just found out theres a very strong possibility that i might be moving to hull for work purposes! Never been further north than cardiff before (I come from bournemouth, as south as you can get!) so I was wondering if any of you guys could tell me what it's really like? a comparison to bournemouth would be sweet! cheers guys (PS, i'm well aware that it's been named worst city in the UK quite recently too!)
It's Hull. I don't think there's more to say than that. The north is broadly the same as the south, counter to what people actually think
There's nowt there! Worst city, not surprised! I wouldn't say the north is the same as the south, I think there is a lot of culture difference. Buildings tend to be more traditional in the North too. Although a Southerner I do prefer the northern cities for their style and friendliness, even if crime is supposingly higher.
Oh yes, it's different, but it's not like living in a foreign country like some people actually think.
I am from Hull. It's not that bad if you are in the right places. There are some areas that are infested with 'chavs' and you don't want to be around there at night. Do you know whereabouts you will be staying? I grew up in hull and moved to middlesbrough for Uni, which has been named the worst place to live in the UK this year (the year before was Hull). I have got to say, Middlesbrough is a lot worse.
The Arm Pit of Yorkshire. That’s it’s official second name, honest. It’s definitely worth a trip to judge for your self it always gets a ribbing. Not sure about the town but there are some nice villages outside it. It’s no Leeds, but there are worst towns up here (just).
I always found it a bit rubbish, but thats it. Don't be scared of going there though, its not as if you can't walk the streets. (Although I must admit its been a few years since I went there) Like BigD70 says, there are some nice villages that surround it though, and generally the people are quite nice.
That's an understatement. "The right places" are few and far between. Hull is essentially a run down, city centre surrounded by sink estates. I know. I used to live there for 7 years. Think faded glory. Hull used to be home to a massive fishing industry and sea trade. It still has a range of what used to be spectacular Victorian buildings and features, but no money to maintain them so they went to seed mostly in the 70's with the decline of the fishing industry. It used to have decent transport until Maggie Tatcher wielded her business savvy in the field of privatisation and all but bankrupted the place. Now busses are ran by disparate private companies with what looks like decomissioned rolling stock. The wrought iron gates and lamp posts of the parks have long disappeared, but you wouldn't want to walk there at night anyway. Hull Royal Hospital will always be remembered by me for motivating me to go BUPA. The city itself is poor, poor, poor throughout, with vast tracts of soulless council estate surrounding the centre, populated by pasty-faced chain-smoking, gluesniffing and cheap cider drinking chavs, who roam around like zombies looking for a brain to eat (and needless to say, going hungry). The biggest council estate in Europe (until recently, the world) is in Hull. It has the highest gun crime and car crime rate, and --partly thanks to two pharmaceutical companies based there having their stock pilfered at an alarming rate-- the highest trade in illegal drugs. The city centre layout was re-organised to make it harder for car thieves to make their escape (all side-roads from Beverley Road are dead-ends. There are only three main routes out of the city centre. Pick any one. The Avenues are a tiny spot near the city centre now and the best place to live (relatively), with big red-brick victorian houses and mature trees but the fountains have all crumbled and the whole area is subject to massive subsidence, making most houses a non-viable option for mortgaging (Hull is built mostly on clay --it is why it flooded so easily last Summer. It is also Hull, which is why nobody took note). On the upside, rent is dirt cheap, as is the cost of living, and it has a thriving student community (yes, the latter is a good thing. I'll explain later why). Hull University is one of those unlikely places that despite being relatively small and located in a dive of a city with a below average IQ, and is one of the best in the country to study at. It also has the best mental health service that I know of (and it needs it, trust me), and happens to have an excellent cancer service. The best place to live in Hull is outside of Hull. No, really. Seven miles down the road finds Beverley, a picturesque middle-class village where everybody lives who has to work in Hull, but can afford not to live there. Whereas Hull is the cheapest place in Britain to buy a house, Beverley is the most expensive. That ought to tell you something. Hull is also flanked to the west by many pleasant villages, just off the M62 (the road into, and out of Hell Hull) and if you drive not too far, beautiful Yorkshire landscapes. Hull culture is a story in itself. Being near the East coast and off the beaten track, the only reason to travel through Hull is if you have to stop there, or pass on the way to the ferry to Rotterdam. As such it is quite insular in attitude, reinforced by a predominantly white, poor, very conservative population (I told you the students were good for something) which talks in a funny accent (I mean, really funny --Rab C. Nesbitt sounds like he was educated at Eaton in comparison). If you want to sample Hull but not travel that far North, visit Dudley, and imagine it on a much larger scale. You poor man! Admittedly, there are a few worse places to live: Goole and Redditch come to mind...
