Manchester is a thoroughly modern industrial city known for its innovative cotton spinning machinery, damp climate and its backing of free trade during the recurring battles over the restrictive Corn Laws of the1800s. And we musn't forget Manchester City and Manchester United. The railway came to Manchester in 1830 linking the city to Liverpool. In 1894 the 36 mile long Manchester Ship Canal opened, making the city a port, linking it to Eastham on the Mersey estuary. From then, Manchester just kept on developing and growing to assume its place as the industrial capital of the north. Visitors to the city will behold a mix of architectural styles including Victorian buildings, half timber Elizabethan dating to the 16th century, a Gothic Town Hall and others. Mancunians, as the city's residents are called, enjoy fine libraries, art galleries and museums as can its visitors.