To be sick of people looking down on the town I live in?

[Beboopbadoopie]

I'm 40 and have lived here for 10 years, before I had kids and after (I have 2 under 5) and recently we've randomly bumped into several old school friends in different places and when we say where we live they say something like, 'oh really?' and one person even said 'why!?' and another told me its a dive! It's happened lots in the past too. Where we live is not terrible, it's just the worst looking town locally (live in a very pretty area) and the high street is pretty much dead. I think people think it's rough but I've noticed a lot of posts about crime in other 'nicer' local towns so feel it's kind of a similar level (I have never felt unsafe here but there's the odd shop break in or smashed shop windows but nothing major and I've noticed these incidents in nicer towns nearby too)

We bought here because it's a lot cheaper than everywhere else (for a reason it seems!)We renovated our house so we are in a good position financially now which means I only have to work part time and am around more with the kids which I want. We have a lovely house, amazing neighbours, a great park and leisure centre around the corner, 3 good cafes (not loads but better than nothing), a great library for the kids, several supermarkets, a train station to that goes directly to major cities.

I'm getting pretty fed up with the negativity from other people because it makes me feel a bit shit, and I'm bringing my kids up here and that's what people are going to think when they say where they live and I don't want people to look down on them. I have thought of moving but feel it's an extreme reaction and also we'd have to double our mortgage. How can I stop it from bothering me? It's so annoying!

I had a great weekend in Hull once. Some good cafe's and cool shops. Enjoyed seeing the Humber bridge area and stuff. The museum was interesting too.

I think most places have their good points.

@StinkyCheeseMoose , that's not remotely funny.

I'd say that's slightly better than the two seaside ones. At least it has easy and quick access to London and there are things to do.

Is it a town within Medway?

Have lived in three crap towns:
Jaywick: think of the film Deliverance: everyone seems to have a parrot and carry an ice pick.
Slough: smell of mars bars wafting through the air and factories.
Blackpool: felt an outsider because I wasn't an alcoholic, smell of chip fat.
I love the grittiness of these places and I really don't thing you should give a damn to what people think.

It's High Wycombe isn't it? We get the exact same shit. There are actually loads of positives about the town - including the fact it's not currently wall-to-wall cheap crappy England flags.

I get this all the time. My town begins with a T and is about 9 miles from Bath, next to 4 other small towns who all claim to be superior yet come to use our cinema, shopping centre, M&S and branch of Nandos..!

I think Hull's place as the butt of jokes is a thing of the past tbh. It got a lot of publicity and huge investment as a result of the City of Culture, people realised it had a lot to offer.

I have a relative who lives near you. The town itself may have seen better days, but the area is lovely. I love to come and visit.

I agree. I'm not from here originally; we chose to move here about 15 years ago. Wiltshire is beautiful. It matches the countryside in the leafy part of Yorkshire I grew up in (that nobody ever talks down about!)

If Prince Andrew went to its Pizza Express, it can't be all bad...

Op - Without saying where- has it been mentioned?

Have any of these responses made you feel better about the annoying comments and how you may respond to them in future?

The way I see it is, you either live in the "nicer" area so you can boast about it, have to pay more money and so have less disposable income, or you live in the less nice area, have lower housing costs so more disposable income to actually enjoy life. I bet council tax is a lot lower too! I'd stick with where you are if you're happy there and tell them to bore off.

You forgot Swindon!

I think you need new friends who aren't as shallow and insensitive as your current bunch. I love the idea if settting up a FB page to extol the virtues of your town and promote it. It's amazing how a trendy coffee shop/restaurant can revitalise an area. It has in our village. Get the council involved too.

Yep, In laws do this consistently about the town I grew up in. Constant digs and comments over the years. As my mother used to say, ‘if our town isn’t good enough for you, don’t use our restaurants, leisure facilities etc’.
Raise your head high and don’t let those comments get you down.

What’s it called?

Interested to know your opinions on this…where have you spent time?

Some mis informed and sweeping statements on here.
References to the NE. Not sure where you have visited, but in the leafy suburbs near here, with some of the top comprehensives in the country, excellent selection of independent bakers, art shops, access to the coast, house prices averaging 8/900 K, you’ve perhaps rushed with your assumptions.

Tell them "We love it here, it's great" with a big smile.

And/or say to them "If you hate it so much, don't come here!".

I get fed up of our own residents talking down the town we live in! I reply saying "Sorry, which "insert town here" are you talking about? That's not the one I live in!"

Snobs will be snobs. Just ignore them and bathe in the knowledge that your mortgage is not killing you.

When someone does that OP, I would be inclined to say 'you've clearly never lived there then', and then change the subject. You'll leave them wondering what you know but they don't.

Oh, and also, you say you're in a good position in life, what's the betting that these people who look down their nose at the area, are in debt up to their eyeballs, just because they feel the need to live in what they consider to be a 'naice' area, think about that when it bothers you. I'd MUCH rather live somewhere where I'm able to pay my bills and spend time with my kids, than be forced to work all the hours God sends, and still struggle with the bills. Please don't let their negativity put you off the place that you call home.

Hey take no notice, they are probably envious that you have a nice house, nice neighbours and all the nearby facilities that you need. It also suits your lifestyle and allows you to have a work/life balance. My daughter was born in Croydon and I was born in Blackpool, I’ll say no more. People can be downright snobby at times.

They said it's not terrible 😂

(I know there's nice areas of Swindon, mainly out of Swindon).