DandNHill

You don't even have to go to the north west. I lived a few miles from Horsham, West Sussex until 5 months ago. Now, Horsham is an affluent town commutable to London so there is money there. Yet the town is gradually shutting down. There are more and more charity shops lining the streets and boarded up shop fronts making the town very desolate.
It has changed considerably over the last 3 years roughly.

NovaBlues

Not sure if Boy d was referring to the NW of England or Canada but I live back here in the NW of England and trust me, here in Cumbria life doesn't get much better.

Certainly, fewer places are more affluent based upon population spread. We have more land per person, better air quality, the outdoor recreation is second to none and apart from the tourists it's my ideal place.

I just had to get Canada out of my system and it made me realise that NW England (my place of birth and it seems life) has certainly moved on since the Industrial Revolution. It's definitely not grim up north or why do so many southerners own second homes here!?

NovaBlues

This is what's keeping Britain afloat at the moment. Our ability to reuse and recycle stuff. More and more people are using ebay and charity shops as a way to make ends meet. It's not a sign of negativity it's a sign that commercialism is having to take a back seat for a while. THAT is what I love about England, we're able to prioritise and rally round.
I work for the National Trust and we now have 4 million members, more than ever before. Showing that people are preferring to save money on unnecessary things and choosing to spend their money where they can enjoy things as a family, together.

nwtrucker

Have a quick scout through any daily newspaper (not just The Daily Fail either!) and the evidence is there in black & white. Thank God Brown opted out of the Euro or we'd be totally screwed!! Each person/family has their own view of course.....my cousin and his family came back to the UK for a visit at xmas too and couldn't wait to get back to Saskatchewan! Horses for courses!

canbritdenise

Yep, each family has different circumstances. Personally we wouldn't go anywhere without a job offer.
We had a job to come to here in Canada 8 years ago, which made things so much easier. Don't feel we would of settled as well as what we did if it wasn't for the fact that family come out all the time. As were getting older priorities change, and now we feel its time to reacess our life. (weve already had hits on CV back in England as well)sometimes its not about the country but about the extended family. Who knows where we will be in a few years, but going home made us relies how much we miss out on.

Boy d

I know the area....my old man is from lancaster...nice, but also bloody wet and lots of work for sheep farmers. I was referring to the larger cities, manchester and liverpool etc....and they moost certainly can be grim

MarylandNed

All cities have grim areas - some of the worst I've seen are in London. I went to uni in Manchester, had my first job there and lived there 6 years total. Those were among the best years of my life and Manchester was a great city to be single in - especially if you're a football fan because the area is loaded with football clubs. If I didn't have kids, I wouldn't think twice about living in Manchester again. Though I will admit to having had 2 different places broken into (once each) and my car broken into once in those 6 years.

Also it's a myth about Manchester being the rainiest city in the UK. Swansea, Plymouth, Cardiff, Bristol, Glasgow and a few others get more rain than Manchester (which is only 9th on one of the lists I've seen).

el_richo

That's your first problem right there.

Boy d

I said Cumbria not manchester is the wettest....well I was born in manchester, still have family there, go often, most of it very grim, don't like footy...anyway I was commenting on there b eing some very poor areas in response to a post claiming tjat the uk appesred more affulent......

el_richo

I hate the game. I've lost count at how many people have tried to talk football with me since i've lived here. I haven't a clue about it and people seem genuinely shocked that i'm English and feel that way.

I really don't miss the excessive coverage of it in the English media.

Oink

I bet you're one of those who don't like proper beer and darts. You're one of them posh people isn't it don't you know? Are you getting your boating blazer ready for the boat race?

MarylandNed

Oh yeah - Cumbria (and parts of Scotland) are definitely the worst areas for rain. Agree there are some really grim areas in the UK and I've lived in quite a few. As usual it's all relative - depends on where you're comparing to where. Anyone can make Canada look bad in comparison to the UK and vice versa if you pick the right places for the comparison.

Oink

And you live in Maryland.

MarylandNed

Yep - Montgomery County, Maryland. One of the most affluent counties in the US. Look it up.

Oink

I lived in DC for five years, Kalorama Circle, and I know what a shit hole suburban Maryland is.