A better life in Norfolk... really?

[LittleRobin112]

We have so many family members who have moved to Norfolk in the last 10 years and a few friends too. They have mostly gone there for a better way of life. Away from the hustle and bustle of the south east where we are.

We're constantly being told how amazing Norfolk is - the countryside, the villages, the coast, Norwich, etc. And some family members are very keen to tell us how crap it is where we live in comparison, knowing that we are settled where we are and wouldn't want to move. Nowhere is perfect (about from Norfolk apparently) but we like where we are. These family members have moved from where we live which although busy and a London commuter area, it's also fairly affluent in parts, a coastal place and with countryside/woodland still accessible nearby.

What is the attraction to Norfolk? Is it the most ideal place to live? Are people happier there? Are there no down sides to it at all?

I don't doubt some aspects of life quality could be better in Norfolk but I've been on holidays there and many family visits over the years and I can't see how it's as incredible as some family members are making out. Maybe they're just showing off or justifying their reasons for moving there? But to be really negative about where we live is just becoming annoying. It's almost like they're now better than us for living in Norfolk, it's so odd.

Any thoughts?

And long may it stay a ballache to got here, the M11 did enough damage, we know to avoid certain Waitrose stores on Friday in Summer, the braying is hideous!

Depends where you live, like everywhere its got good bits and less desirable areas. Norwich is lovely so are a lot of the nearby market towns and villages.

I moved to Norfolk 20 years ago, from south east London. Great place to raise a family. My children all moved to cities for university, but are now moving back. Norwich is very lively with restaurants and plenty of arty events. The coast is gorgeous. Lots of people move here from other parts of the country and seem to enjoy it.

Norfolk is lovely, but Suffolk is better 😂😂

I moved to Norfolk 10 years ago and I love it. There are no more racist or insular people here than there are in any other part of the country (and I've lived all over because of work) and some areas aren't so nice like anywhere. KL desperately needs a new hospital! I live about 8 miles from Norwich which is a Fine City. Amazing history, great dining and shopping. And yet I have a nature reserve in walking distance from my house.

We always joke about the A11 being the tunnel to England but not having a motorway in the county means that we're quieter and I love that. Hurrah for Norfolk and its wide skies!

i know the county well. I generally think people fall into two categories -

1. The ones who have moved there. Tend to be London/southern and a tad pretentious. They drive the market for rustic farm shops and Joules on the sea front. More open-minded to people from outside the county.
2. The born and bred Norfolkians. Thoroughly unusual set of people. Very insular, very small world, think they live far from family if they’re in the next village along.

Norfolk has a wonderful coastline and the history of Norwich is interesting. I now live in a county far away and only visit Norfolk, and that’s how I personally like it. I imagine your friends fit into category 1, in which case they’ll have like-minded friends and be feeling a bit smug and loving life.

That's really off to suggest people who move to Norfolk must be racistI've worked all over the country in the NHS. I've witnessed racism everywhere, London, Essex Hertfordshire, Surrey, Wales, Somerset, Bristol Yorkshire (there are just the places I've worked) Racism exists all over the UK. There is racism in Norfolk, but its not like anyone sits around in the pub chanting racism. It is generally hidden as with much of the UK and the majority of people are not racist. I've witnessed less overt racism here than in Essex/Kent where I've regularly seen patients refused to be treated by POC. You can no more get away with it in Norfolk than anywhere elseIt's ridiculous and offensive to suggest people must enjoy a racist/insular culture (which exists everywhere in the UK if you want to find it)

Norfolk has some beautiful coastal areas. Norwich is an architecturally lovely city and great for shopping , eating out, theatre etc , while still not being too large. Crime rates are overall much lower than average for the UK .
It is less diverse than some other parts of the country but I feel it has become much more inclusive and welcoming in the last ten years and my ( non-white / gay ) friends say there have experienced less discrimination here than in the Midlands/ North West and London, although they live in Norwich and not rurally .
On the downside there are some areas of deprivation that are among the worst in the country, and it takes forever to get out of Norfolk to travel anywhere .
House prices have also shot up in the nicer , particularly coastal, areas , and combined with second home ownership it's now hard for younger people to buy locally .
Job prospects area also limited due to the type of industry and travel time.

I have lived in several parts of the country , both North and South , and overall I would rate Norfolk very near the top .

My parents moved there from London when I was 7 so I grew up there.

There’s a reason I don’t live there now. I think the fact that my childhood ambition was to live in Lambeth speaks exactly to how wonderful my countryside childhood in rural Norfolk was! (I achieved that ambition btw!)

Norwich is great, there’s many wonderful things in Norfolk, great holiday destination but that’s as far as I’d take it.

