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!

It happens to me a lot too. I live in Coventry. The school my children went to/go to is fab, and we live in a nice part of town. Just brush it off, I do.

Me three!

Is it

Bruton
Frome
Dartmouth
St Albans
Bath
Richmond
Kensington?

sorry, I’m making myself laugh here 😂

Good point!

I completely agree. Based on my own experience of this, the likelihood is that if you look critically at the town with the “naice” reputation there are quite a few things about it that aren’t quite so “naice” and get downplayed or suggest the town’s reputation is overhyped.

I went to school in a “naice” town and still have some family living there.
The property prices are absurdly high for what you actually get living there. It is one of the dullest places imaginable. The fact one of the first positive things people will cite about living there is it’s only a short bus or train journey to a city says it all.
There is in reality very little to do in the town itself. You can’t even say it has many independent shops to draw visitors in. The tiny town centre is full of charity shops and convenience stores. Quite possibly this is one of the reasons it’s had longstanding substance abuse issues at all ages, why shoplifting is rife and for things like cars parked in drives being regularly vandalised. Oh but all the horrible people and the crimes happen in the other towns of course…😆

I feel your pain. I come from (& still have family in) the South Wales Valleys

😀

You missed off Harpenden.

I’m with you. We live in a very beautiful north west area but live in the industrial town nearby now. We are the scum of the earth apparently.
For 20 years we lived in the beautiful national park part and met the most horrendous people. Drugs, crime and dodgy stuff all going on behind nicely closed front doors.
Moved back to the “rough” area and it’s been so much better.

Thanks everyone! It's a really small town in the south that I doubt anyone has heard of so sorry to disappoint (love that Slough and other big places have been suggested but it is really tiny in comparison!) I do get that where we live is not posh or naice and it has made me want to move sometimes but then I think of all the good things that we enjoy here and how cheap our mortgage is and I want to stay! Thinking of setting up a website to promote how much good stuff is here to help change it's reputation! Just wish people wouldn't be so rude and judgemental! Appreciate all your comments and they have made me feel better thanks

I'm guessing Hounslow or Slough. I've had the misfortune to live in both! 😂

I'm the same op, we bought a house just over 7 years ago when I was pregnant with my first DC and it's in a town that's more "working class" (for want of a better expression) compared to the historical 13th century market town less than 5 mins drive from us. I'm actually not from this town originally, I'm from a different historical market town about half an hour's drive and a lot of my childhood friends still stay in the town I grew up in.

When we moved here I got a lot of "oh why didn't you buy in X town next to you, that's much nicer?"

It annoys me as actually I've never encountered any trouble in this town, we live off a farm road and it has loads of great locally organised activities throughout the year which are great fun for the kids. The primary school is nice and although we face fields we actually aren't that far from the motorway so it's really only a 30 minute drive to the nearest big city and there's a direct bus to the city as well from our town. No train station, which is the only thing, but then the "nicer" town doesn't have a train station either; the nearest one to us both is about 15 mins drive for us, 20 mins from the nicer town.

I made a mum friend who also lives here and she's actually from the nicer town and says there's an underground drug scene which the locals try to brush under the carpet and it's actually quite bad for house breakings and theft. It's a bigger town than ours too so it has a lot more stuff like that happen. Ours has bad bits too but honestly, I'd say it's less stuck up and everyone I've met from here is more down to earth! Also a famous actor grew up here and loved it, so there's that! 😁

I grew up in a rough area of London that has now been gentrified so places do change. I also live in a not so naice area of London now - but I have great neighbours, good transport links, shopping, GP etc. I prefer to call it edgy 🤣

Worthing is my guess?

I wish people wouldn’t, sadly they do, hence my post.

I agree, I moved from naice SW London to the East Midlands. It's awesome and very beautiful and the people are really lovely. I was very very happy to move away from the naice people.

I told the vet where we were going before leaving and he said 'isn't it a little...... er......' 'post industrial?' I filled in for him 🤣

I KNEW there was one obvious one missed and that was it! 😂

Maybe you should. I’ve seen a lot on social media trying to promote Croydon in a positive light. I’ve got a good friend who lives there and she receives similar comments to you. She just embraces it though and it’s like water off a ducks back. You should do the same - don’t let the snobs live rent free in your head.

Or Hastings?

Ha ha snap! Also North Wales coast. Wonder if we're neighbours?! I love my little town. Has a lovely beach, park and mountains within 15 minutes walk. Wouldn't move for the world.

I REALLY want to know where it is now!

Same where I live too but I love it here and wouldn’t move

Hastings is very trendy now, similar to Margate.

Is it Burgess Hill?!