To wonder what's great about SE England?

[Babyzoo]

I hear that everyone wants to live in the South East of England.

What is it that attracts everyone there?

Is it really a wonderful place to live?

Everything is geared up for working in London, even when you live a fucking long way away from London - I grew up in South Manchester/North Cheshire way, if someone got a job in Liverpool or Sheffield, they would all move to Liverpool or Sheffield - but similar distance is a daily commute into London from all the towns in SE with reasonable times commuting. (as in, under an hour door to door)

Green belt building restrictions combined with good train links do mean you can live somewhere green and pleasant but then work in the city every day.

LikeDylanInTheMovies spot on!

Not all the SE has easy access to the sea either. Its a planned day trip then sitting nose to tail in traffic. The beaches are bland and flat, with lots of them shingle. Loads of the sea side towns are run down, or are over the top tacky.

the landscape is boring, some nice country parks though.

Everything is London centric. Everywhere is busy. The weather isn't really different at all from some places up north your talking a degree or two (maybe more muggy in summer)

Were are here for work but I'd be out of here quick as flash if I could. I'd be straight to the SW or Yorkshire. There is nothing in the in the south east you can't get else where, apart from plenty of jobs.

Op Iveen on homeswapper (council exchange) for over 5 yearsw no one wants to be in dingy damp dump in a dump area with planes literally skimming roofs. Bloody computers got man Collier disease! Norman collier.

Dd would say the theatres. Close enough to get to London and back without having to stay overnight, at least 4 other towns with theatres within a radius of less than an hour (may have forgotten some).

For me, the fact that we can either get to London or to the Dorset coast for a daytrip. The New Forest.

The SE has too many people and too much traffic and pollution for me. Would rather live somewhere healthier like Scotland

Essex definitely isn't East Anglia, which is Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambs

It doesn't rain a lot ???

And my daughter lives in Scotland. She tells me that the local chippy will deep fry anything you like. She and her friends take in chocolate, sushi, even salad for the batter treatment. Scotland can't be healthier!

Would rather live somewhere healthier like Scotland

Christ, have you seen the life expectancy in central Scotland? I'm 36 and they call me Methuselah. Google the Glasgow effect

The downside of everywhere that isn't the SE is that it's either colder or wetter, or both.
Or much colder, or much wetter, or both.

Having said that I'm well aware that other areas have their upsides, too.

My ex's family lived in Manchester, and we visited a lot.

Spring seemed to arrived a month later than down south, and Autumn a month earlier. It was grey and drizzled a lot. It rarely got hot, even in the height of summer.

If it's your home, then you'll love it regardless. But I suspect a lot of people who come to the UK don't find it so appealing for those sorts of reasons (even though much of it is really lovely).

Life expectancy in Glasgow (for a woman) is 78 as opposed to ave of 82 for Scotland.
That would also involve growing up there, I suspect if any mumsnetters decide to move their expectancy will remain that of their birth area, unless they succumb to too many deep fries (I know no one who ever deep fries anything, bar the odd student!)

The weather is generally warmer when you watch the wether charts as pp said. Unless you have only visited the cities the landscape is beautiful. It is green, the air is clean (unless you go to the cities) we have a massive sand beach not that far that is on the south coast, the seaside towns are quaint, not tacky (unless you have only been to Margate etc) the 'south east' is a very large area really. Where we live there are small towns next door to each other surrounded by country side! But can get to the cities easily enough in the car or train. It's just like anywhere, unless you have family etc people probably have only visited the cities. The same like someone who has gone to Aberdeen and said all of Scotland is full of grey buildings and rains all the time (I know this is not the case as I have family up there). Each to their own.

Used to live there now live miles away and much prefer where we live now. Surprisingly to some we have all the benefits/facilities mentioned on this thread ( yes we do have theatres, gigs, good schools, good jobs, beautiful countryside, transport etc etc outside of SE) plus we live in a great big house for the price of a pokey flat in the SE. Also that our DC will be able to afford to buy themselves one day without having to win the lottery.

Sorry, think you misheard, pet.
Everyone wants to live in the NORTH East!
We have beaches (Saltburn Bamburgh etc) and numerous theatres.
We have beautiful countryside.
We have wonderful cities ( Durham, York and so on)
We have orchestras.
World class universities such as Durham.
Property is quite reasonable, people are friendly, schools are as good as anywhere.

If the south east is a region, then Norfolk is in the east of england

No, sadly the north is not healthier. The 'healthiest' places are definitely in the south east. I can name them if anyone wants :o

I was talking about the air quality which have no control over. Not your diet where you can choose to be healthy or not where ever you live.

Everyone doesn't want to live in the overcrowded south-east. But until employers get to grips with new technology, they will continue to insist that people sit in their offices 9-5 (and beyond) every day. Which means, as the majority of employers are in London, that you have to live somewhere nearish to London.

We need more employers outside London. Good quality broadband everywhere. Reliable and cheap public transport. Employers who are in the 21st Century regarding working practices.

Then it will be easier for people to live in other places in the UK.

Life expectancy in Glasgow (for a woman) is 78 as opposed to ave of 82 for Scotland.
That would also involve growing up there, I suspect if any mumsnetters decide to move their expectancy will remain that of their birth area, unless they succumb to too many deep fries (I know no one who ever deep fries anything, bar the odd student!)

Not necessarily. The cold winters and lack of vitamin D due to lack of sunlight are thought to play a role. Also if you experienced diminished employment opportunities as a result of moving here, poverty would play a role in determining your life expectancy.

I was talking about the air quality which have no control over. Not your diet where you can choose to be healthy or not where ever you live.

Given that of a population of c5 million 3.5 million live in the densely populated central belt between Edinburgh and Glasgow and another 300,000 or so living in Aberdeen and Dundee.

The majority of us aren't breathing lungfuls of crystal clear air fresh off the lochs and glens. Central Scotland is far more densely populated and urban than many parts of the south east.

Scoffas Essex most definitely IS a part of East Anglia but I don't want to derail the thread by arguing about it.

Living in the SE is a trade off
Pros
Jobs (my sector is Londoncentric)
Sheer variety of things to do theatre, sports, museums
Multicultural / immigrant population (DH is North African and so a well mixed community is important)
Good transport links

Cons
Overcrowded
Insane property prices

Whenever I come back from Greater London and blow my nose it is black!! Hate to know what the pollution is doing to you breathing in day in day out. Always fine after visiting Edinburgh though.

rosie
That might be tube snot aka black snot . Its a well known particularly joyful feature of using the underground.

You also get black snot after rolling around in straw in the countryside. Just saying!