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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder what's so great about York?

195 replies

FartBlossom · 13/05/2012 20:00

Everytime someone mentions going to York, living in York, visiting York there is lots and lots of people saying ooh its lovely there, wish I lived there I love it there blah blah blah. Why?

I was born and bred in York and have just moved out of York so have lived there for 33 years apart from 3 years at Uni in Manchester.

I have got nothing against it, but really don't see its wonderful appeal at all. Is it because Im so used to it I dont see what others see? Is it because I know about a slightly darker side to it? Is it because it truely is wonderful than a lot of other places, but I dont know that as I haven't lived in most other places?

OP posts:
GhostOfAWasp · 13/05/2012 21:22

Recently moved to (very near) York from Manchester. I love it, much nicer place to bring up kids (imo-don't start fellow mancs!) but when I do get bored and need my big city fix its about 70 mins on the train back to Manchester. Best of both worlds. Grin

HolyCameraConfusionBatman · 13/05/2012 21:22

I love York because I went to Uni there and it was just a completely happy, amazing 3 years. I'm from East London though so in comparison it was safe, green, clean, beautiful, friendly, warm (in terms of community,not weather). It's a big enough city to have everything you need, but not too big and close to lovely countryside and even the coast was a bus ride away. Easy to get to London, Leeds or Manchester. Just love it!

Kaloobear · 13/05/2012 21:23

What are the York waits?

Smellslikeweenspirits · 13/05/2012 21:25

Has no one mentioned the mulberry outlet shop?
And Vikings

Handbags and Vikings. What else could you want?

Loshad · 13/05/2012 21:27

ha, vicar is in Goole, my sympathies vicar, you do indeed need to get out of there. (am nearish enough to realise the horrors)

Original poster
FartBlossom · 13/05/2012 21:29

Ooh we nearly moved to Goole instead of here. I thought it was meant to be posh thats what DH told me anyway though Ive never been.

OP posts:
Loshad · 13/05/2012 21:31

no Fartblossom, most definately not posh. Will probably remain one of the only towns in Britain to never be gentrified or see a house price boom.

Madsometimes · 13/05/2012 21:32

I love York because its the first place that (now) dh and I went on a dirty weekend holiday when we were first going out. Happy memories.

Then we went back a few years ago with the dc and had a great time going around the museums. Obviously we were annoying tourists Wink.

40notTrendy · 13/05/2012 21:32

I live in Nottingham now. Which has a lot of things mentioned on here as lacking in York, diversity/culture but it has no heart or warmth. And that's what I miss.

ThatVikRinA22 · 13/05/2012 21:32

house would be on the market now if the bloody fecking neighbours hadnt put theirs on at 20k less than it was valued at.

bastards.

yes its a cess pit. open sewer. shit. fact. there is no worse place in the entire world to live. i hate it with a passion, there is not one redeeming feature (well the people here are all lovely actually) but thats about all i can find good to say about it.

i am making in roads out. when i get a transfer i am offski back to York. or scarborough. or whitby. but im hoping to transfer in the not toooo dim and distant future - just waiting for DH to get his act together and the housing market to shift a bit.

beepbeep · 13/05/2012 21:35

It's not near anywhere???? It's 2 hours from london, 20 mins from Leeds, 1 hour from Newcastle, 90 mins to the coast, it's got to be one of the most easily accessed places in the country by train and road. I lived in York for 21 years, in London for 2 and now in Oxford. my family are all in York so go up regularly, it is a lovely place with plenty going on if you care to look for it or travel to it (like most places really). It has it's rougher areas but really they're not that bad, I've policed both York & Oxford and Oxford has far rougher areas. It does have it's problems on a weekend but mostly because it is so easy to access so gets more than it's fair share of hen/stag dos that can get out of control. Obviously there are areas people would prefer not to live but these are small pockets, it's not like any area of the city is a 'no go' area! I do agree however about the lack of racial diversity, it is very much a 'white city' and I believe this, unfortunately, affects some people's views of other ethnic minorities.

But, York is surrounded by some of the most diverse and stunning countryside, the coast is close enough for a quick trip and the history the city contains is second to none.

