Moonrakers, Monkey Town and the Ponderosa: Unusual nicknames for areas of Greater Manchester and how they got them

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Nicknames - most of us will have had one when we were at school. Whether it was an affectionate shortening of a surname, or something a little less flattering, it's a fun, informal way to refer to a good pal.

The same thing happens with towns and cities. Some of the nicknames for our areas are shortened versions of the place's official name (Stocky - Stockport, Withy - Withington) while others have more colourful or historical origins.

Take Manchester itself as an example. While the name 'Manny' is just a shortened version, the city's other well known nicknames such as Cottonopolis, Rainy City, Granadaland and Madchester tell us something more about the history of the place.

We thought we'd take a look at some of the fun nicknames given to areas of Greater Manchester and find out the history behind them.