This beautiful/amazing/welcoming/friendly Yorkshire I’ve never witnessed

[Agsjsgkahs]

I appreciate this is probably provocative

But I’m from Yorkshire, a shit hole town in West Yorkshire, very close to where happy valley was filmed. I lived there for 18 years and went to school in a neighbouring, and also not great town.

I now live in Scotland, but wherever I go people clock my accent and tell me what an amazing place I’ve come from, amazing to live, couldn’t imagine ever leaving, x,y and z live there. So friendly and welcoming.

The town I am from is inherently racist and the schools are more or less (unofficially) segregated on race lines. Racist language seeps into many conversations, largely but not exclusively, aimed at the Asian community.

I went to a Catholic school in a neighbouring town and even this attracted harassment. My friend who is mixed race (her own description) was called all sorts of horrible slurs and told to go home.

People who claim benefits were hated upon, and most people seemed to think they were paying everyone else’s benefits. (My party trick is to tell them what being a net contributor to society means).

We of course have a conservative MP. And I would say are a new Tory heartland.

I have also lived in North Yorkshire which was not much better, and definitely even more racist and xenophobic.

I’ll give it to the county that it’s green, and maybe parts are nice to look at. Not West Yorkshire.

I have never lived in South Yorkshire or the East Riding so maybe this is the Yorkshire people speak of, but the West Yorkshire I left four years ago and North Yorkshire I left weeks ago certainly isn’t.

So basically, is it just me that’s sick of being told I come from some paradise, that really isn’t

As a Lancashire Lass I fully concur 😂

I was raised in Yorkshire and I’m inclined to agree OP. Where I lived was very provincial and was a case of big fish, small pond. There was always the slight undercurrent of something about to kick off, especially in the local pubs.

After I graduated I moved to a big city and immediately felt safer. It was far more cosmopolitan, more accepting, and I felt far less visible.

Even now going back to visit family I still feel it.

@BarryTheChopper

You could be me

This is exactly how I feel

I probably should’ve said I live in a city in Scotland , which I appreciate adds to the differences

I do need to add though, I think the countryside is beautiful. The Moors is one of my favourite places.

When I was younger I used to find a lot of Jake Bugg songs summed up my feelings about Yorkshire.

Two fingers and troubled town being particularly apt

I don't really understand this post
There are many many different places in West Yorkshire so it's not like you can say broad statements and expect it to relate to the whole of West Yorkshire for example (or Yorkshire for taht matter)
there are many places in West Yorkshire very different to what you're talking about although i don't there are places like you say and don't doubt your particular expenience

although it's interesting when my friend comes to visit she thinks people are more friendly here and more likely to say hi to you

@BarryTheChopper I know exactly what you mean.

DHs parents live in a very small villagey-feeling town near Doncaster. Always get the feeling you're always teetering on the edge of trouble there, just the general atmosphere is off somehow.

It's not just me, DH and DSDs (who were all bought up there) say the same about the undercurrent of tension. It's weird.

@purpleme12

Thanks for your reply

I suppose I have grouped a whole area, but everyone who is positive to me about it being so great describes it as ‘Yorkshire’.

Across West Yorkshire I know Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford and Keighley have similar (but not exactly the same) issues.

I can’t speak for Leeds, Wakefield or other areas as I have no friends or family there, and haven’t lived there.

I live in South Yorkshire and this isn’t my experience. I went to a very mixed high school in the 00s where people honestly didn’t care what colour your skin was. There was no racial divide or segregation.
Thankfully my DC are now also in school & nursery like this.

My mum is an immigrant, neither of my parents were from the area but my dad is very white and I look white. On reflection, my parents friends were all from out of the area. I guess it wasn't friendly for grown ups. I went to a school with one non-white child and he was treated horrendously and left fairly early on. It's only looking back I realise why my parents got so angry about the school divide and how the only diverse school in the town was nick named ferney flea.

I think I remember the good stuff - I could walk into any shop and they'd know me. My friends' parents all worked in the town. But I'm glossing over a lot. Really sad to hear it hasn't changed.

Ok so you feel like everything in your new town you've lived in a matter of weeks is "far superior". Give it a bit of time eh?

You've admitted you know nothing of the biggest cities in West Yorkshire so you're basing all of these "shithole" claims on your tiny personal experience of growing up near Halifax.

You grew up listening to Jake Bugg? He's in his mid-twenties, you must be young. Like I said, give it time, take off the rose tinted glasses and you might see something else.

@denverregina

Ok so you feel like everything in your new town you've lived in a matter of weeks is "far superior". Give it a bit of time eh?

