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?

It's just the rumour we put about to stop Londoners visiting. Get away!!

except for Lancashire which is obviously the 8th circle of hell

Wales is seen the same way. And racist on top.

Its not seen as awful, its just to cold for southern softies. We can only appreciate it in short bursts.

Why is The North seen as backward and undesirable?

By whom? Maybe the people who think that are simply thick?

I don't get it. I'm a southerner who moved up north for work. I didn't know the north very well as we'd had most of our UK holidays in the south - Devon, Cornwall etc. Moving to Yorkshire has been a revelation! It's so nice here! I live in a very vibrant city, the surrounding countryside is just stunning, the people really are friendlier and more chatty than my fellow southerners, houses are cheaper. What's not to love? It always feels less crowded here. There seems to be more space and less people in Yorkshire. All my friends and family who are from the south are also very impressed with it. They realise they had misconceptions about the north before. I know that apparently the north is poor compared to the more affluent south east but I grew up in a deprived area in the south east and now live in a rich area in the north. There are plenty of affluent towns near me (Harrogate, Ilkley). As for the weather - maybe it is significantly colder in the very north of the UK but I can't say I've noticed much difference being in Yorkshire. There's a lot less rain than when I lived in Devon. Whenever I look at the UK weather map the temperatures for my city are similar to places in the south.

I love it when places are described North are much further South in England then I am and I'm only in Durham so there is plenty more North above here

Ssshh! Don't let the secret out or everyone will want to come here

Because if people who lived in London admitted how nice it was up here they'd have to accept what fools they are staying in their £1M 1 bed flats in an area with bad knife crime.

depends on the long-term plan. That £1M+ flat makes a very nice deposit for a comfortable family home when you relocate.

Literallynoidea,
Why would you assume that I want a row?
I saw a thread a few days ago and anti northern comments were expressed, so I wondered about perceptions.
It's called a discussion.

The North

I love these threads. Why people are so determined to prove there is a massive division in the country baffles me and the arguments are always the same. Cheap housing + beautiful countryside vs. expensive tiny suburban boxes and knife crime. Nothing in between.

Most of the UK is pretty similar. Some nice areas, some not so nice. Beautiful beaches can be found all over the country, as can stunning cities, beautiful scenery and lovely people.

I was born and bred in ‘The North’ (wherever that is) and I feel fortunate to live somewhere where DH and I were able to buy a large house in our late 20s. We have a couple of very historic cities on our doorstep, along with a lot of employment options. We also have long(ish) commutes.

If we lived ‘Down South’ we’d probably have the same, just with a smaller house/flat. Maybe we wouldn’t need to own 2 cars though.

It’s swings and roundabouts, really.

Pmsl at the sheer goadiness of the OP! I do find it colder up north, I grew up near the coast, the North Sea is sodding Baltic, but we trained ourselves by regularly bathing in freezing rivers and lakes. My mum’s house, fairly equivalent to mine near London, is practically half the price.

Also well no I can't think of any other country that is so focused on its capital city, and the UK never used to be like this until fairly recently.

Tell that to our European neighbours, they are just as bad. Paris for example is hardly in the South.

London has one thing for it: the opportunity to walk into any job within a couple of weeks at most, at any level. You don't stay unemployed in London if you don't want to. It might not be your dream job and you might need to waste some time in less desirable jobs until you are where you wanted, but there's work.
It's difficult to find so much flexibility somewhere else.

That might change.

aye yes - coming from up north I didn't even see the sun until I moved to that there London at 18 - I spent my formative years living in a shack with no running water and carrier pigeons rather than a phone line - our only sport was whippet racing and at 4 we left school to work down 't mine...

Honestly 'The North' - like the south can be glorious and also a shit hole - but I challenge anyone to fail to see the beauty in party of North Yorkshire, in Snowdonia or miss the culture in cities like Liverpool or Glasgow - come on!

But we keep it quiet to keep you out !

Cold, poor and full of Labour voters.

Not my own views - although I did insist northern DP moved to London rather than me moving up

Too many Leave voters

Again, that depends on the area and even in the areas where Leave won it was generally only by a very small margin. Plenty of people in "The South" voted Leave too.

As for crime and safety, North Yorkshire has the lowest crime rate in the country.

The north isn’t homogenous. There are some brilliant and fantastic places where people have a wonderful quality of life but there are some towns that are utterly deprived and pretty bleak. There are obviously pockets of deprivation in the south but perhaps more opportunities to leave. The weather is massively different as well.

My husbands parents were desperate for him and his bother to leave their deprived northern town. They knew if they stayed they just wouldn’t have the same life chances. That was the biggest thing they’ve done in encouraging high aspirations in my view. In contrast, my sil’s mother berated her for wanting to leave her home town after university, piled on the tears and generally emotionally blackmailed her into staying in a rural backwater where her employed prospects would have been awful. Her sister stayed and she’s never managed to work full time.

Can't understand why The North, seems to get looked down on

What makes you think it does get looked down on? And who does the "looking down"?

Because the media and government in England are very London-centric. It creates the impression that, the further away you are from London, the worse off you are. The government throw money at London, for all their bullshitting about investment in the north. Look at HS2 - it's to provide better links to London - but many northerners have been crying out for investment in the local transport infrastructure - the government are deaf to any pie in which London does not have its finger.

Too many Leave voters

Probably because the party that should have been there for them, labour, no longer gives a shit about working class people.

I’m from the North East and I found there were a lot fewer opportunities for good employment there, it was basically call centre or government office and men went to work at a car factory or one of it’s suppliers.

I’ve never understood why people think that people are friendlier in the North either, I’ve had strangers come up and spit on me and call me names because of my appearance but I’ve found people are much more polite down South.

I suppose it depends where you are talking about in the North.

I don't think anyone thinks that the north is backward. I live in the south and have never heard that view.

I think it's slightly colder and there are fewer jobs are the only downsides imo.

My husband works in finance and you really need to be near a major city for this. Could be Edinburgh or Bristol. But we are from the south so it's London.

Some places in the North are beautiful and much less populated and although wages can be lower there is often a higher standard of living as living costs are lower. All massive positives imo.

If we could live anywhere for work I would probably move. Also DH won't move as he's stuck in his ways. Lol!

I couldn't wait to return up north, so suppose I see it as desirable

Yeah probably the terrible weather especially in the north west and lazy thinking to a degree.

Interesting debate about where the north begins. I’m from Manchester and some northern people don’t think it’s in the north

People do often seem more traditional in the north about marriage, having children younger etc. When l got married then friends back in the north fixated about when l was going to change my name and l said never. Because l don’t want to and don’t believe in it. It’s fine if you want to do it but l don’t

We want it for ourselves