To wonder why there is so much snobbery about Milton Keynes?

[Eastie77Returns]

Just back from visiting our former neighbours who have moved there from London. They have a lovely home, their DC attend a great local school and they are really happy with their choice. However they had to put up with sniggers and unpleasant comments from some of our mutual friends when they announced they were moving to MK. It seems like a completely inoffensive place to me. Yes, lots of new build estates, roundabouts and the wide boulevards are a bit odd but I’ve seen a lot worse!

One friend told me it was the most soulless place she’s ever visited, it felt like a dystopian sci-fi movie and her blood ran cold when drove around as there is something ‘chilling’ about the place. I don’t get why that vibe at all😂

People have different priorities that’s all. Some people prioritise proximity to work/family/friends or standard of nearby schools, other people prioritise property size or beauty/character of the local area, etc. I kind of agree that MK is soulless and I wouldn’t choose to live there personally, but if your friends are happy with their decision to move, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

It’s snobbery, I think. I had similar when I moved from a ‘nice market town’ to a larger house somewhere not as desirable. There are threads on here about how great Swindon actually is to live in but I am from over that way and would guess that they probably get similar comments.

I know MK well and I agree with you. Most people don't see the communities, the estates built with playing fields at the heart and easy safe bike routes that gives the kids so much freedom. The free places to takes kids like the playground at Willen Lakes. Or the activities like ice skating, ski slope etc. They'll just drive round the ring roads congratulating themselves on not living there.

My husband and his kids lived in Milton Keynes before I met him and I used to take the mick out of him because of it. Then one day we went to see a house in MK and ended up buying it. His son who lived with us said he would rather die then go back and he decided to stay in London and his daughter laughed at us and said she would never go back to live in MK.

However I got a beautiful 4 bed house with garden, garage and off street parking for 2 cars for less than my 2 bed flat in dodgy part of London.

So many people laughed at our decision and asked how we could live there. Who would have thought it but I loved living there. The shopping is great and there are so many little villages round with great boutiques and restaurants. So many open spaces, cycle paths and within 5 mins we were out in the country. We both worked in London and it was an easy commute. I travelled all over the UK which was so easy from MK. This included traveling to Glasgow weekly. Hoped on a train and got off in Glasgow.

Within 6 months of us moving to MK both my step-kids had also moved back and are still there.

I love MK. I actually like the layout and the many walkable areas where there is a lot of green spaces. It is also quite diverse which I love and the hospital easy to navigate. I found it nice to walk around without having to constantly stop or wait for cars to let me pass or acknowledge me.

I wouldn’t dare call it soulless having walked all over it.

It is somewhere I would move to if we weren’t settled where we are.

Some people just like to find a reason the feel superior to others.
I lived in MK for a while, absolutely loved it.

I live a few miles outside it so spend a lot of my time there. I used to think I'd never want to be in the city itself but now, idk. No, it's not pretty but it's got everything and it's very safe and convenient. Some difficult areas but no more than anywhere else.

The theatre is fabulous. Lots of woodland and green areas within and around it. Great links to London and elsewhere.

It's just a silly stereotype of concrete cows and roundabouts, I think. Probably because it was a purpose built town rather than having a traditional history.

I do get hugely different reactions depending on whether I say I live in Buckinghamshire or near Milton Keynes though.

I live in London but go to MK a lot for various reasons. I used to be a snob about it but it's a really pleasant place with lots going on culturally, lots to do and very easy to get around. It's almost like an American city - lots of wide tree lined streets, plenty of parking, lots of cycle paths and good shopping. I guess if you want period properties and city quirks it's not the right place for you but YANBU.

ETA as a PP said it is diverse and I find it telling that the places certain London folk are snobbish about are ethnically diverse places like Slough, Luton, Liverpool etc. The same people who congratulate themselves on living in a 'vibrant, diverse' part of London because there are some French people in their toddler group.

