To dislike Birmingham?

[redeoof]

I’ve worked in the city maybe 4 years now .. there really isn’t much appealing about it. I once overheard a woman on the train say she does guided tours for Manc, London and Birmingham - and Bham is a hard sell.

I’ve been coming into New Street station for years and there’s always been construction and it’s never seemed to progressed to anything.

I walk down New Street and actually feel unsafe. It’s depressing and dreary .. and it should be so much more

The accent is diabolical.

Primark is in no way, shape or form going to entice me to any city no matter how great it apparently is. The bar is low clearly.

Pigeon Park, Centenary Square, St Paul’s Square if you’re in the JQ

The canal area is lovely though

I used to drive a white van on a delivery round that included a couple of drops in Birmingham. My routes through the week included Kent, east London, Essex and East Anglia, Reading down to the south coast, Nottingham, Stoke…, Birmingham was the only drop where two men from the shop had to come out and protect the open van from marauding youths while my delivery was unloaded. Horrible, horrible place.

Thanks

I think we can establish that Birmingham is rough in parts, and great in other parts, a great place to visit, but some people wouldn't wanna live there.

Ya know, like every other city and big town - ever! 🙄

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I lived in B23 and B24 in the late 90's. I worked in Nechells, Tyburn Road and Aston so not the best areas to be fair but I did venture to the city centre a fair bit too. I hated it. I never felt safe and wasn't accepted by some people who had never even met me ( friends of my dp) because I was an outsider. I found many peoole insular and rude though some were friendly ( mainly those from Dudley way who I worked with)

Maybe its better now, but I would never return

I feel the same about a lot of cities in England. I give you also London and Bradford, which are up there with Birmingham for being shitholes. I live in Bradford, which is similar to Birmingham, on a smaller scale. Dirty and crime ridden. I commute to Birmingham every three months because most of my team live there. Hate it. Used to live in London many years ago. When I visit now, as still have some members of family there, it’s like visiting a scene of the walking dead if you venture onto the underground or the backstreets just steps away from the tourist attraction areas. Tents everywhere (how and why do they allow people to just pop up tents on the pavements?!), people begging and just literally lying down drugged up or drunk in public spaces.

What do you expect them to do about it?

I’m not from Birmingham but what’s so bad about it, nowhere near as bad as the Scouse accent. But it’s all subjective isn’t it. I’m sure you speak with a perfect RP accent 🤔

No worries.

So what makes a place feel part of the uk, in your opinion?

I’ve lived in London for over 30 years and whenever I go to another British city such as Manchester or Birmingham I am always amazed how clean and calm they are in comparison.

Birmingham City centre is the height of sophistication after Stratford or Wood Green

If there are no benches, doesn't it mean they're worried that homeless people will sleep on them?

I don’t expect them to do anything 🤣

I think the brunmie accent is diabolical. That’s it.

I’m sure others will find my broad South Yorkshire accent diabolical too but I won’t get offended about it.

So an unsafe city?

Yep, I dont feel safe there. Stopped going few years ago as it was too stressful. Feel much safer in London than Birmingham.

lol I also compared London to the walking dead

Yes, @Rrei and @WhitneySpears what is it about Birmingham that makes it feel like it isn't part of the UK?

Your dps friends sound rude, I don’t think that’s a Brummie thing that’s a twat thing

London Overarching Metrics: The aggregated crime rate across Greater London sits around 82 crimes per 1,000 people.

Birmingham Overarching Metrics: Birmingham city center and its wider districts track an average overall crime rate of roughly 143 crimes per 1,000 residents

Well you are not unreasonable to dislike anywhere but obviously people will have a range of opinions about anywhere so you would be unreasonable to think your impressions of a place are some objective truth about it. We had a week there recently with the kids as a family holiday and thought it was fantastic. Loads of nice spaces, quirky museums, great restaurants, really friendly locals and easy access to attractions like Cadbury world, all the stuff in Dudley, Warwick castle & the Shakespeare houses in Stratford. I came away thinking it seemed a really nice place to live 🤷‍♀️

But what’s the point in even saying it.

I agree though, can’t think of much worse than a dense Yorkshire accent.

I go to the Chmarkets and to catch a train to Stratford upon Avon etc. There always seems to be a fight in the Macdonalds. It's got places worth visiting, but there seems to be more fights, that escalate fast, than I've experienced in other cities. I wouldn't do the markets again at night.

Credible source?