Aibu to not want to move up north

[time2changeCharlieBrown]

My dh has been offered a great job opportunity a high payrise
the catch is we have to relocate up north near Leeds
so my main concerns is the weather
I hate winter, rain and snow and up there seems to get more?
also I joined a few online community groups recently to get a feel for it and learn about the areas and what’s around
all I have mainly seen is awful things about robbery’s and car theft and violent crimes! It’s really putting me off!
we have a son who is not too far off an age to go clubbing and for nights out and even though he is 6 foot 5 he’s very striking looking mixed race (Greek) and I worry about him being a target and our eldest daughter too also very striking ,but both quite naive as we currently live in a small village and don’t often go into big cities and they are at small schools.
my dh is from a different town up north not too far from Leeds still has friends there and says it’s fine and all city’s are the same and the kids will be fine as not in any gangs and unlikely to be. I am a worrier so Aibu to not want to move?

.I think some people are being harsh on the OP, many of us have misconceptions of what goes on in other areas of the Uk.

Still? I would say only people who have never ventured out of their own bubble would think this. It's quite an ignorant way of thinking.

Did you mean to quote me in that response, cos it's like trying to teach your granny to suck eggs saying that to someone from Sunderland 😂

Not sure but apologies if I have 😂

Have you considered accents OP? Your children will undoubtedly pick up the regional accent. So Yorkshire would be a great place for them to develop a clear and engaging way of speaking. Better still if you could go further north to Northumberland, but Yorkshire’s definitely a nice accent, as are Derbyshire and Notts to be fair.

To be fairer still, don’t travel west across the Pennines. Lancashire’s a whole different kettle of fish accent-wise. By the time you get to the northwest coast the accents are a crime against nature.

"we have a son who is not too far off an age to go clubbing and for nights out and even though he is 6 foot 5 he’s very striking looking mixed race (Greek) and I worry about him being a target and our eldest daughter too also very striking ..."

Sorry, but what does this even mean? HALF Greek, you say. I'm full Greek and it never occurred to me this would attract even a second glance in the Outer Hebrides, let alone Leeds, of all places. I assume you mean the Leeds in Yorkshire, with its hundreds of thousands of British people of Middle Eastern or Asian descent? Also, why would you think being tall would make him a 'target?' A target for what - basketball recruitment?

And I say this as someone from London who has never been to Leeds. But I do have 2 sons both 6 ft 4 Greek / Persian descent, yet who somehow manage to blend in with the other 12 million random people around them, even when clubbing. Is this even a thing?

Sorry - of course - trying to do too many things at the same time....doh!

Also, why would you think being tall would make him a 'target?' A target for what - basketball recruitment?

Brilliant! 👏

My DD has lived in Leeds for 11 years now having grown up in the south east.
She's picked up an accent.
It's very distressing.

Leeds is definitely NOT a "deprived city".

My family felt the same when I moved to London for 14 years post uni. Fortunately I never forgot that there are no Rs in bath. After a couple of stints abroad I came home, pleased to report that my Yorkshire accent is intact.

No it isn't a shit hole. It's a vibrant, buzzing, cosmopolitan city with some shop closures and some dodgy areas. Just like any other city really.

You are just looking for someone to validate your concerns. So stop it.

I assume you never went to university and just want to stay living in your own parochial little bubble.

Surely @emmetgirl was joking?

You really are comparing apples and pears.

If you live in a small village now, I really can't see you getting on with the areas mentioned.

They are popular with students and some with young professionals. They are more lively than you want and with that comes the good - easy access to city, amenities etc - but also the bad you'd expect of any central area.

Why don't you look at more rural areas? There are loads of nice places. Smaller villages or towns that are commutable.

It doesn't sound like you'd like the more hilly areas if you are worried about snow so the flatter parts towards York might be more appropriate.

Londoner with dad from Keighley and who spent a number of weekends up in Leeds this year visiting him at Leeds General. I wouldn't live in Leeds, but equally I don't think you'll be allowed to fit in in the villages.

It's a myth that northerner's are friendlier. They might be to their own, but I open my mouth with my south London accent and get sneered at, even by my own family. Northerner's hear your accent and get a chip on their shoulders. They think Londoner's universally enjoy a better quality of life and are posh, even though statistics show otherwise.

Bloody hope so, I was!

Some areas are deprived in Leeds. You might never have been and witnessed them personally but they do exist.

You might never have been and witnessed them personally but they do exist.

As they do in any major city.

I'm glad it comes across that way to visitors. Trying to run a business in the city centre is horrendous at the moment because of anti social threatening behaviour and shoplifting. Possibly it's the same all over the country I don't know. Lots of shop keepers in my block have installed intercom systems for entry or are just opening for appointments only as criminal behaviour is becoming so brazen. In the past couple of months, there's been two shootings and a stabbing a stones throw away from us. Not something which has happened for a good many years previously. I've by no means lead a sheltered life, lived in Harehills for a good few years and definitely felt safer living there back then than trying to run a shop in the city now!

Well that's a massive generalisation, unless you have spoken to every single Notherner 🤔

I'm a southerner who moved to Leeds 12 years ago and I love it! I never want to move back down south. I've lived in many places in the UK and abroad and this is my favourite. I've never felt so at home before.
Re the weather, honestly it was much wetter when I lived in Devon! We don't get the same rain as people in the west of the UK like Devon, Cornwall, Wales, Manchester, Northern Ireland etc. As for the temperatures, it's often very similar to my home town in the south. I think because Leeds is inland and not actually that far north, the temperatures aren't dramatically different. I've just checked the forecast for this weekend, and it's 24 degrees in Leeds and 20 degrees in my hometown down south (near Brighton). It's really, really not that different! As for snow, some years we have no snow, other years we have a couple of days of snow. Enough for the kids to go sledging but not enough to disrupt our lives.
We live in north Leeds in the Far Headingly, Adel, Weetwood area. It's very well to do. Never hear of any problems here (unlike in my southern hometown!).
The people are so friendly, the scenery is dramatic and stunning. It's just the best!!

Yes true but some areas of Leeds are extremely wealthy. Just l8ke any other city.

@SallyWD you moved to one of the wealthiest areas in Leeds. Of course you love it. Probs surrounded by people like you. Plonk you in Seacroft or Gipton and a different kettle of fish 😂 Let’s bet you had at least 500k to spend ?

@time2changeCharlieBrown Have a look at Knaresborough, OP. It's within driving distance of Leeds and is a lovely market town with a castle ruins and low crime rate. There's also a train station and good buses.

They might be to their own, but I open my mouth with my south London accent and get sneered at, even by my own family. Northerner's hear your accent and get a chip on their shoulders.

And when I open my mouth with my South London accent I don't get sneered at. I spent one of the days of this weekend out and about in Leeds and had a great time. I was with friends from West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire and Newcastle. No-one sneered at anyone.

And desirable. Locals are already being pushed out.