 There is a mixture of high @-@ density urban areas , suburbs , semi @-@ rural and rural locations in Oldham . There is some permanent grassland but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is urban . The territory of Oldham is contiguous with other towns on all sides except for a small section along its eastern and southern boundaries , and for purposes of the Office for National Statistics , forms the fourth largest settlement of the Greater Manchester Urban Area , the United Kingdom 's third largest conurbation . The <unk> motorway passes through the southwest of Oldham , through Hollinwood , and a heavy rail line enters Oldham from the same direction , travelling northeast to the town centre before heading northwards through Derker towards Shaw and Crompton . 
