The towns of Stretford & Urmston are part of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, one of ten local Authorities in the Greater Manchester conurbation. Stretford itself borders immediately upon the City of Manchester, which in terms of economic activity is indisputably the United Kingdom's "Second City".

The town has a population of about 46,000 and its name is believed to be derived from the Streta (the ancient Roman Road from Manchester to Chester) and the ford where it crossed the River Mersey.

There is sound evidence that, by the 14th Century, the towns had an interest in the growing woollen trade. Its early growth sprang from the construction of the Bridgewater Canal which opened in 1761 and extended, in 1776, to Runcorn which offered a relatively cheap route for the transportation of goods from Manchester to Liverpool.

In 1894 the Manchester Ship Canal was opened, thus creating the Port of Manchester and so connecting Stretford to the sea. The Canal cut through parkland that was at the time the estate of the de Trafford family and had been so for many centuries. This in turn paved the way for the creation of the giant and world famous Trafford Park Industrial Estate, most of which is within Stretford's boundary. Today almost 600 companies are present on the estate including many International and household names encompassing Kellogg’s, GEC, Shell, ICI, Ciba-Geigy, and Proctor and Gamble, to name but a few.

Stretford is also the home of many large office buildings, mostly built in the early 1970's. The Trafford Centre is one of the most recent pastiche shopping facilities and the surrounding area is the second most densely populated area of Trafford.

With regard to sporting activities, Stretford has, within its boundaries, the Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester United Football Club, and the Trafford Athletic Club, which is well known in national athletic circles.