How friendly is your area?

[HouchinBawbags]

I'm out in a walk (rural village so off over the hills) and have passed more than a dozen people, most of whom I don't know, some I do and some I only recognise their faces but each and everyone has smiled and said hello.
My sister came to visit last year and couldn't understand how I knew every single person I passed. I told her I didn't, we just always greet each other. Sometimes even going as far as remarking on the weather etc.

What's it like where you live? I'm in SW Scotland. Technically our 'village' is the size and population of a town so not too small really.

Very friendly here too (large village in rural W Yorkshire)

If I'm out for a run or walk its normal to smile and greet anyone you pass

I've lived here 20 years now so know quite a few people so it's rare if I walk down to the high street and don't see someone that I know

Village in Cheshire - crazy friendly. We had a band night outside last nught and it was genuinely lovely. Lots of giggles, bubbles, teasing - bit of romance blossom gossip with one of the teenage band members liking one of the neighbours. Perfect summer night.

South Wales, very friendly, especially the dog walking brigade.

Bradford it's unfriendly, seems like people go out of their way to ignore me and I don't feel safe here.

Small town, know most people at least by sight and if I don’t know them someone else in the family usually does. Can take ages to get shopping from the market as I end up chatting 😊

Weirdly I am in London but know nearly all the neighbours and know folks around where I live due to the kids. I regularly chat to my elderly neighbour who cares for his sick wife, or the mum down the road to two whose DH left her and my neighbour has let me borrow his car each morning as I have a problem with my car. So given its London i have a good network locally

Small town in central Scotland.....very friendly. Everyone smiles, says hello, joined a couple of groups when I retired and didn’t know anyone, but everyone was very welcoming!

I also agree with pp, I'm here in East Midlands and its the most unfriendly place. Not just the towns, but the local rural areas too. Everyone has a face on and I get a lot of strange looks when I smile at people walking down the street.

Same in my village, again quite rural, south east.

Out on the trails people say hello and smile. But in my actual area they're only friendly if you're 'one of them' which sounds horrible. But if you drink in your front garden, like footy and cheer loudly, have music bass thumping constantly and enjoy screaming at your kids, they'll accept you and you'll fit in. If you don't like or do those things, you'll get classed as 'up yersen'
I'm up mesen. 😝

Can I ask roughly where in the East Mids seems unfriendly? I’ve always found Notts people ok. I’m originally from Notts, although I can indeed have a bit of a face on me from time to time
I’ve not lived there for over 30 years, but with Grantham having really fast train times down to London, where DD is, we were possibly considering a move back.
We’re currently in Cheshire and I find the people here friendly.

Tiny weeny hamlet in the East Midlands. Very friendly.

Village in Ireland
Pathologically friendly.

I live in a pretty friendly village in the Peaks. Quite a few characters around.

I had similar in my village. Moved a few miles away into a small city and actually find the anonymity and the face that everyone doesn't seem to know my business before I do quite refreshing. I often get stopped by random people who recognise one of my kids, though.

I live in Britain’s oldest recorded town.. there were 2 police cars round the local co op today as some bloke punched a woman in the face while waiting in the queue... on a scale of friendly we are in Sitting at about-100000 today

@romdowa,
@keepingbees
@Viragoesque
@CatBatCat

OMG we lived(got stuck) in the East Midlands for over 10 years(Rutland and South Lincolnshire on the border with Northamptonshire and Leicestershire) both in supposedly sought after towns which sometimes made top places to live and found it unfriendly, insular and lacking any kind of liveliness or USP! DH had some local roots so thankfully via him we had some friends to start with, not sure how we would have managed otherwise.
There were exceptions, including one massive uncharacteristic exception of one set of our neighbours who became DD's surrogate grandparents, but other than that we couldn't wait to get away...now in a slightly bigger but still a smallish town in the West Midlands and things couldn't be more different! Made more friends in 2.5 years than in over 10 in East Midlands, and people are so warm and welcoming. The town itself though has loads of people who came and settled here in the last two generations, it's quite diverse in terms of different kinds of people all being attracted to living here, unlike the first place in Rutland where 90+% of the population was their grandparents were born and bred there, their parents, themselves etc, and the only places some people ever went to in their lives were Nottingham or Leicester for shopping and Disneyworld in Florida for holidays, that was it.

@augustusglupe

I really wouldn't recommend Grantham and wouldn't be tempted by cheap house prices and train connections...prices are low for a reason.

@poppyfieldsinmay Gosh, I'm surprised to hear that, South Wales is usually very friendly.

Are you in a suburb of Cardiff?

@augustusglupe I'm Northamptonshire, I don't know Nottingham so that might be ok

We are in a south east commuter town. People are quite friendly when you get to know them, but don't tend to chat to strangers at random.

Tbh, as a grumpy, anti-social Northerner who grew up somewhere where everyone chats to everyone, all the time, I find it a relief!

SE, very friendly especially if you have a dog

NW / WYorks small town - very friendly. I know all my neighbours (was a bit bemused by that thread the other week saying it was weird to know your neighbour's phone number - how do you arrange lifts to the pub quiz?) and while I'm not best mates with all of them, we have a sort of baseline cameraderie.

I am from a large city so it's different to how I grew up.

@Cassandrainthenight I feel weird relief reading yours and the other East Midlands posts. You weren't far from where I am now and I've spent 10 years feeling miserable, out of place and thinking there's something wrong with me.
DH has refused to move and doesn't believe anywhere can be friendlier as 'all places are the same.'