We'd move back and bring our 3DCs up there if we could.

ChrisPeacock · 13/05/2012 21:38

The answer to your question is simple

and the answer is that it is in the North and we all know (even though you dont like to admit it ) that the North is a far better alround place to live

carernotasaint · 13/05/2012 21:40

I went to York for a weekend 2 years ago for a friends wedding. I found the people to be very friendly and we were out on the Friday night and i got no abuse in the street for being overweight like i do down in Essex. I think the town centre is gorgeous with all the olde worlde shops. I saw no evidence of rascism when i was there.
As for no one famous ever goes there.....ummm wasnt Eternal Law filmed there!

skirt · 13/05/2012 21:44

It's 1 hr 58 to London from York, I know that as I commute it each week - it takes that long to get back into town from Mcarthur Glen on a Summers afternoon sometimes.

crazyspaniel · 13/05/2012 21:45

I think it's the sheer density of pubs that's the problem with the weekend culture in York. In other places, you get the Friday / Saturday drunkenness, of course, but it's very concentrated in York because it's a small city with an improbably large number of pubs. Large groups of people from the rest of Yorkshire, and even from Newcastle, descend upon the city just to get drunk, and it can be very intimidating.

On the subject of racism, I can remember when John Sentamu was appointed Archbishop of York. Some of the opinions I heard (and from people who were actually members of the C of E) shocked me to the core.

But I agree, Barnitt's is a fab shop. I wish we had something like that where I live now. I also miss the fat rascals from Betty's - I would kill for a recipe for those.

ThatVikRinA22 · 13/05/2012 21:47

well i police Rotherham, drunks are the same where ever you are. York wont be any different from Sheffield or Rotherham on a friday / saturday.

i would still rather be there though!

skirt · 13/05/2012 21:47

There are loads of pubs in the centre crazy. But they all shut at midnight - we always laugh at how early York shuts :)

ThatVikRinA22 · 13/05/2012 21:49

they shut at midnight? that'd do me then!

im out in York in June for a leaving do....i behave myself on nights out though!

notjustamummythankyou · 13/05/2012 21:51

fart - I know which streets you meact, n by AA and EA. I live on that side of the city, not too far from TH (iyswim!).

TH is by no means as rough as it used to be when I moved to York in the mid 80s. In fact, so much is now student housing for York uni, one of the local schools is closing - partly due to a drop in school age children in the area.

I lived in central Leeds, north bradford and Sheffield before I came back to York. While it may not be the most culturally diverse place (but much better than it was - largely thanks to the universities), it does have a lot going for it. I couldn't wait to get back - and it really isn't far to go to other bigger yorkshire cities for theatre / nightlife, or to the coast, sales etc.

Wouldn't it be just as boring if we had everything on our immediate doorstep? I think it would be very easy to become complacent very quickly. Grass is greener and all that!

notjustamummythankyou · 13/05/2012 21:52

Sales?! Dales! (although other cities may indeed have good sales too)

crazyspaniel · 13/05/2012 21:53

It was a big selling point when I applied to University that there were 365 pubs in York - one for every day of the year Wine (in the absence of a Black Sheep Brewery emoticon).

HolyCameraConfusionBatman · 13/05/2012 21:55

Is TH Tang Hall notjust? That's where I lived in my student days! It was a little rough, but really not that bad.

skirt · 13/05/2012 21:58

Vicar its brilliant, you can legitimately go home at midnight :) in Scarborough they stay open all night and the pressure not to wimp out at one is too much for me.

Tang Hall wasn't that bad, I don't remember it being rough when I was growing up, though saying that, my cousins are a bit Kev and Veronica at times.

skirt · 13/05/2012 21:59

365 pubs crazy but no cultcher :) Be careful what you wish for ....

notjustamummythankyou · 13/05/2012 22:00

Yes, holy. It really isn't that bad, is it? I lived in a naice area north if bradford and experienced a police raid right outside my window. And a local shopkeeper just yards away was threatened with a samurai sword. Both happened within days of each other - you don't get much of that round 'ere!