Further to the two previous writeups, I have to add that
Slash from
Guns N' Roses is from Stoke and that it is made up in fact of six towns... the sixth of them being Fenton...
It is a popular joke that Arnold Bennett's Mother-in-Law came from the town, which is why he never mentions it.
Politically, the city is a bastion of Old Labour support, with most recently every councillor belonging to the party until one or two became independent to aid debate.
It has been ranked as the worst council region in England and Wales in a quality of life assessment, which is quite bad, especially considering that there are 376 local council areas.
Despite this, many parts of the city are being developed in order to create jobs following the loss of the area's major industries, being coal, ceramics (which have moved factories to China and Indonesia) and the Steelworks.
The nightlife is good, with many pubs, bars and clubs for which people travel from many miles.