We’re proud of our city, it’s one of the newest in England despite having a history dating back centuries. It’s often billed as the North West’s third city, but we view it as Lancashire’s first.

Below is our guide to the past, the present and stuff you can do in the future in and around Preston. This guide is partly for people who already live in Preston but also those coming here, be they students, tourists, business people or those re-locating. We hope it will help you find what you’re looking for.

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Topics covered:

History | Landmarks | Eating Out | Drinking | Music | Arts | Housing | Employers | Transport | Hotels | Shopping | Students | Business | Parks | Leisure | Special Events | Places to visit near Preston | Things to do for Tourists

Preston is a city of around 110,000 people (over 300,000 if you include surrounding districts in the Central Lancashire area) which sits on the mouth of the River Ribble and just off the M6.

It’s a proud and young city with a strong industrial past but a growing reputation now as a hi-tech growth takes over, although the city has a strong link with administration as its home to the HQ of Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council runs the Town Hall.

Within the city there is a clear split, with some areas enjoying relative affluence – Fulwood for example, and others listed among the most deprived in the UK, Larches. However, the city has a strong community spirit and does not have the racial tensions that Lancastrian neighbours such as Burnley have experienced.

There is decent nightlife in the city, with a mix of drinking and eating establishments. There are strong out of town shopping areas on the Docklands and Deepdale, but the side streets in the city centre still retain some smaller independent stores.

Preston is a straight forward, hard working and uncomplicated city. It is not a town, despite the mindset of a lot of people and the presence of a large university causes tensions but also brings a huge economic benefit to the city.