Is there a cultural difference between North and South?

[Thepo]

Dh and I have decided we are going to leave our home counties home and move ‘Up North’ to a Cheshire vilage close to Manchester. We’ve spent time in Manchester but not for extended peiords of time. We like the city. Our commute will be slashed in half and our house will be much more comfortable.

I’m of course expecting there to be slight differences but at the end of the day the North is still England. So how different can it be? Right? We get along with pretty much every one we meet.

Am I just in denial?

Being from the Midlands and having been called a southerner by the north and a northerner by the south I will attest to the fact that the north is friendlier but they have a big chip on their shoulders about the south

Move to the Midlands, better all round

I grew up in a Cheshire village and recently moved back after spending time in the Home Counties.

It's definitely different. Some of them:

Pros:

• We know all our neighbours
• People say hello and are happy to engage in random conversations when out and about, on the bus etc.
• People, including strangers, will help you out more
• Lower crime rates
• More chilled out vibe, slower pace of life
• Much cheaper for everything
• Kids play out, unsupervised, from a young age

Cons:

• People sometimes know your business too much
• Less multicultural
• More likely to get stared at or have comments made if you dress eccentrically or stand out in some way
• Not as much of a range of experiences and opportunities available- for example, the range of takeaway options is very limited, whereas where I used to live you could get everything from sushi to stone-baked pizza delivered within half an hour.
• Public transport is rubbish

Also, Northern culture is not homogenous. The culture in Cheshire is not really like the culture in Yorkshire, for example. Manchester is a very different vibe to my small village.

Depends a lot on where you live and who you make friends with but having lived both North and South I would say that most people in the North are more genuine, friendly, less self obsessed and like to talk about things other than how much their house is worth and which school to choose for their children. It’s a lot more fun! Good luck

People are nicer and chattier in the North. I’ve no idea why there’s a perception that it’s grim, I’d never live south of Manchester in a million years.

Welcome to the North. We have chips with gravy and mushy peas 👍

As a proud Northerner (who sold out and lives in London 🤦‍♀️), there’s nothing better than gravy on fish & chips. Just delicious!

There are a few chip shops in London that have seen the light and now sell gravy 😍 Poppies in Spitalfields being one.

As for mushy peas (I’m not a fan personally), I believe the more current name is ‘Yorkshire guacamole’. Probably a marketing ploy for Southerners. 😂

You're allowed to use stereotypes for London and the south. Everywhere else not

Oh please, as if northerners aren’t looked down on and stereotyped all the time. Not only that but the snobbishness around northerners has a real life effect - we experience EVERYTHING worse. Womens health outcomes, poverty, low income, unemployment - you name it. there’s a huge gap between the north and south because focus and funding is put into the South. So I’ll put my tiny violin away for now thanks.

What's public transport?

villages surrounding Knutsford :)

How generous. Much appreciated!

Everyone will talk to you. My DH who is from the South Midlands couldn’t believe how friendly people are “up North”. I’m originally from the other side of the Pennines but still visit, everyone is so much more chatty.
Plenty to do and see. You’re an hour and a half away from the Lake District, Peak District and North Wales. Liverpool is a great city and easily accessed by rail. Manchester has good shopping and if you are moving to footballer country plenty of upmarket shopping in the local towns.
I haven’t been to Manchester for a while but hoping to visit soon with my sister. My cousins’s husband is head chef in one of the celebrity chefs restaurant so hoping to eat there. May even get to meet my celebrity chef crush if we are lucky.

Im from the South but lived in the North West for a few years. I didn’t notice a huge difference between the people tbh. It all seems like a load of stereotypes to me. The main difference was housing costs and the weather.

The summer seemed to end earlier there. So I’d be indoors with it raining in September while family at home were literally outside having a bbq. It could be 30c in the south and low 20s there. I never left my flat without an umbrella!

I miss the nice shops (having moved from south to north). I love a John Lewis, but it's all Home Bargains up here!

Really 24years ago we moved to somewhere we hardly new. And we absolutely love it,it wasn't easy at first but we settled in and wouldn't be anywhere else right now. We moved for work as wasn't much of an option not to.

@Thepo lovely! Absolutely beautiful area and so much to do from the surrounding countryside, to the peaks and north wales, plus everything Manchester and Liverpool have to offer. Plus great transport links! (I sound like the tourist board but I now live somewhere with very few transport links and it makes a big difference).

Once you get onto the M6, you’ll never leave. It’s usually like a fucking car park!

Manchester isn't even that far north.

Eh? Manchester has got Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, Leeds and Liverpool have Harvey Nichols too. Newcastle has Fenwicks. They all have John Lewis. You’ll find great shops in smaller cities and towns too, along with B&Ms too.

It you can’t take a bit of mild banter and “don’t like the insinuation” then it’s not looking promising for your move to the north 😂

When I first saw the thread title my first thought was "Korea"?!?!

As a true Southerner (south coast) who regards London as alien and also being in "the north", my opinion is that people in the far north, ie. above Birmingham but south of Scotland are just as chatty and friendly as those of us in the proper south. Londoners are a race apart.
My dd moved from here to Manchester, amongst other reasons she likes it because they have "proper seasons".
However both she and I have noticed that people dress more smartly and are more houseproud than us Southerners and judge us for our standards. She has also noticed more racism.

You'll need to like pastry.

North and South what? Africa? America? Korea?

As a northerner living in the south, I can tell you what I miss, which is people saying what they mean and not hiding behind some kind of passive aggressive comment or completely ghosting you after having expressed interest in meeting up.
Also I miss people taking the piss out of each other and no offence being sought.