Which English city should I live in?
 

Hey guys!
I'm posting here in the hopes of getting advice from people who (hopefully) have more experience than me! I'm a 24yo female currently living in France, and I'm thinking about moving to England. I previously lived in several other countries (namely Japan, the US & Switzerland), but I've never been to England.
The thing is that I have a lot of trouble deciding on a city to move in. I've been doing research for a couple of days, and while several have struck my interest, it's just really hard to tell which ones would be great places to live in, away from tourist attractions.

So my question is -- do you have any recommendations? Just to give you guys some pointers, I love history and green spaces, and I love diversity and learning new things. A city that is both charming and cosmopolitan would be great. I'm also hoping to meet people my age so somewhere that is perhaps not too secluded and quite lively would be fun. In terms of budget, a city that is reasonably priced would be great! (ie. not having to pay 800 bucks for a small room in a shared house)

Again, I've read about many English cities so I know my description could fit many places, but I'm really looking for advice from people who have lived in England to know what their experience was, as all I'm reading about is usually written by tourists and/or travel agencies.

Of course, I'm planning to visit every city that has struck my interest before making the big leap, but some help & advice would be lovely to get a better idea of what my options are.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! I'm hoping some of you will be able to help. :)

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

There are as many answers to your question as the are towns and cities in the UK, but your "not wanting to pay $800 for a room in a shared house" is likely to be a limiting factor. And for clarity do you have some amount in mind that you would pay for a room in a shared house, or do you want to find a place of your own, and of so, on what budget?

One thing I am intrigued about, and if I don't ask, I know others will, on what basis are you planning to live in the UK? Do you have a British or Irish passport, or will you be a visitor who would need a visa if you planned to "live" in the UK?

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

If you are EEA nationality - my advice is to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) for LLR (less than five years in the UK, one piece of evidence needed within six months prior to application). That way you can get LLR status and come and go as you please provided it's six months or less of each year.

You'd then be free to reside in the UK.

Just make sure you apply before 31 December 2020.

To clarify: If you are an EEA citizen, no visa is needed other than status under the EUSS. (remember that any status in this scheme is not considered a 'visa')

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

Newcastle
Liverpool
Manchester

Tick all the boxes. All are big enough that tourism is swamped by real life.

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

[QUOTE=Edena4;12818579]Hey guys!
I'm posting here in the hopes of getting advice from people who (hopefully) have more experience than me! I'm a 24yo female currently living in France, and I'm thinking about moving to England. I previously lived in several other countries (namely Japan, the US & Switzerland), but I've never been to England.
The thing is that I have a lot of trouble deciding on a city to move in. I've been doing research for a couple of days, and while several have struck my interest, it's just really hard to tell which ones would be great places to live in, away from tourist attractions.

So my question is -- do you have any recommendations? Just to give you guys some pointers, I love history and green spaces, and I love diversity and learning new things. A city that is both charming and cosmopolitan would be great. I'm also hoping to meet people my age so somewhere that is perhaps not too secluded and quite lively would be fun. In terms of budget, a city that is reasonably priced would be great! (ie. not having to pay 800 bucks for a small room in a shared house)

Again, I've read about many English cities so I know my description could fit many places, but I'm really looking for advice from people who have lived in England to know what their experience was, as all I'm reading about is usually written by tourists and/or travel agencies.

Of course, I'm planning to visit every city that has struck my interest before making the big leap, but some help & advice would be lovely to get a better idea of what my options are.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! I'm hoping some of you will be able to help. :)[/QUOT

Exeter, Newcastle (having just visited Northumberland there is loads to see and do, plenty of history and great beaches, market towns are all fairly near by), Norwich, Salisbury and Winchester are very nice cities with easy access to countryside and English historical areas.

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

Another vote for Newcastle. When we first returned we rented a 2 bed flat in Jesmond (which is full of students) for £650/month. None of your £800 for a room in a shared house there.

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

Questions is if it has to be England? I'm sure a City like Cardiff would also offer something, or at least a lot of students seem to recommend it. Then you also have Scotland (Edinburgh/Glasgow).

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

Newcastle.

Ok, I'm biased, I live about10 miles west in the beautiful Tyne Valley and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I am totally in awe of Northumberland every time I step out the front door. But seriously, "The Toon", as Newcastle is affectionately known, ticks all your boxes. The city, along with surrounding countryside, beaches, castles and the like - there's enough here to keep you busy for a very long time. An annual membership to English Heritage or the like would come in very handy. If you're up for some real history (and exercise) there's Hadrian's Wall which runs the width of the country with its Roman forts along the way - you don't get any more historic than that. The city itself has a very vibrant nightlife, great architecture and good transport links. You can get to London by high speed rail in about three hours (usually 😏). Fancy a trip to Scotland? Edinburgh's about 1 hr 40 min the other way. I'll stop now because I could go on all night. Good luck with your move to wherever you land. 😊

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

Lovely to see you Curlytop. :wave:

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

+1 :starsmile:

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

Under the prevailing circumstances, I would like to nominate this as "the most irrelevant active thread on BE". :lol:

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

Most of us go where the work is. Not many have the choice of destination.

Re: Which English city should I live in?
 

We loved our visit to Northumberland and to honest it's a first for us we did not personally feel there are any negatives for this county..... truly lovely. We visited vindolanda (I just love anything Roman lol) and well worth a visit and we are planning another visit to Northumberland as there was just so much to see and do we just did not have the time. Tynemouth really impressed us...we drove right up the coast from there to Holy Island..we have never stopped and started the car so often lol.