Preston

Preston
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Shire county	Lancashire

Preston is a city in Lancashire, England. Preston lies on the north bank of the River Ribble, facing Penwortham to the south, around 12 miles upstream to the east from the Ribbe Estuary on the Irish Sea. It is the administrative centre for Lancashire County Council (whose area is different to the county Lancashire). In the 1960s and 70s it was designated an expansion area, as part of 'Central Lancashire New Town'. Preston has a population of 130,000 (2001). The first motorway (turnpike or expressway) in the United Kingdom was the Preston by-pass, now part of the M6, opened in 1959.

Preston in relation to the other major Lancashire settlements, Preston is roughly 30 miles north-west of Manchester, being a similar distance north-east of Liverpool; Wigan lies 17 miles to the south of Preston, with Lancaster and Morecambe being around 20 miles to the north. Blackpool on the Irish Sea is around 15 miles to the west, with Blackburn lying 10 miles to the east.