You've admitted you know nothing of the biggest cities in West Yorkshire so you're basing all of these "shithole" claims on your tiny personal experience of growing up near Halifax.

You grew up listening to Jake Bugg? He's in his mid-twenties, you must be young. Like I said, give it time, take off the rose tinted glasses and you might see something else.

Well said.

I'm also from Yorkshire and (whispers) don't think it's as great as many proud Yorkshire people claim. It's very over populated, especially West Yorkshire, and while there is some nice scenery there are more attractive places like the Lake District and Scotland.

I live in the Lake District now and yesterday drove over to Yorkshire to do a bike ride as it was raining here. Went down into Keld and Muker and just thought how bleak it is.

I used to live in Hebden Bridge years ago and also thought the same.

Agree with you OP. From North Yorkshire and now live in wales. Anecdotal evidence - My husband always comments that customers never made him a brew in Yorkshire, but here they offer him full dinners!

I also think if you moved to Yorkshire and weren’t from a town (a lot of towns like this) you’d struggle to fit in.

I've lived in North and South Yorkshire. I do recognise what you describe in North Yorkshire, to an extent, most people were fine, but there were also some very odd, insular sorts. But I haven't found this in South Yorkshire at all.

I'm not originally from York's, but have lived in W. and S. Yorks and I pretty much agree with everything you've said. It gets prettier but whiter the further N. you go, but still small minded.
Although that said the most racist, small minded place I've ever lived was Lincolnshire, it was jaw dropping, Lincoln was lovely, but the rest of it, just no.

@OrangeSharked

I've never experienced this friendly Yorkshire either

I feel like Yorkshire is one of those places that you have to say is lovely and friendly, because you'll be judged if you don't. It has a cult following

I think that applies to lots of places including villages around where I live (one has such a clique that newcomers are actively ‘vetted’ and heaven help you if you’re not WASP 😡), all very pretty but oh so snobby.

I love Yorkshire, it is great, beautiful and amazing. But while living in a little village, I got to experience racism big time. Once out, I realised this was actually a lovely place to live. I don’t think, however, that this better or worse than in any other place in the world, you will find all you describe in low socio economic levels and the older generations, I now live in an upmarket area, love the place, my neighbours, the culture and I rarely experience racism, but even here, I have been spat at twice while walking in the city centre.

It is easy for people to say, “nooo people are not racist! “…. When they are white. Most do not understand how what they are saying is racist.

@denverregina

Ok so you feel like everything in your new town you've lived in a matter of weeks is "far superior". Give it a bit of time eh?

You've admitted you know nothing of the biggest cities in West Yorkshire so you're basing all of these "shithole" claims on your tiny personal experience of growing up near Halifax.

You grew up listening to Jake Bugg? He's in his mid-twenties, you must be young. Like I said, give it time, take off the rose tinted glasses and you might see something else.

Absolutely. Which Scottish city are you now in? Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness Stirling, or Perth? I have lived or spent significant time in every one of them through work or friends/family and every single one of them will have identical issues to your hometown complaints, some with the added joy of sectarianism, but as pp have said that's life, because well, people.

I am originally from one of the towns mentioned and loved going “home”. I do find it friendly even allowing for the Yorkshire directness . I love the variety of housing and the fact I can be in stunning countryside in a few minutes . The divided schools have evolved since many immigrants first came to the area and gravitated to living in the same areas as other members of their community. These were often the poorer areas of town as they were cheaper and many immigrants were working in factories and transport. When large numbers of immigrants first moved to our area the council would bus their children to schools in outlying areas to “spread the load” as it were . I think this probably isolated the children even more.

Dh is from the Calder valley. He still has a lot of relatives in the area, they’re so racist it’s untrue. Dh isn’t. But they’re racist to an extent it upsets teenage Dd…she can’t believe people can be like that. She’s white but has a lot of ethnic minority friends so is upset on their behalf. A lot of the Racist relatives are in the police.

I'm from.South Yorkshire and don't feel where I lived fits your description but it does make me laugh when people generalise about Yorkshire. Different areas of Yorkshire are hugely different to each other. South Yorkshire is definitely nowt like West Yorkshire.

I live in Huddersfield. I'm 44 and haven t heard anyone say the P-word for years.

There is such beautiful countryside here, I can't get over you saying West Yorkshire doesn't have any.

We have a Labour MP too. Just as you are saying you "know" we are all the same as your little Calder Valley town. Nope. Enjoy Scotland.

Calder Valley is a back of beyond little place and out of the way, it hardly compares to the rest of West Yorkshire, never mind the whole county.

I know that crime is a big problem in WY though, especially gangs.

In fact the last person I heard use the P word was a female Scottish football fan singing she'd "rather be a P* than a "