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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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!

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.

Bring your thermals - it a bit nippy up here!

I’m off to pack my bags and join you mad people Georgesgran .

Come to the North East - in Durham and Newcastle, we love everyone and strike up conversations with complete strangers! Some think we’re mad!

We lived in a north west Tassie for a while and they were very clannish and called the rest of Australia that big island up there. We made friends with people like us who were there short term- the locals weren’t interested. That was a long time ago so hopefully things have improved.

Did you notice Aldom I said most of my friends have moved here, as you did ?

Farzanah

Some of the Shire Counties can be a bit difficult to settle in if you’re not from there.
In Shropshire most of my friends are people who have moved here.
I was born in Shropshire but only lived here last few years. It’s the sort of place where if you strike up a conversation in a supermarket with a stranger they look panicked and head for the exit!

I spent 25 very happy years living in Shropshire. Originally I was an incomer, but made so welcome right from the start. I keep the warmest of memories of Shropshire in my heart.
I've been in Oxfordshire for the last 11 years. Again welcome from the start. I have made many good friends here. In the past I've lived in Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales, Yorkshire and Holland. I've been happy and welcome in all these places.

I see anno's point about school gates (and had 5 children so was there a very long time!) but this Shire county (Leicestershire) is very friendly. We live near NottinghamSHIRE and find that very friendly and I come from DerbySHIRE - one of the friendliest places in the country.

Farzanah

Some of the Shire Counties can be a bit difficult to settle in if you’re not from there.
In Shropshire most of my friends are people who have moved here.
I was born in Shropshire but only lived here last few years. It’s the sort of place where if you strike up a conversation in a supermarket with a stranger they look panicked and head for the exit!

I've done that in Australia and they look at me as if I need to be led away and locked up.
DD said "You're not in Bristol now, Mum".

Bristol is friendly.

Not all of London is friendly. The part of London we moved to was unfriendly, not all welcoming. It was better after I joined in with the PTA and an ante-natal group but would have been impossible without those ways of introduction.

Daddima
That’s perfect. Exactly what I have been trying to say.

It was much easier for me to make friends when I had young children. The school gate is a friendship agency! In Nottingham, Leicestershire and Norfolk, I had friends in NHR (as it was then), mums and toddlers clubs and baby-sitting groups. In also got involved in politics which fortunately made me more friends than enemies. Fast forward to our move to Greater Manchester. I worked in the city and came home to a dormitory suburb and it was difficult to make friends at either end of the commute. The boys were teenagers and I no longer haunted the school gate. I had a few good friends, mainly through my political activities - I'm the sort of person who immediately becomes secretary of any group!
I don't think there was much difference in friendliness between any of the communities in which I lived. The difference was in my ability to get involved. U3A and NWR have been my lifelines in the small town where I have lived for 22 years.
Born and brought up in the West of Scotland, I know you can't beat the folk there for their friendliness. Everybody knew my mum and her family so everybody knew us kids and woe betide us if we got up to mischief which was immediately reported to mum! Och! maybe it's nostalgia giving me rose coloured specs!

Parts of North Yorkshire if you are an 'incomer'. I was told early on that we would have to live there 25 years to be accepted. North East England very friendly and welcoming.

Some of the Shire Counties can be a bit difficult to settle in if you’re not from there.
In Shropshire most of my friends are people who have moved here.
I was born in Shropshire but only lived here last few years. It’s the sort of place where if you strike up a conversation in a supermarket with a stranger they look panicked and head for the exit!

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”.

People move around from area to area so much these days.
It has to be the individuals that you meet.
One size does not fit all in any area.