Manchester and Lancashire mills became the largest, most productive cotton spinning centre in the world, responsible for 32% of global cotton production in 1871.Williams, M. Farnie, D. (1992) Cotton Mills in Greater Manchester. Preston: Carnegie ltd, p. 14 In 1853, the number of cotton mills in Manchester peaked at 108.Manchester City Council, (retrieved 12 April 2007) "City Centre", Spinning the Web As the industrial centre began to decline, mills opened up in the surrounding towns of Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, and Bolton. This flourishing cotton manufacturing community came to be referred to as "Cottonopolis".Partridge, Eric. Beale, Paul. (2002), A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (8 ed.), Routledge, p. 258
