Why is The North seen as backward and undesirable?

[Sibsmum]

Can't understand why The North, seems to get looked down on , except when someone wants a holiday home somewhere pretty, or a big house for cheaper prices.
There are Universities, theatres, good schools, roads that aren't clogged all the time( and some that are...)spectacular scenery... So why is there still a perception that somehow The North is 'less' everything than the South?

When I first heard a NE accent I wasn’t sure it was English, to be honest

Reminds me of listening to a news item on the TV from somehere north of Newcastle and we could barely understand a word, our German guests however had no problem understanding it.

And it works both ways with the weather ,I remember watching the forecast a few summer's ago and they were on about the terrible summer weather ( London of course) the sun was cracking the flags in the Northwest but we barely got a mention

So true, I recall listening to reports of floods in many areas of the South, as we sat in the sun in our back garden.. On more than one occasion the only place playing cricket was Old Trafford.

The arguments about the weather differences are laughable.

True, but a cm of snow seems to cause far more problems in the south than the north. six feet of snow in the north might cause one to wear a long sleeved t-shirt.

@keeprocking 😂

@keeprocking

The arguments about the weather differences are laughable.

True, but a cm of snow seems to cause far more problems in the south than the north. six feet of snow in the north might cause one to wear a long sleeved t-shirt.

And this is the sort of thing I get so tired of hearing. “Northerners out in t shirts, southerners - get your big coat out” Pathetic really

Timesdone
What a lot of c**p your sweeping statement because the' majority hate anyone from another country, town or part of the country ' I have loads of friends and neighbours who once they came to the large northern town I live in for uni or work have stayed for not only the proximity to several vibrant big cities and glorious countryside but as they have all said because of the friendliness of people.And as one of the first areas of the country to welcome a big number of people from large Polish community after the war to first generation Immigrants from India, Bangladesh etc by and large growing up here has been a privilege .My SIL moved to an idyliic chocolate box village in the SE and initially was very lonely and did eventually settle and stay making good friends.But she found it hard and felt like an outsider for ages.I wouldn't however presume to write off all of the South based on her experience.

@moj1to I’m not saying there isn’t marginal differences, it tends to be a couple of degrees colder up north, it tends to be windier in the west etc. What I’m saying is the differences are not as great as some people in here are trying to claim.

I think it was posted in jest because southerners seen to have think their weather is glorious whilst it's always grey and drizzly up North which is blatantly not true @Preparefortheflaming ,the difference in temperatures is often minimal.

Ummm. The south west is the most rural region in the country. Bit of snow isnt a bother.

Stop throwing us in with the SE we literally could not be more different!

Everyone always makes out like the U.K. just consists of “Working Class Northerners” and “Londoners”
Yes, it's weird isn't it? Like there's no one wealthy north of Watford and no working class people or poverty in London

Everyone always makes out like the U.K. just consists of “Working Class Northerners” and “Londoners”

Agreed! Try living in the SW, we basically dont exist to the rest of the country 🙄 we're the poorest & most rural region as well. Total opposite of SE yet we are lumped in together all the time which is annoying, everyone assumes you're rich and middle class.

I have lives in both central London and the north and both have their benefits. If you are super rich and can afford a house with a garden in central London then you have a great life. The north does not compare for culture at all. London seems about 20 years ahead of (where I come from) in the north where I have noticed a small town mindset (I know this isn't everywhere, just my observation). If you're interested in fashion, music, the arts, nowhere in the UK can compete with London.

However for the majority of people, those with average incomes, life in London is a real struggle especially if you add children into the equation. A lot of the schools aren't great, the less affluent areas have serious crime problems, you can end up paying a fortune to live in a tiny flat with no outdoor space.

For people who earn a normal amount life in London is hard and the cultural and social benefits don't outweigh the fact you can buy a lovely house in a nice area in the north.

