 Atherton ( pop . 20 @,@ 300 ) is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan , in Greater Manchester , England and historically a part of Lancashire . It is 5 miles ( 8 @.@ 0 km ) east of Wigan , 2 miles ( 3 @.@ 2 km ) north of Leigh , and 10 @.@ 7 miles ( 17 @.@ 14 km ) northwest of Manchester . The town is part of the Wigan Travel to Work Area, which also includes the town of Wigan and the village of Shevington . It is bounded by the A577 road to the north, the A580 road to the south and