Am I too posh for Cambridge?

[BeAmberWasp]

Leave my house and my odds of being harassed by a male seem to be almost 100%. Chances of passing someone stinking of weed/human shit/body odor are also 100%. Chances of being sworn at by a vagrant: 100%. Chances of having my bike stolen 0% because it's worthless and has 5 locks on it but if there was one less lock it would be 100%. There is no sense of community here. Everyone seem to be extremely rude to each other and there's a stabbing every week.

I am trying so hard to be less judgemental and stuck up but I don't have the fight in me anymore.

What the hell am I paying SO much MONEY for?

Can someone recommend somewhere better that isn't too far. What is Norwich like? Ely? Seems to have lower crime. Is moving to Southwold my only hope? I can't do this anymore. Cambridge is sold as a salubrious area but is extremely uncivilised.

GPT

This isn’t my experience at all. It’s probably at its least pleasant at the moment because of all the tourists walking extremely slowly everywhere, but there’s so much to do within walking and cycling distance.

I see Cambridge and I raise you Dudley. Now, this is a shithole. Moved here 5 years ago from the Home Counties as we had to and Christ, I was shell shocked 🤣

It's an unfair reputation. We stayed in Luton overnight recently before a flight and I felt positively privileged to come from Peterborough. Both have been voted the UK's worst places to live. No comparison as far as I'm concerned! There are nice parts of Peterborough, just as anywhere. And yes, much cheaper!

What’s being posh got to do with it?

Crime is out of control in most parts of the UK, not just Cambridge. Until we have a justice system worth it's salt, things will just continue to get worse.

I think we live in a different Cambridge from you, OP.

For a start community is what you make it. What have you done to try and find community?

Crime is out of control in most parts of the UK

And yet I was reading in the Times today that crime is the lowest it’s been for 25 years.

YABU because you’ve described living in a city, unfortunately. You either need to find a more naice (expensive, leafy, probably white middle class) area or move out to a small town. I live rurally near a small market town not far from you (commute to London 2/3 times a week) and recognise none of this.

Perhaps if you read the Mail instead you would think we are at an all time peak point for crime!

Bollocks is it. As someone with a police officer for a child, I can tell you that people just don’t bother reporting a lot of crime as the police don’t do anything. Even he didn’t bother reporting it when his motorbike got nicked, it wasn’t worth it for an old runaround and they wouldn’t have done anything anyway.

There is something every week now where I live. We’ve have 3 shootings this year, there are regular stabbings, arson, you can’t walk through the park now as there are so many muggings.

A majority of people do not report crimes now. Therefore if not reported cannot be counted in the statistics.

Like other posters I live in Cambridge, in a small village. From my experience of life living in upper and lower socioeconomic environments. There are issues within sectors of society. The difference is the upper socioeconomic environments of drugs and CSA they are just covered up or referred to in a different manner. Ely has pockets of poverty as do all rural environments. Cambridge is a city very much divided by gown and town. Cambridge college students misbehaving referred to as youthful exuberance and residents local students misbehaving referred to as drunken thuggery. Community is partly what you make it, unfortunately community can be difficult if you are an outsider or deemed as a different social class.

It's like that in Arbury, Fen Ditton, Chesterton and Mill Road but most areas are ok. The areas around the botanical gardens are lovely (apart from having to avoid the herds of bullocks). The city centre was quite shocking last time I ventured in. I don't live there currently but I used to drive to posher areas to walk my dogs because there was a bit of an xl bully problem in some parks.

I don't understand the post though...if you don't need to get to Cambridge you could live anywhere so why Southwold? I'd live close to the railway track towards Suffolk. Or if I didn't have a budget I'd choose Saffron Waldon, The Shelfords, The Abingtons....most of the villages south of Cambridge are lovely. I'd rather not live in the fens.

Finding the "Cambridge isn't like that for me!" on this thread people pretty damn frustrating. Well bully for you, you live in a nice part. Try actually spending some time in places 15 minutes away from your house and you might get a different perspective.

Eeeek home counties to Dudley?? Now that is a come down!

Life can fall apart at any moment.

That is probably because no one is getting caught. Cheapest way to keep the crime stats down.

I used to living Cornwall in a beautiful village. Unfortunately, ended up divorced...ended up living in a shared house in Bow in east London. Horrible place. My life unravelled completely for over two years.

Actually I have lived in different areas of Cambridge. If you read my post I point out the reality of language that is used to describe similar behaviours being labelled differently depending on the socioeconomic perception.

Where in Cambridge are you living…?! I lived there for a significant time in a very non posh bit and didn’t encounter anything like this…

Sure you aren’t talking about Canterbury?

I'm sorry that your life has been characterised by such disproportionate fear of the world