At the start of 2012 I moved with my family to Oxford from the North for an 'exciting job opportunity' and because I thought it would be a great place to raise kids and to be closer to London; I had visited as a tourist a few times and found it charming.
I have lived here for a year now and really dislike it. The town is small and relatively conservative; extremely expensive but very much divided between the haves and the have-nots (or better, those who have-less). The centre of the town is a no-go area for cars so one spends their time on ring roads around the city. The town is dead at night and there is little about it that is 'buzzy' or 'quirky'. Kids activities are fine but having been used to a large city of over 1m+ population, I miss the diversity and range of things to do. I should add that the shopping is dreadful unless you want to buy touristy items or over-priced jumpers and shoes. I have given it a good shot and have tried to get into a routine, go out and do lots of things.
I'm not trying to 'diss' Oxford for those living there who love it. There are a lot of lovely things (beautiful countryside, safe, close to London, good schools if you go private or live in the right area); it's just not for me and I just don't 'feel it'.
I feel like an idiot for moving here and for buying a property (rental costs were so high, I just thought it made sense to buy). I really do want to move back to where we were before. Has anyone else made the 'mistake' of moving somewhere only to discover it wasn't for them? If so did they stick it out and try to get used, did they plan a slow escape or did they just pick up sticks and leave? Experiences appreciated so I can decide what to do.