Gransnet forums

Chat

Best and worst places to live?

(10 Posts)
Nonnie Thu 14-Nov-13 13:35:20

http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/14/best-and-worst-places-to-live-in-uk-revealed-4186935/?ITO=facebook

Discuss.

Seems like the South East is not necessarily the best place to live. I wonder what the Scottish grans will have to say!

Pikkapen Thu 14-Nov-13 15:37:38

Having been born a Lancashire lass who moved to the South East due to my dad's job, I love the friendliness of the Northerners, but love the sun and warmth of the S.E. And Scotland wouldn't be so beautiful if it was hot and sunny all the time! It really is a matter of personal taste and what you want.

FlicketyB Thu 14-Nov-13 16:03:17

Having led a peripatetic life, I am always happy where I am at any given time. I have been fortunate to never have lived anywhere I considered awful.

bikergran Thu 14-Nov-13 18:57:01

as I am still a Lancashire lass...at 58 think this is where I am to stay, I do love Wales though ! smile
I think that some times when these programmes/books are flying about saying where the worst place is to live....we have to remember that these places are peoples home towns and some of them have no choice but to live there either because of work/family/financial etc. I can't say I am enthralled with where I live, but my family are near by all within 4 miles.

Eloethan Thu 14-Nov-13 20:53:15

I tend to think these surveys take a very simplistic approach. It very much depends on the temperament of the person and what their personal tastes are whether they like living in a place or not.

I've lived in and around London, in Essex, West Sussex, Suffolk and Lancashire. Every place had things I liked and things I didn't. I found the very rainy climate of Lancashire very difficult to cope with and I missed being near London, but Lancashire has some very beautiful countryside. As a teenager, I lived in a pretty Suffolk village but I hated the lack of amenities and was thoroughly bored.

I love London and I also liked living in West Sussex. Quite often the "best places to live" are those with a larger proportion of well-off people who can afford to live in the most scenic and unspoilt areas with the best amenities.

Granny23 Thu 14-Nov-13 21:01:07

metro.co.uk/2013/11/14/best-and-worst-places-to-live-in-uk-revealed-4186935/?ITO=facebook

Gally Thu 14-Nov-13 21:27:27

Well, I lived in Surrey for 16 years which is on the Best List and I have lived in Fife for 32 years which is on the Worst List and I know which county I would prefer to live in........... wink

Granny23 Thu 14-Nov-13 21:59:41

What a strange and arbitrary selection of things to consider as making somewhere 'best place to live'. Nothing about availability of decent housing, access to open spaces, public transport, health care and culture, high standards of free education - things that I would consider important. I am aware that here in Central Scotland we have slow broadband but that has hardly blighted my life and we are slowly catching up with urban areas.

As to the data in the categories they have chosen - what a load of rubbish. Where did they get these figures from? Apparently, the crime rate is 37 in every area of Scotland and we all get 1175 hours of sunshine. Have they not heard that the Moray Coast is one of the sunniest areas in the whole of the UK while it rains most days in FortWilliam? Do they not realise that it costs 50% less to insure a car at my Postcode rather than in Glasgow.
The most astonishing figure of all is the one where it gives, throughout the
UK,an average £50 + or - a £1 or so spend on food each week confused. I realise that some will be single-person households but do they really only spend around £20 a week in order to lower the average to £50?

gillybob Thu 14-Nov-13 22:15:30

Couldn't agree with you more Granny23 .

FlicketyB Thu 14-Nov-13 22:51:46

When you read the statistics the variation between the ten best and ten worst is places is really not very much, suggesting that, as Granny23 says, these are not the factors that make a place good to live in or not

In addition any survey like this where 8 out of 10 of the worst places are in Scotland, indeed cover most of Scotland, should surely raise doubts about the validity of the factors they have chosen.

It is a classic example of the company who did the survey choosing statistics to prove their point, except they are too stupid to see that the results are so skewed and distorted that they are obviously meaningless.