Why is a ‘market town’ seen as more desirable?

[BigPandaTinyDragon]

I’ve seen it mentioned on here before and it’s definitely said as though it’s something quite nice/posh/aspirational etc. Why’s that? Fwiw I live in one but I’m always at work the day the market is on, I don’t know if I’d use it if I wasn’t.

I don't think it's specifically the actual market itself, if there is one, more the ambience of a small town not too far from a city with nice independent shops and a cobbled market square.

Well that's my take on it!

Sounds like the market town I live in!

Yes exactly, I wouldn't necessarily expect a market town to have a market in this day and age. But I'd expect a nice town centre with decent coffee shops, not loads of empty units, plenty of good quality housing in walking distance of the town and a commutable distance to a bigger city.

Which is a very nice combination of things to have.

But do you still have a market?

Yes. 2 (or 3?) times a week. Not loads of stalls but variety.

Market towns are small towns with a defined town centre (not a shopping centre), usually with small units of a variety of shops. They tend to have decent transport links and restrictions on development so they are quite nice to live in.

A market town isn't necessarily somewhere that has a market. There are plenty of undesirable place that have markets which aren't "market towns" and market towns which no longer have markets.

Market towns are typically historic towns, having got their royal charter for a market in the Middle Ages. They tend to be well located for cities, with nice housing stock and a sense of history. Typically now they are gentrified and middle class.

Yes this sounds like my town!

Both myself and my husband are from market towns (different ones).
In both the actual market has pretty much died out.
The regular twice weekly markets are usually about half a dozen stalls - 3 of which will be selling cheap temu style stuff so no one goes because "it's all crap".
Monthly farmers markets are nicer stalls - but everyone complains it's "too expensive" so no one goes.
It's all rather bizarre.....
😂😂😂

Historically market towns were more affluent because the working labourers (or, later on, industrial workers) came from the surrounding satellite towns, which were poorer (think of mill towns or mining towns by comparison for example), to buy and sell produce. That's kind of carried on to the present day, often they're better off places because they always have been - and are now sometimes the only local places with a high street.

Historically, market towns were situated in places that naturally had good communications with the surrounding areas, at the confluence of rivers or at crossings of major routes for example.
Later, that meant that newer types of transport such as railways, also found the site convenient. This also led to a wide range of goods and services being available in the market town.

The market town was more affluent than the surrounding villages, so the housing stock was high quality, schools were often well funded, and council buildings and services well financed.

These advantages have made the market town a more desirable place to live, and the medieval market square is a picturesque plus!

Once upon a time, market towns would have had everything you might have needed - bank branches, post office, larger shops like drapers and soft furnishings etc.

Villagers from around the area would have come regularly for the things not available in their village. Now, not so much.

I’m in Australia but it is noticeable that while I am in a suburb now, for a long time it was a town in and of itself and the services are here to reflect that. Much more convenient.

I live in a market town in the NE but it's not considered desirable, all the chains you might expect to find in this kind of place aren't here and nobody comes gere for a weekend break. It's good for those of us who live here though, all the benefits of a market town but none of the negatives. And we still have an historic market!

Exactly.

OP, did you actually think they were desirable because people were all toddling down to the market on market days with a basket like Mrs Tiggywinkle?

Perhaps it is kind of a way of describing a traditional Ye Olde Worlde English town, and people like the idea of living somewhere like that.

There's one near me and it is grim. 😂

There are some very pretty market towns with cobbled streets and independent boutiques. Nice ones to visit. There’s a lot of market towns that are less pretty and less aspirational. I live in a non-aspirational market town. I still like it though because it is close enough to walk into town and I can get any little bits I need but I’m not too far from big retail parks and bigger parks, if I need them. There’s reasonable transport links, a secondary school, primary schools, a well funded library, a leisure centre. I’ve lived on the outskirts of a city, the suburbs, a village and the market town. The market town is my favourite but I don’t think I’d have enjoyed living here at 21!

OP, did you actually think they were desirable because people were all toddling down to the market on market days with a basket like Mrs Tiggywinkle?

Not really but I love that image 😂 I was just curious, I grew up in a market town that’s often mentioned on the ‘worst places to live threads’ but luckily where I live now is more like some of those described above.

Really interesting to understand the historical/geographical reasons, thanks.

My town has a market... not farmers' though and tough as a bear's arse 😂

We still have a beast market and another outdoor market twice a week, it is quite desirable but more for the older generation.

I live near a market town and it's a pleasant environment built on a human scale - not all horrible noisy roundabouts and dual carriageways.

I think it's because it's been there for a few hundred years. Communities are established as are local industries and economies.

Our town is only about 20,000 people but we have 2 theatres, a traditional high street with butcher and baker, clothes and book shops, department store, hardware shops, restaurants, coffee shops and pubs in a market square. As well as three markets a week.

A large greenspace with sports facilities, four sports centres, library, a college, hotels, a real town centre.

It's a nice place to spend time, to wander around. Not always be in a hurry. But I'm not a teen.

That sounds so nice @Meadowfinch , I guess that’s the sort of place people would imagine if you used the phrase.