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).

Cheltenham is not a city though.

Barnsley??? Care to elaborate? Am curious.

I know not for you, but I'd return to London in a heartbeat (part-time).

We moved to Bristol for 18 months a few years ago. Nice enough, but would have been quite sad living there long-term. Nothing wrong with it, and clearly has a lot to offer; just not for me.

Cambridge in a heartbeat, maybe Norwich as a close second choice. Never seen the attraction of York, sorry 🫤

If only you could move to Edinburgh or Glasgow…..

Edinburgh 😊

I know, random?!

I lived there years ago and every time I visit, see that the town has really come on and is now really quite nice. People think Barnsley is 🥴 but it's really decent town with some lovely people.

See the people who keep saying Edinburgh or Glasgow or Cardiff or Belfast are you doing it on purpose???

I’m very lived in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee and loved them all for different reasons.

if I had to pick an English city I’d consider Newcastle, York or Manchester

Anyone else planning on visiting the English city of Edinburgh?

Stirling is gorgeous with a castle and and river.

Shrewsbury, I live near but love going there. I love the theatre, the little cinema, park, Cathedral, the shops and the river. Good transport connections to Birmingham too.

Newcastle
Edinburgh (not in England)
I’m from London so I don’t want to retrace my steps, but it’s a great place to live
Now in Oxford - love it!

I’m also pleased to see so many votes for Norwich. Have been here 25 years and maybe feel a bit jaded with the city centre in particular. Walking on pavements is lethal. Pedestrians ‘share’ the space with parked cars and speeding cyclists.

However a friend has relocated her family here and loves it. So many opportunities being part of various communities. Not sure about employment opportunities but by the amount of high end cars on the road, there plenty of wealth sloshing around.

I think the city reflects the changes in society so definitely doesn’t feel like a backwater.

😆

York
Harrogate
Bath
Durham

What an interesting description! I just feel at home wherever I go.

Except London. I just don't get the love for it. Whenever I go there, I ask myself "why have I done this?"

I quite like Norwich. It has a nice arty vibe.
Cambridge because I was a teen there, but it's expensive now.
Whitby, had lovely hols there, no idea what it's like to live.
But I love the sea so id go south if I could choose.

Depends what you want though!

Bristol

For me it would be Bath. And if widen the choice, Cardiff. But. If we are sticking to England, I like Lincoln, York too

I have three choices, Cambridge, Bath, or Harrogate. But I would need a gigantic budget.
I am imagining, however, that there is a beautiful small market town somewhere, set in beautiful rolling countryside, with a river, charming shops including a butchers, a good bakery, perhaps with the lovely golden stone houses. I would like a good square Georgian house in a large garden with an orchard.
As you can tell, I've really day-dreamt about this a lot, and I am sure this town exists even though I don't know it. Perhaps one of the towns around Bath?

I also don’t get the love for York, feels like a large town rather than a city and overrun with tourists. Seen some good shows at the opera house, but wouldn’t move there. I live near the Yorkshire dales and work in Leeds, so get a good mix of my friendly local town and access to shops and entertainment when needed.

We had a caravan so have done lots of UK holidays and visited a lots of towns and cities. I love Liverpool and Cambridge, DH loves Norwich. Bristol is nice, travel there a lot for work and friends live there, but not for me, not sure why.

It’s hard to pinpoint why you like or dislike different places isn’t it, but it’s a good job we all have different tastes otherwise we’d all be living on top of one another 😁

Scottish cities generally don't.

If I genuinely liked cities, needed to be in England, and could not live in London, I'd consider Birmingham. Yes, you have to be careful of where exactly you live, but the value for money, the transport links, the museums and galleries, the proximity to the capital, and the great outdoor markets are all pluses worthy of consideration.

@Katkincake I think you’ve hit on what people think of as attractive in York: it’s a city but small. With history and lots of culture.
On the flip side: It’s not built for traffic(obviously!) and is overrun with stags and hens and Harry Potter adults at weekends.
I love Cambridge.
Liverpool has the friendliest people too.

I was born in Birmingham and am saddened to see it not mentioned on here. It has a fabulous city centre close to the countryside lots of history.
I'd move back but think I've been out priced now.
That said I'm not far away only an hour on the train.

I'd move to Sheffield if not Birmingham.

Suprise to see York mentioned so much been a few times and think it has a horrible heavy atmosphere and is always so incredibly busy.

Also surprised to see Cheltenham mentioned so much. Partly because it isn't a city haha but mainly because it is so dull with vile traffic. I work there and have never once thought this is a place I'd like to live.