The city and metropolitan borough on the eastern banks of the Mersey Estuary. It was created in 1207 with a Royal Charter and was designated a city in 1880 and is a major port in the country. Throughout the 19th century, Liverpool was a major point of departure of Irish and English emigrants on their way to America. Additionally, it was an important port for cotton coming to Britain from the United States, and Liverpool was said to be “the most pro-Confederate place in the world outside the Confederacy itself.”

After World War I, large numbers of soldiers from India and Africa who had served in the United Kingdom settled in Liverpool. In June of 1919, racial riots targeted those immigrants, as was the case in other parts of England due to the fact that the competition for homes and jobs in Liverpool was fierce.

The Parliament passed the Housing, Town Planning Act &c. of 1919 which mandated construction of state-owned houses with local localities helping to finance 500,000 throughout the country within a three-year window. That was expanded by several other Housing Acts between 1919 and 1939, when approximately 1,000,000 homes were built nationwide.

Liverpool, which dealt with severe housing problems, was the recipient of 33,000 homes, called council houses, which meant homes for approximately 140,000 people. That left approximately 30,000 Liverpudlians to continue to live in slums.

After World War II and the attending massive loss of buildings due to bombings, prefabricated flats. The Housing Acts continues still.

During the Second World War, the Luftwaffe conducted more than 80 air raids on the Liverpool area, making it the most heavily bombed area in Britain. Approximately 4,000 were killed during the Blitz. Only London lost more lives in the country due to the bombings.

Operation Pied Piper was the name of the evacuation of children in preparation for the war. It began in the Fall of 1939, and in the first week of the operation, around 8,500 children, teachers, and parents moved from Liverpool to rural areas. After a few months, people began to feel safe after all, and approximately 40% of the children to Liverpool. On 28 August 1940, 160 bombers besieged the city for three nights, and within the next three months, there more than 50 bombings.

Then there are the Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartmey, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, who changed the very face of music in the late 20th century. The group was formed in 1960, and in 1964, they had become an international phenomenon after their appearance in New York City on the Ed Sullivan Show. Their popularity, with girls and women swooning in their presence and men and boys emulating their fashion and music style, ushered in the “British Invasion” of the music world. Every song they wrote or played seemed to make the Billboard 100 immediately, and their movies were sold out. Awards and magazines bore their images, and they are still, in the 21st century, the all-time best selling music act in history. They broke up the group in 1970; John Lennon was shot to death by a madman on the streets of New York, and George Harrison died in 2001 of brain cancer, but Beatlemania lives on still.

The City of Liverpool has three co-governing mayors, each of which is responsible for different things.

The Mayor of Liverpool is elected by direct ballots of the people every four years. This mayor leads the 90 elected Liverpool City Council and their policies. He also appoints cabinet members. He is the face and voice of the City and to guard the resources and economy. The City Council, on the other hand, are responsible for overseeing the Mayor of Liverpool’s decisions and policy and budget.

The Lord Mayor of Liverpool is mainly ceremonial, as it is tradition with this, the oldest of the mayoral positions in Liverpool. This mayor is selected by the Council to serve a one-year term. This mayor chairs full city Council meetings and represents Liverpool functions and ceremonies.

The Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region is also elected directly by residents of the six boroughs which make up the six boroughs – one of which is Liverpool -- every four years. This mayor chairs the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. He or she works with a 30 million pound budget for the region and coordinates economic development, housing, and tourism, among other things, for the Region.

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