Kind of YABU. 'Inoffensive' - talk about damning with faint praise

My PIL live there. The little bit they live in is quite nice, but I'm very much not a fan of the overall place, aesthetically speaking. I know it has all kinds of practical things going for it, but I certainly couldn't bring myself to live there. I find it soulless and depressing.

Some people get real joy from thinking that their lives and tastes are, in some way, superior to someone else’s. An easy way is to look down at particular streets, towns or cities. People in Liverpool and Birmingham get it, as do people on the border of Peckham / Brixton and places like East Dulwich in London. Even some streets get sneered at.

I had this when I was moving house / job. For some reason, a colleague thought I was moving to MK and tittered about this in front of me. Something along the lines of ‘why would you choose to live there!’

I totally ignore people like this. It says more about their own character than anything else.

I used to know a woman (now dead) who honestly couldn't believe that anyone would want to live anywhere other than Worthing - to the point where she was quite affronted when someone she knew didn't live there.

People are funny about where an "acceptable" place to live is. Every so often there's a thing in The Sunday Times (or similar) which says that Lewes is a wonderful place to live in. It has its charms but the pavements are tiny and driving / parking there is hellish.

The Barbican is sometimes raised as an example of a concrete jungle but it is a great place to live if you want a flat and have youngish children - there are lots of green spaces and the children can safely call in on their friends without worrying about cars or random strangers. It's really expensive though.

I can see the appeal of MK for a family with older primary / younger secondary aged children.

Used to live near MK and miss the shopping, theatre, The Stables venue, parks etc. it appears to be a concrete jungle from the roads, but it has hidden depths.

I think MK has a dystopian feel to it because it's so artificial.
It was built using American grid-style street development so for example all the roads are straight, which is really unnatural in the UK, there's no local history or interest to it.

It's also been basically built for people on housing benefit 😂 sorry.

So I'm just saying I understand why there is "snobbery" about it! I couldn't care less if you want to live there though.

I think it depends on the person. I have lived in Swindon, Coventry and just outside of Milton Keynes. I have lived in the Cotswolds too.

I have zero snobbery about it. There are pros and cons to them all - the Cotswolds isn’t my favourite but socially it would be considered the nicer place.

MK was the place to be when I was a teenager because it was the only place close by with decent shopping. I don’t visit their often nowadays but I don’t have a negative view of there at all.

Your friend has clearly never been to Canary Wharf.

It's not true that there's zero local history or interest. Yes, MK was purpose built but it was built up around several existing small towns and villages, swallowing them and making them part of MK. So there are ancient churches, tudor houses, old pubs, Bletchley codes etc. Not everything is 1960s or newer. And not sure if you just meant history when you said 'interest' but MK museum, MK Theatre, the Stables, MK Gallery and more is around if you look for it. There is lots of culture.

I can think of one truly amazing thing Milton Keynes has going for it: It’s not Bedford!

Cos it’s shite

I always notice a lot of druggies hanging around outside the shopping centre. A PP mentioned many people being on housing benefit. Is there a lot of unemployment and crime in MK? County lines gangs, too?

Agree.

There are places that people go on about that I wouldn’t want to live in but I would never go out of my way to say how ridiculous they are or it is sh*t because it’s not my preference.

It’s just choosing to be rude.

It's a marmite town. One of DS's close uni friends liuves there but is always so embarrassed to admit it. DS has to go there about once a week for work and says it's horrible. But I have been there twice and thought it was rather lovely with lots of green space and wondered why people hate it so much. I even like the cows.

I’ve seen some awesome bands play there. I have nothing but fond memories of it.

So what if it’s ‘new’ and has no history. Nor does anything else when it’s first built.

Yes, the wife in the couple admitted that she has started telling anyone who asks that she lives on the “Buckinghamshire/Beds border” or near “Woburn” rather than explicitly saying MK…

I live on the outskirts of Trowbridge and tell people I live in Bradford On Avon.

It happens.

Built for people on HB??