What's it like to live/work/grow up in Oxford or Cambridge

[ItsAStarManWaiting]

I'm asking what it's like if you are not at all related with the Universities at all?

Are Oxford and Cambridge dominated by the university, it's staff and it's students?

Do the universities do things for the locals?

Just curious that's all.

Grew up in Cambridge. It was honestly like the university wasn't even there most of the time. It was a pleasant place to live, and the schools were good. Lots of my classmates had parents with academic or research type jobs or in tech, so they were driven and worked hard which created a good atmosphere, although sometimes a bit of an intense one competitively.

Yes I hear that.It was also sad day when Boswells closed

My first job was in Oxford … the university seemed somewhat irrelevant to my life there.

DD and her BF stayed in Cambridge after graduating, they’re very much enjoying it. They’re probably in an ideal position of being able to continue with some uni things - some uni clubs are open to non students and like having a few grownups who are there all year to help run them - but also quite a lot going on apart from the uni. I wfh remotely but our U.K. head office is on one of the science parks - colleagues seem to like it. Housing is horribly expensive though, and some of the new build areas like Trumpington are grim.

Also was very sad to see Boswell's go recently.
I miss Taphouse's and Russell Acott's music shops too.
I do remember the original Westgate Centre opening and the excitement of going to the spangly new library as a child though. (early '70s)

Grew up in Oxford and went to the uni there.

It was a lovely place to grow up in - interesting museums and theatres, friendly, diverse communities and quite peaceful without any major problems you get in other cities. These are still positives there.

Studying at Oxford was fine - I actually didn't feel too out of place despite coming from a normal background (local comp).

However, as an adult, with house prices and rent through the roof but a salary that is relatively low, I do often feel I would be much better off elsewhere. Prices at the local cafes and supermarkets are very high too. The traffic is an absolute nightmare. The LTNs and perpetual roadworks mean the commute just across central Oxford is over an hour sometimes. It is also a crowded city so queues are long and it is not easy finding GP appts or dentists

The university has students training at local schools and hospitals. They do have Open Doors where on certain days the public can tour for free. They also I believe have the odd activity with local schools but I don't think there are regular links as far as I know.

I'm not over the loss of Boswells 😭
(or though admittedly I only went in there for the toy department.... I found the posh soap department fascinating but never bought anything)

My family heritage - for centuries - was the Cambridgeshire Fens (Ely/Littleport) but I was born and brought up in NW London. Moved to Oxford for work in my mid-20s in the I970s, and have stayed ever since and raised a family here. I've never had any sort of connection with Academe (in common with most people living here)

I've lived in council estates (ie Blackbird Leys) and much more affluent areas too. None of the estates are anywhere near as 'bad' as they've always been characterised, and the wealthier areas can be surprisingly tatty and neglected (Oxford folk have better things to do than keep up with appearances). Our 3 sons have always been very appreciative of their Oxford start-in-life. They all went to local state schools and have found circles of perfect pals

I still love living here. At quiet moments Oxford is pure magic. I have been entirely self-employed for 33 years and have seen many ups-and-downs in the local economy. The eternal downside is the intense pressure of so many outsiders (always with money) wanting to make Oxford their forever home. So accommodation costs are THROUGH THE ROOF. There's been a serious exodus of people on median wages. So in many ways Oxford is fast becoming a STERILE, predictable, too-tidy, gentrified, aspirational, DEVELOPER'S WET DREAM

City centre pub-culture used to be the centrepiece of the local social scene but since Covid, and the horrendous increase in the cost-of-living, few people now have the readies to enjoy a regular drink and chat. So Oxford's wonderful pubs are now mostly empty......ditto eateries, which are just clinging on everywhere. On the plus side there is a very strong self-help movement in the city and there are now many places where for a tiny weekly subscription you can get a big bag full of food and essentials which would otherwise be dumped by the supermarkets

There's relatively little contact between Town and Gown (unless people are employed in the colleges) but Gown is FOREVER trying to muscle in on Town with the building of vast new areas of research labs and tech start-up accommodation in areas where there never used to be any uni presence. Unfortunately very little of this will offer employment to ordinary locals so a new Town/Gown resentment is bound to grow

The university certainly has gone woke. A formal respectful establishment is now an utter joke and laughing stock.