The friendliest and least friendly places to live in U.K

Daddima

I remember the tale of the stranger who was coming into a village and met an old man on the way.
“ Tell me, what are the people like here?” he asked.
“What were the people like where you were before?” said the old man
“ Oh, they were lovely, very friendly, kind and helpful”
“ Well, I think you’ll find them much the same here”

Later, another stranger came along and asked the same question.
“ What were the people like where you were before?” asked the old man.
“ Oh, they were very mean and unfriendly, always complaining and finding fault”.
“ Well, I think you’ll find them much the same here”.

Never heard the story, but this is so so true. Your own attitude will determine how you perceive people and are perceived. Spot on.

RichmondPark1

I've moved around a lot and find the unfriendliest places are villages where you have to have six generations in the church yard before you're worthy of a smile.

To me people seem more relaxed, open and less wary in large towns and cities, but then I am a city type of person.

I’ve moved a fair bit too (mainly South of England) and based on my experience, would have to agree.
People in cities generally accept newcomers and are polite.
The little hamlet we lived in was very welcoming but the village dwellers (particularly a certain type with a chip on their shoulder about incomers), seem to eye newcomers with deep suspicion.
It didn’t bother me much whilst I was busy working, but having retired, I’ve decided to escape before it’s too late and I become like them!

I can't agree that your own attitude will determine how you perceive people and are perceived.

If you have lived in a number of places and not had a personality change between one and another then really everyone should seem the same (place to place) if this was true.

I can't agree that your own attitude will determine how you perceive people and are perceived.
Me neither. Wherever I’ve been, with only one city exception, if I’ve smiled and asked a question e.g. Do you know where . . . Or , Is there a . . . I’ve always, been pleasantly greeted. In the one city exception, several people rather rudely informed me in various ways that it wasn’t their job to tell me. Happily, it didn’t apply to the whole country.

In truth, I don’t t think you can generalise about a place. Wherever you go, some people will be friendly and welcoming, and some won’t.

I’m from the north east. I now have lived in Essex for 5 years. It’s a total contrast.
Essex can be super unfriendly. I’m a smiley friendly and chatty person and I struggle.
I’m still not used to it ?.
I try to retain my friendly nature but it’s a struggle. The effort I’ve made with people here is very one sided as well. I’m hoping In the future to move back up north.
Teesside, Durham, Hartlepool Sunderland Newcastle are so friendly. I still feel like an outsider in Essex sadly

I'm sorry for you Tahaus, when I moved to Newcastle I made lots of friends and learned to smile and talk to people.
Keep smiling don't let them get you down. I know all the places you mention and how friendly and open the people are. When my DD moved south, her first comment was they needed to learn how to laugh, including her in-laws.

Like a lot of people I've moved around over the years and would definitely say the friendliest places have been larger towns and cities. I haven't noticed a difference in friendliness between the north and south. I've found that cities can usually absorb many different kinds of people and offer them ways to flourish.
The unfriendliest places I've lived have been villages, though I wouldn't say they're all alike in this respect by any means. (I've lived in a couple of super-friendly villages with a lot going on and where people make a point of making sure everyone is included.) At their worst though, villages can be hives of bitchiness, and I've found that some people have so little contact with anyone else outside the village that their minds are closed to any opinion that differs from their own. They gossip in their little cliques, are very unfriendly to newcomers and back each other up in their prejudices.
I live close to a large city now with a real mix of people. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Born and brought up in the West End of Glasgow. Although I have travelled extensively, working/living abroad/ cities in the UK, I always yearned for home. Going into the city which many Glaswegians agree is like a village where we are bound to bump into at least one person we know, failing that, a blether with complete strangers is guaranteed no matter where you hail from. I have spoken to many tourists who visit Glasgow which they describe as a warmly welcoming and friendly city and would love to return here.
The only city I felt unwelcome was London. Very few responded to a smile or hello or go out of their way whenever I asked for directions. Blank response more often than not.

I'm from N.Ireland and we would chat away to anyone so when I moved to East Midlands when got married and found it strange that people wouldn't really get into a conversation with me in shops, at bus stops, etc. Sometimes they looked at me strangely if I even said hello. I then moved up to the North West, near Warrington, and found them more chatty like me.

I was born in Liverpool and I still miss the people and the humour after all these years.

We scousers have the reputation of being hard and smart but underneath we are really very soft hearted when you get to know us. Liverpudlians have the reputation of being dishonest. However we take our example from the scurvy scammers in whitehall. We have our own code. Above all we are faithful in friendship and would walk through hell, fire and water for our friends. Equally we will pay back our enemies.