Warrington is a large town, borough status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 Miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens, Merseyside. The population of the town is 80,661, and the Borough of Warrington, including its 18 civil parishes in Englandes, is around 194,000. Its population has more than doubled since its designation as a New Towns in the United Kingdom in 1968.
Historic counties of England a part of Lancashire, Warrington was founded by the Roman Empire at an important crossing place on the River Mersey. A new settlement was established by the Saxons and by the Middle Ages, Warrington had emerged as a market town at a bridging point of the river. A local tradition of textile and tool production dates from this time.
The expansion and urbanisation of Warrington largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution, particularly after the Mersey was made navigable in the 18th century. The West Coast Mainline runs north to south through the town, and the Liverpool to Manchester railway (the Cheshire Lines Committee route) west to east. The Manchester Ship Canal cuts through the south of the borough (west to east). The M6 motorway, M56 motorway and M62 motorways form a partial box around the town.
People born (or living) in Warrington are known as Warringtonians. The modern Borough of Warrington was formed in 1974 with the amalgamation of the former County Borough of Warrington, part of the Golborne Urban District, the Lymm, part of the Runcorn Rural District, the Warrington Rural District and part of the Whiston Rural District.
