The truth is somewhere between the two. My mum is originally from Moss Side, her parents lived in back to back terraces near Maine Road, which I vaguely remember as a very young kid, outside loo and all, before they were demolished and moved to the Alexandra Park estate. I visited there many times as a kid and teenager and even went drinking in the shabeens on Princess Street. I’ve also got family who’ve lived on the Langley Estate Middleton, in Moston and Cheetham Hill (though they claimed it was Higher Crumpsall being just the other side of the Bury Old Road). It was a joke in the family, because Higher Crumpsall runs into Prestwich which everyone used to think was posh, Jewish delis open on a Sunday, fantastic bread and pastries to have while drinking tea from cups with saucers.
The Gunchester thing is true, though a little exaggerated being somewhat confined to urban gang on gang violence between the big 2 Moss Side gangs as well as the Cheetham Hillbillies. I didn’t really feel that vulnerable staying there. But maybe I was naive.
But from what I can tell, that’s better now, as is the whole area that’s around the Northern Quarter. The thought of nice flats in Ancoats would have been bizarre, though I understand some of these developments have some pretty big problems.
A lot of the city city now offers urban living and fancy restaurants and cafe culture that was only found in London once a time. It’s trendy and dare I say it almost posh in places.
But Piccadilly Gardens is definitely more intimidating during the day than before, whilst parts of the north of the city (which used to be seen as the real Manchester populated by those in the area for generations) has definitely changed and I don’t know anyone who thinks it’s been for the better, but others might disagree. Obviously my reporting like that of all others will be prone to bias.
For those with a bit of money, like other cities, Manchester is now better than the place I used to visit. For those without, in some of the districts, I’m much less sure. As for crime statistics, I’m personally not confident they are reported, captured and recorded as they once were. But who knows, it’s all speculative.