heavy industry is now part of todmorden's history, not its present. the industrial chimneys have largely gone and the remaining mills have mostly been converted for other purposes. the town's industrial base is much reduced (at one time todmorden had the largest weaving shed in the world). there has been a great deal of regeneration activity and todmorden is now increasingly a commuter town for people working in manchester, leeds, bradford, huddersfield and smaller towns. todmorden also services the local rural area and attracts visitors through its market (indoor and outdoor), various events, heritage and the local pennine countryside. it has for centuries been considered the safest accessible route directly across the pennines.