trafford Borough Council 🔗 trafford.gov.uk
Which police force covers Trafford? Policing in Trafford 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 Trafford
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 Trafford
Trafford is divided into 21 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Altrincham
- Ashton upon Mersey
- Bowdon
- Broadheath
- Brooklands
- Bucklow-St Martins
- Davyhulme
- Flixton
- Gorse Hill & Cornbrook
- Hale
- Hale Barns & Timperley South
- Longford
- Lostock & Barton
- Manor
- Old Trafford
- Sale Central
- Sale Moor
- Stretford & Humphrey Park
- Timperley Central
- Timperley North
- Urmston
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 Trafford
Trafford is part-parished: 4 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 3 unparished areas.
- Carrington
- Dunham Massey
- Partington
- Warburton
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 Trafford
Trafford covers 15 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Altrincham *
- Bowdon
- Carrington
- Eccles (Salford) *
- Hale (Trafford) *
- Irlam *
- Lymm *
- Manchester *
- Old Trafford *
- Partington
- Sale *
- Salford *
- Stretford *
- Urmston
- Wythenshawe *
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 Trafford.)
Trafford compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Trafford compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Trafford has 21 electoral wards.
Trafford has a population of 241,025 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Trafford can be found on the ONS statistics for Trafford.