I know a few people who are from there and they mostly couldn't wait to leave! They were probably a bit younger though and looking for careers etc which at that time you couldn't do remotely. It is also a pita to get to!!!
It's odd to openly criticise your lifestyle and where you live though. I have nudged a few of my friends to leave the big cities and come and live near me 🤣 but we have the best of both worlds where we live, where we're close to a big city, got beaches and mountains nearby and also have good links to international and domestic locations.

Agree! @AWanderingMinstrel If our family said they were moving to somewhere like Dedham, I could understand it a bit more I think.

@AnnaMagnani my friend’s DM, DF and DGM have all been treated there. She made a formal complaint at least once.

@kiwiandcream my family are in South Norfolk and my partners are in the broads.

@LittleRobin112 Dedham is in Essex!

I moved to Norwich almost 20 years ago from a very busy city and I still find the change of pace jars. The people are generally very friendly although I work for some very rich landowners who see me as staff despite being a senior professional. What astounded me and continues to do so is that it is absolutely true that everyone knows everyone else. Never, ever gossip or bad mouth someone or you’ll find out the person you were talking to is aunt/godfather/old neighbour of the person you were referring to.

I would also say access to healthcare is pretty appalling - we are in the lowest categories for mental health services and have some of the highest death rates at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital. My children have additional needs and accessing education for them has been phenomenally difficult- again Norfolk has one of the worst records for supporting children with SEN.

Yes parts of it are beautiful and the people are friendly in the main but if I had a choice I’d move and probably not return, even for the occasional holiday.

I've lived in Norfolk - great beaches, norwich is nice... but Suffolk is miles better in terms of countryside, the chocolate box cottages and just general atmosphere.

@RewildingAmbridge oh yes, sorry. But that sort of area

I lived there for 15 years (moved from the south east). It's lovely. Norwich is a great city, very livable, lots of nice cafes, restaurants, pubs, bookshops etc. I think it's an unappreciated place. The Norfolk beaches are absolutely beautiful, vast and sandy. The countryside is pretty and there are quiet peaceful areas. I think this idea that Norfolk is insular, racist and closed off is a bit of a myth to be honest. It's a stereotype. My DH and I used to loved cycling around all the little, remote villages and going in to the pubs. My DH is Indian. No one ever gave us funny looks or were suspicious of us. They didn't bat an eyelid! Maybe 50 or 60 years ago Norfolk was like this but people travel around a lot more these days. The village pubs are used to dealing with loads of tourists and newcomers ("strangers"). I'd happily move back to Norfolk. We were very happy there and had an excellent quality of life.
Having said that I've also lived in Devon, Yorkshire and Northumberland. They're all lovely. They all have nice areas and deprived areas. They all have lovely people and complete idiots. Let's be honest - England is a pretty small place. People from Norfolk, Yorkshire, Devon etc will have more in common than not.

Fair enough, my bad. I just can’t imagine somebody moving somewhere where, without argument, a significant minority of the residents are openly racist; and then telling everyone back in their old neighbourhood what a glorious place it is to live and how crap old home is in comparison, unless they thought those sorts of attitudes and views were acceptable.

Where are you @LittleRobin112 that is so bad in comparison?

I have lived in South Norfolk. In some ways it’s insular because everyone lives within 5 miles of where they were born and they really do all know each other. But I’ve found the people welcoming and supremely non-judgemental compared to middle-class south east types.

The countryside is a bit flat and dull, but the beaches are great, Norwich is great and you don’t spend your whole life in traffic jams, unlike the SE.

Surely it depends what stage of life you're at? If you're a young 20-something aching to get out there and feel the buzz and excitement of life then Norfolk ain't gonna fit your bill. If you've worked in the City all your professional life and are late 60's, (for example) and want to sample the quieter things in life - nature, gossiping locals, pretty villages, broad/expansive skies and beaches) then Norfolk might be just the ticket. One size doesn't fit all and you need different sizes at different stages in your life!

Your still doing it.

A significant minority of people everywhere are openly racist. In my town I have witnessed no open racism, I have many POC friends and they have not either. I have not been involved in any racism in Norfolk.

That's not to say it doesn't happen, but its no more open than anywhere else in Britain. I would say much less than some places (South Wales Valleys was the worst, there half my patients were racist and would make snide remarks about my POC colleagues, I do not get this in Norfolk)

It feels to me like this thread is giving you ammunition, OP

Flat and inbred. Nice beaches though.

My partner is from another large city and I was born here and he has found no difference in amount of racism. Despite being from Norfolk and clearly therefore insular and incapable of leaving the county, I have lived and travelled all over the world, before returning here, and noted ignorant prejudice exists everywhere. A particularly persistent one across cultures is that people from larger cities casting rural folk as backwards, insular and racist.