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?

Absolutely creased at the idea of there being no fruit or veg in the North

It's just wall to wall rickets, scurvy, and stottie cakes up here.

General perceptions ,colder.wetter and more industrial up north .I loved York when I went .Beautiful Minster ,Shambles and of course the Railway Museum as well.We lived in London growing up in the 60s/70s but I would not want to live there now (South Coast ATM!) Generalisations are never helpful really .Maybe we should organise a Mumsnet day out to our cities and compare notes(Or photos of our towns anyway!)

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

Yeah it looks really shit!

I moved from the SW to the north, you can definitely tell the difference in the weather, winter lasts a lot longer up north.

I love the North. I have some ancestral roots in Preston on my dad's side so family ties there. My mum was born and raised in Liverpool but I was born and raised in Surrey.

Having seen both sides of the coin so to speak I do think there is a big cultural difference between Southerners and Northerners. Generally, a different sense of humour - I actually find Northerners to be very funny and down to earth. Plus, there's so much art, literature and music that comes out of the likes of Manchester and Liverpool. I do think, to be more specific, there's something about Northern society and the dramatic history of these places that lends itself very well to good art and music. It's gritty, and soulful and engaging in a way that the cosy South isn't. I like the South and the North, but for very different reasons.

The weather is a bit more rubbish and variable up North, but there's some frickin' awesome scenery going on.

There was no such thing as a north/south divide in the UK before the late 20th Century

Haha haha I assume by UK you actually mean England?

[quote 2155User]@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire

Not necessarily talking about eating out, more going round to friends/families/colleagues etc [/quote]
Might just be them then.

Personally I am a kale loving northerner .

@BakewellGin1

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

Something that amused me when I moved to Scotland was that round here, all of England is referred to as "down South".

Born and grew up in the North.

Came down to London in my late teens
The one thing I noticed was the weather

I don't know anyone who would describe it as such. Why do you assume it's the case? The North has a lot of great things going for it, same as the South.

I remember John Prescott visiting north kent and remarking he was surprised it was so run down . The north south divide is more of a preconception . I don't know any of my family who live in the north east and the north west that want to come down south . It used to be the garden of England but our biggest crop is now flats

Well I live in London, on the outskirts bordering Bromley, and have never been in the least sniffy about 'the North', which covers so many areas.

I suggest if you encounter such a rude person in future, you direct them to a little known place on the Essex coast called, 'Jaywick on Sea'. They'll soon shut up.

@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?

Because unknowledgeable people like you keep repeating this rubbish and some people can't think for themselves.

"I don't have much experience of 'up north'"

Clearly.

OP, shh, don’t tell them ffs. Yes, everyone down south, the North is one big backward, ugly, cold, wet, Amorphous mess and house prices really aren’t as cheap as you think. So stay away.

@PartTimeTeacherOfEnglish

I don't have much experience of 'up north', but a family member moved up north some years ago and we went to visit. They lived on the coast, and made a huge deal of 'being by the sea' - except the sea was brown! But I know tidal flow can't be helped.

What really got me was the food. No veg or salad anywhere when we ate out. Suet puddings and chips were the norm. Very carb heavy, and no sign of balanced, healthy eating on restaurant menus.

Where I live we have fresh fish, a wide range of salad and veg on every menu and I don't think anyone has seen a suet pudding in years! And this was only a few years ago - and, from what family member tells me, hasn't changed. It's all beige food and veg/salad is seen as something only 'soft southerners' eat.

I do appreciate my experience is limited to Blackpool and its environs, but it's done enough to put me off!

I live in North London, the majority of places selling food here fit with your first paragraph, carb and protein heavy with very little fresh veg or salad. With lots of places advertising that they only sell carby pies etc.

Complete ignorance?

Redcrow I'm in Northumberland too! Best countryside EVER

I think there’s absolutely stunning parts of the north and run down bits too. What’s frustrating is the money the government pumps into the south compared with the north. The trains are shocking and probably always will be.

@PartTimeTeacherOfEnglish no veg or salad? Where on earth where you? The only difference in food I’ve seen from the north and south is the price (and gravy).

Where I live we have fresh fish, a wide range of salad and veg on every menu and I don't think anyone has seen a suet pudding in years! And this was only a few years ago - and, from what family member tells me, hasn't changed. It's all beige food and veg/salad is seen as something only 'soft southerners' eat.

Wtf!?!

I'm a born & raised Londoner & like many of us my parents are immigrants so I've not seen much of the rest of the country. However even I know the above statement is BS!

@BankofNook

Absolutely creased at the idea of there being no fruit or veg in the North

It's just wall to wall rickets, scurvy, and stottie cakes up here.

yes - I saw a banana for the very first time when I took the omnibus down to London in 2010 - I could have gone to the foot of my stairs I was that astonished

I’m not originally from the UK, I spent my childhood in Nottinghamshire (so the middle) and I moved to London in my late teens and I have been here ever since.

People generally can’t identify my South Nottinghamshire accent, its amazing how many arseholes have pulled a horrible face when I tell them where I’m from, something I have only experienced from a small number of people who have always lived in the south.

When I went to university (Cambridge, so, snob central), demonising anyone from north of Cambridge was essentially a sport.

@SimonJT its amazing how many arseholes have pulled a horrible face when I tell them where I’m from, something I have only experienced from a small number of people who have always lived in the south.

Was that by Londoners or Southerners?

Only because I constantly get told "I've never met one of you before" (in relation to born & bred). Very odd, as I don't think "we" are particularly rare. Could be that people aren't aware BAME are also born & raised 😆

@SunshineCake

Because unknowledgeable people like you keep repeating this rubbish

Maybe the OP just wanted to open up a discussion? Why did you feel the need to write this? Pretty rude

[quote Ori37]@SunshineCake

Because unknowledgeable people like you keep repeating this rubbish

Maybe the OP just wanted to open up a discussion? Why did you feel the need to write this? Pretty rude[/quote]
Oh no .

It didn't come across as anything but nonsense.