To be sick of people looking down on the town I live in?

I have a relative who lives near you. The town itself may have seen better days, but the area is lovely. I love to come and visit.

I think Hull's place as the butt of jokes is a thing of the past tbh. It got a lot of publicity and huge investment as a result of the City of Culture, people realised it had a lot to offer.

I get this all the time. My town begins with a T and is about 9 miles from Bath, next to 4 other small towns who all claim to be superior yet come to use our cinema, shopping centre, M&S and branch of Nandos..!

It's High Wycombe isn't it? We get the exact same shit. There are actually loads of positives about the town - including the fact it's not currently wall-to-wall cheap crappy England flags.

Have lived in three crap towns:
Jaywick: think of the film Deliverance: everyone seems to have a parrot and carry an ice pick.
Slough: smell of mars bars wafting through the air and factories.
Blackpool: felt an outsider because I wasn't an alcoholic, smell of chip fat.
I love the grittiness of these places and I really don't thing you should give a damn to what people think.

Is it a town within Medway?

I'd say that's slightly better than the two seaside ones. At least it has easy and quick access to London and there are things to do.

@StinkyCheeseMoose , that's not remotely funny.

I had a great weekend in Hull once. Some good cafe's and cool shops. Enjoyed seeing the Humber bridge area and stuff. The museum was interesting too.

I think most places have their good points.

"Come friendly bombs and fall on Sluff,
It isn't fit for humans nuff..."

Doesn't really work. I prefer Betjeman's version.

Me too! It could be Luton though! 🤣

What gets me is the way the first line of a poem is trotted out, and people thinking they are being witty by mispronouncing the name.

People think Im taking the piss when I say we visited Hull on holiday once and really loved it. I thought it was a great place, that was only the city centre, we didnt travel around it as such.

My town isn't amazing I guess, but it has some very beautiful parts and I chose to move back here. I can't get the locals who complain about it, they could move somewhere else if they really hate it so much, there's probably much cheaper places to live. I'm autistic and it baffles me why they complain but then continue to live here

It used to be a County Borough (i.e. a unitary authority in its own right). Then in 1965 it got dragged kicking and screaming into the GLC and it's been downhill ever since!

It does have some nice parts and also some seriously up market expensive parts!

I live near Hull which is actually a pretty riverside city with an undeserved bad name. Granted, I live in a nearby village but I love it here.

@EBearhug honestly there’s none too thrilling areas everywhere - and I’ve lived all over . Even the posh places of any size have got some dodgy bits, as the poster above said about Norwich , I can certainly say the same here in Bath. I think maybe the difference is a few not very attractive/dodgy bits rather than a few nice bits And let’s face it really depends on your priorities if you are prepared to compromise a bit on location , but have more cash - and often depends if you in a relationship/ marriage if you are on the same hymn sheet - hell would freeze over before my H would live somewhere a bit grimmer - I personally would be happy to compromise and have more cash , but given that I’m not in a position to move without his income in the equation I’ve had to kind of accept the situation.

Further to that, why are you guessing Midlands and Northern towns and cities when she has said where she lives is in the South?

Almost every town in the UK has been named in any case. (Though oddly, not the one I'm currently sitting in, which has surprised me.) So I think all this proves is everywhere has better and worse areas.

I would only consider opinions if:

• it's from someone whose advice I would normally consider
• they know the area well

@Themaghag as someone born and bred in Mansfield who moved away at 29 I totally get you -

Actually, I have lived in the East Midlands for half my life now, having previously lived in the South East, North West, Yorkshire and the South West, so I can say with some authority that the East Midlands, which most people would consider to be Notts, Derbys, and Leicester, (Not Rutland, Lincs, Staffs or Salop), is by far the worst, specifically the Nottinghamshire part of it. I agree that there are some lovely towns and there is some really beautiful countryside too, but the prevailing attitude is one of ingrained resentment and complete inertia, which I find incredibly draining. I can't understand why people can't just stop moaning about the mines being closed, get off their fat arses, and do something constructive about making things better for themselves.

@RampantIvy I think Barnsley is under rated - I’m a bit of a snob having lived first 30 years in Mansfield which went to the dogs ( in my opinion) and yep i do prefer living in Somerset , but Barnsley suprised me. Anyone looking for value and good folk and on edge of Peak District should consider it. I preferred it to Sheffield.

Because most people like to kick down.

When I first moved to Dudley from London, you should have heard the shitty comments. But, I left people who were working their arses off to pay eye watering rent on tiny, mould infested Victorian terraces (I was one of them), or paying massive mortgages.

We moved here and have a lovely house with a tiny mortgage, I don’t have to work, and we enjoy life. A lot of people don’t like that, so they find the negatives.

I have had some really nasty things said, jokes about “if I visit will my car get nicked?” - you know where my car was nicked, twice? Outside my house in London. Not here.

Dudley is a bit of a dump (and I can say that as dh is originally from here!), but the part of London I lived in, although it had its leafy parks and private schools had a couple of high profile murders, stabbing, crimes and its own issues when I was there and had got worse in the 5 years since we left.

I am still in touch with a few people I used to know that slag off were I live so much, but where I lived before really isn’t any different. It’s just that a tiny house costs over a million.

Why do so many of you care where the OP lives?

Further to that, why are you guessing Midlands and Northern towns and cities when she has said where she lives is in the South?

The thread isn't to invite you to judge her hometown. She is asking how she can move on from judgy comments. Whether the town passes your test or not isn't the point.

OP, I think reminding yourself of the points in your OP is the key. You like it, the schools are so good that people travel in for them and the community suits you. People will always have opinions, be secure in your own choices and they won't bother you as much.

I was going to ask this! It's where I was born but I feel ashamed saying I'm from there. It used to be a lovely town years ago but it's gone to the absolute dogs now.

The one next to the airport begining with C.😆