Manchester residents are not in the habit of noticing other cities. Except London (hard to ignore) and Liverpool (locked in two centuries of sibling rivalry), everywhere else in the U.K. counts for nothing much when compared with home.

Now the Economist Intelligence Unit has confirmed what locals already knew: Manchester, ranked 16th in the world, is the U.K.'s most liveable city, far ahead of local rivals and London (48th), Paris (19th), Dublin (41st) and New York (57th).

Manchester soared by 16 places, despite last year's terrorist attack.

"Of the top-ranked cities, Paris in France and Manchester in the UK recorded the biggest improvements over the past 12 months, both in overall scores and stability ratings. Although they have been subject to high-profile terrorist attacks in recent years, which have shaken stability and led to cumbersome security measures, both cities have shown resilience in the face of adversity," the report said.

What of the local English rivals? Birmingham's local newspapers have not covered the report, and the city council has issued no press statement, from which Mancunians will draw their own conclusions.