To ask which city you'd move to in England if you didn't live there already

[CurdinHenry]

I am thinking about it. Would prefer not London tbh although appreciate that's where the jobs are (and in some ways it's probably the easiest fit for outsiders).

Where is friendly, has stuff to do, jobs and the like. I think my answer is going to end up being Newcastle (but I like York).

I live in Keswick which is very nice although not a city. I love London, it’s so clean and big and interesting and I think I’d like to retire there one day if I can afford it.

Yes, I absolutely love it!

ETA: It’s listed by plenty on here, so clearly still popular.

Why have you ruled out everywhere that isn't England? We're encouraging you to be more open-minded and expand your horizons.

Cardiff, for example, is much nicer than Bristol, and whoever derided it as "too Welsh" is missing the point rather: the Welshness is part of its charm.

Well apart from not being a city…
Barnsley is my nearest town. Both DC born there. It has had massive redevelopment in the last 10 years or so, but it’s still…. Barnsley. The shops are not great (Bring back M&S) - it’ll always suffer from being close to Meadowhall in that respect, and outside of the town centre hasn’t changed much. There is some lovely surrounding countryside though.

Sounds like Frome or Bradford-On-Avon

Wells or a similar small city. Bigger cities don’t appeal to me one bit.

Norwich. I'm from York and thought it had a similar vibe. With the addition of amazing.beaches, the broads and good weather

Cheshire

But you’re not answering the question. We have no idea why the OP only wants England. You don’t know her reasons so can’t say she needs to open her mind. Maybe she’s already considered Wales and Scotland and just wants ideas for England now?

The too Welsh comment was surely because the OP only wanted England and not actually what that poster thought of the city.

Having just visited Lincoln I wouldn’t mind living there. Beautiful city.

York . Have been recently and the people and vibe were lovely . Some great places to eat aswell . It is a city but didn’t feel like one , more intimate .

Cork, Oban, Exeter or Truro would be the dream,
However due to family commitments, Wrexham is looking more likely.

My favourite poster on here is the one who says she would move to London because ... MI5 and MI6 😁

Manchester - lots of great vibes close to beautiful countryside and ease of travel to other cities, wales and Scotland

I'm from Liverpool and have lived in London and Litchfield in the Midlands .

Loved London still go often with work , we live in South Liverpool now which is great for us . Quick trains to Manchester, just over 2 hours to London , not far from North Wales . Lots of parks and on the M62 in 5 mins , we love it here . It's come on so much in the last 10 years and so much to do. But I do love London but my DP wouldn't live there .

Yes quite! We need a "what the fuck" emoji.

Thanks for this. Employment definitely not an issue as DH is already working there. His work is near the hospital so we've been looking around Unthank road but I love living in a village and it all just feels a bit busy. Would be nice for him not to have the commute though!

Manchester if you want a vibrant cultural city, nowhere else is quite like it outside of London. York if you prefer quaint but it is a bit rough at night.

Plymouth - love the combination of city life but also near to lovely villages by the sea, great walks nearby and fabulous views from the Hoe.

Love Manchester it’s a fantastic city.

I live between Lincoln and Woodhall Spa.... moved here in covid to be nearer my mum.
Property prices are very good, about an hour to the coast, an hour to Sheffield or Nottingham if you want to visit a bigger city.
Lincoln cathedral is stunning, Southwell Minster also close by. I love where I live.

I would like to move there as well! I’m lucky as I live between Liverpool and Chester which are mentioned lots on here. I think when you’ve lived in the same place for a long time it’s easy to forget the appeal of what others can see.

DD is looking to move to Exeter- what are people’s views on there? It’s been mentioned a couple of times.

I haven’t actually been in many English cities. I’ve only visited London, Liverpool (once), Nottingham (once) and Newcastle (twice). Been to more towns and countryside. Currently in Scotland and medium-long term plan is to move to Edinburgh area so not really on the cards but:

London if money was no object.
Newcastle for transport links, and proximity to Scotland.
I always fancied Bristol but a few comments on here have put me off.

Re Bristol - it has beautiful elements. I’ve visited it a lot and go on business now. Clifton nice, old town streets and areas round river , Ss Great Britain etc all good. People in my experience generally lovely and remind me of student days in Glasgow with people very willing to help with directions, engage with strangers, share a joke etc. Regeneration of Cabot’s Circus shopping mall and surrounds with huge M&S, new Sephora etc. all VG

But …. as I said stinks of pot in city centre, open drug taking and bag snatching, aggressive beggars, lots of homeless, no discernible police daytime presence, no litter clearing or apparent investment in city works. I don’t understand it. It should be hugely wealthy given the business interests, numerous law and accountancy firms etc. To be honest, last time I was visiting it didn’t feel safe at night and a bit sketchy in day even. I’ve heard the suburbs are pretty nice; maybe that’s where people with money live so the centre is neglected.

I was going to say Bradford on Avon or Corsham except Corsham doesn’t have the river- BOA would fot beautifully though