Haha, well thankfully I live near the University, which is a relatively nice place to live. Although this is probably because the people that live around there are not actually from Hull... You mention is has the highest gun and car crime, it also has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the UK (or was it the world?). At least it did a couple of years ago. Someone actually told me that just one street in Hull itself (in a council estate of Bransholme) has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Hull. Who knows if it's true, but it's definitely funny. It's actually quite a sad situation. The 'chav' population continues to grow as uneducated 14 year olds have children, which are not born into the best situation in the world. And this vicious cycle continues on...
I love it... a comparison to Bornemouth My best friend went to uni there... for two months! during which time he did his savings and his entire loan for the year trying to obliterate his mistake. There is no doubt I'm a soft southern pansy but the sight of a dozen barely mobile drunk russian sailors in the most outrageous haiwaian shirts and shiny jeans you've seen set a firm image of Hull in my mind... then there's the fact it's north of the Watford gap so you'll be frozen
Why thank you. I do enjoy reminiscing about my Community Mental Health work days in Hull a little like veterans like to talk about their tour of duty in 'Nam (you can take that both ways). I forgot to mention the massive teen pregnancy rates (thank you, manjowithane), and the fact that it owns its own telephone company. This was floated on the stock market a few years ago and suddenly presented a dirt-poor Hull council with a cool one billion in assets. This influx of money has not changed Hull one bit --a nice practical example of the old wisdom that you can't polish a turd.
oooh so that's what hull's really like....well i got a job interview next wk i think, and i'll find out more then about where i'll be staying and what i'll be doing....argh! not lookin good! oh, and bournemouth doesnt smell of wee
uay My oh my can't we tell theres a few leeds people here. For a start i have been all over the place in the UK and Hull isn't close to being the worse city about. I mean head to Bradford, its like leaving the country, Nottingham just head the other direction and avoid it, Leeds oh leeds, Hull has the nickname armpit of yorkshire? well Leeds easily falls into being Toilet of the north. Have a look at Grimsby, Grim being the word, "scum"thorpe is a low horrible place. See your biggest problem with Yorkshire is that we all hate each other, no city gets along with any other! its a fact. So if you ever ask a question about one or the other, you can almost be 100% sure that it will be answered by those who hate the city. The city in the last few years has been gradually restored and an influx of industry is starting up again, in fact its slowly moving up the old "list of bad cities" which is written by southerners who have never been up here and only use "FACTS" and "FIGURES" to write the list. The city is big on sports, Hull City AFC and obviously the 2 rugby teams Hull KR and Hull FC split the city on fanbase. The nightlife changes alot, the city centre was once packed out each saturday but now its empty and its shifted to the Old Town or Princess Ave. Shopping is ok, but im not a fan of it here, theres the 2 main large shopping areas of St Stephens and Prince's Quay. The quay is the older once but still looks great part built over an old sea dock. Its also alongside Whitefriargate shopping street and the bistro cafe's which go along the dockside. St Stephens is new, within the last few years it was completed and is popular. Parts of the city are run down just like anywhere else, but the last few years have seen it on the up and funnily enough other nearby places have started to decline. All in all its not a bad place at all, has the same perks and same flaws as most cities, its what you make of it.