There was a thread a few weeks ago which was basically people in Scotland talking about whether to send their kids back to school or not in mid- August. Some people (inc me) were really surprised that kids go back to school in mid-August in Scotland because it’s invariably the warmest time of year in the SE. The thought of sending kids back to school in 30 degree heat in blazers and new shoes, etc - it would be a nightmare. That’s peak BBQ season as far as I’m concerned! So, I do think the weather makes a difference, yes. Even if it’s just a few degrees warmer / less wind / less variable / less rain - the combo of these things do all add up and can mean a quite different lifestyle.

When I go up to Liverpool in summer and it’s say, anything between 20-30 degrees in London, I always think, “oh it’s only a few hours on the train, it’s will be the same...” Well, it never is. You get on the train at Euston and most people are in t-shirts. You get off at Lime Street and they’re in anoraks / coats. They think it’s a “lovely day” as you go round the shops, but it’s a different wind and the wind is cold.

I’m not saying London is the tropics, by any means. Also when it is 30 or over it feels hotter than it is and quite unpleasant actually because it gets so muggy. But the summers are more consistent in the SE for sure. As I said, if you lived in Manchester and someone said, “Move to the Scottish Highlands - you won’t notice any difference in the weather” - well, you would notice! From a London perspective, moving to Lancashire would be the same sort of thing and you would definitely notice the difference in the weather.

Aye, when the southerners are out in their bikinis us northerners are dusting off our snowsuits.

I wouldn't move north purely because I hate the cold and I like sunshine. There's a reason Cornish folk are often perpetually tanned.

Where I live, (coastal far south west) I can count the number of frosts we've had in the last decade on one hand.

We're in the dark orange bit on this map that shows average sunshine duration across the UK. Those grey and white bits further north tell the story of why I wouldn't want to live up there.

I can't think of anything that would be better further north than further south? But I suppose people who live further north think the same of places south of them too.

Snuggly piggy , what a strange response. It's a fact that people like to use lazy stereotypes for forming their opinions. Of course some people don't but a lot do eg the north is dreary, common, outspoken etc. The south is posh, cold unfriendly, the south west is all yokels etc etc. stereotyping is applied to races, religion, the Irish, the Scots,the Welsh , the English. It has nothing to do with mixing and making friends with whoever, its just lazy thinking and being threatened by the unfamiliar. I've lived in major cities in the north, the south and the midlands, as well as small towns in those areas. They were all delightful places to live full of lovely people but it doesn't mean that I never came across people who said such daft things as "I could never live in the north/south blah because ... (fill in any old rubbish)" all based on nothing whatsoever except daft half baked idea that it would be strange and full of aliens.

Sorry to rain on y parade @OrangeSamphire I have just checked the temperature for Cornwall and it's s 18 degrees apparently which 1_degree higherth an my grim northern town

You are completely correct x2boys but if you read my post you'll see I said I don't like the cold. Winters here are extremely mild. Even compared to where I used to live in the south east.

,They have been fairly mild up here too for the last few years even when we had the beast from the East a few years ago the penines seemed to shield us from the worst of it .

x2, I think that map is sunlight hours, not temperature.

It says 23 here now on my car thermometer and it’s about 30% cloud, I’d say, so not hot in London today, but not coat weather either.

Anyone in the Lake District at all - is it raining?

I'm sure they have x2boys but nothing could persuade me it's a more pleasant climate up north when I live in the only sub-tropical climate in the UK, that is sunnier, milder, spring comes earlier, far longer growing season etc etc...

Why is The North seen as backward and undesirable

Probably as a defence to the northerners who seem to think everyone in the South is rich and snobby

Here’s the week ahead... Which forecast looks at least like a vague nod to summer?

Sub-tropical Cornwall .... okaaaaaay

@x2boys

Sorry to rain on y parade *@OrangeSamphire* I have just checked the temperature for Cornwall and it's s 18 degrees apparently which 1_degree higherth an my grim northern town

I think you missed the word average No one is denying you might have a warm day at all 😂 On average its consistently warmer/ sunnier down South.

@mollypuss1

Sub-tropical Cornwall .... okaaaaaay

Ummm yep ! Have you ever been ?