.... the centre of the Potteries conurbation is in fact in Hanley, which due to not having a league club gets overlooked, the centre of Stoke being about like Cricklade Road, Gorse Hill.
Vale were the Hanley club for a period of time:
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw053355?search=hanley&ref=46The site is now the city's major shopping centre - Hanley was always the retail and cultural hub when I lived there in the early 90s.
I spent three great years in SoT, living on the borders of Hanley and Shelton (after a brief spell in Cobridge near the lubricants factory and prossie-frequented streets). In several ways, it was a lot like Swindon - unpretentious, fine industrial history, down to earth locals, but with a far better gig scene. It was also a top location for getting to Town away games.