Favourite UK City

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that isn't london

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Glasgow	19
Edinburgh	9
Sheffield	7
Manchester	6
Leeds	5
Bristol	5
Belfast	3
Cardiff	2
Leicester	2
Birmingham	2
Newcastle	2
Nottingham	1
Liverpool	0

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:13 (eighteen years ago)

why the slim pickings?

― Ste, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:16 (eighteen years ago)

im strict

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:23 (eighteen years ago)

I pretty much like all these cities, although, try as I might, I have a bit of a blank spot for Liverpool, probably because I haven't visited it enough. And I've never been to Belfast. Comparing, say Edinburgh with my beloved Leicester just ain't fair. Our castle just can't compete.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:31 (eighteen years ago)

Never been to Belfast or Leicester

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:33 (eighteen years ago)

I suspect I may be the only person voting for Bristol here.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:33 (eighteen years ago)

Also some days I hate all the cities I love at other times.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:34 (eighteen years ago)

No St David's, no credibility.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:34 (eighteen years ago)

No Sunderland, Coventry or Brighton.

― NickB, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:35 (eighteen years ago)

im strict.

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:36 (eighteen years ago)

That's my xpost point. I've recently been to Bristol and what a great city. If you'd asked me this question the day after I'd been there I probably would have said that (actually I still would have voted Leicester because someone has to) but then I've just been to Birmingham and once again it rekindled the love.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:38 (eighteen years ago)

Heheh - shouldn't that be Brighton and Hove?

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:39 (eighteen years ago)

Hove can shove it. That's like having the City of London and Croydon or something.

― NickB, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:41 (eighteen years ago)

Hove can shove it
That could be Brighton's new city slogan...

Also Nottingham, Leicester - very good - but you need Derby to complete the cities of the East Midlands triumvirate.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:42 (eighteen years ago)

That's pretty North-o-centric.

None of my favourite cities are on it. No Oxford, no Cambridge, no Norwich?

― Masonic Boom, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:43 (eighteen years ago)

exeter is my official favourite, but out of the above i've gone for Sheffield.

thanks

― Ste, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:43 (eighteen years ago)

very torn between the two scottish choices. they are the two i've visited more than the rest put together (shopping in newcastle as a child excluded)

― CarsmileSteve, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:43 (eighteen years ago)

There's no city on list south of Bristol.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:44 (eighteen years ago)

Yes, every city is North of the Watford Gap. I don't understand what goes on up there.

― Masonic Boom, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:45 (eighteen years ago)

No Oxford, no Cambridge, no Norwich?

Piddly little market towns

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:46 (eighteen years ago)

bristol and cardiff are both south of watford gap

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:47 (eighteen years ago)

and are both south of watford also

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:49 (eighteen years ago)

"I suspect I may be the only person voting for Bristol here.

-- Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:33 (15 minutes ago)"

whydat? i'm torn between that and edinburgh.

oxford is not a market town, tom, it's a kind of mini-coventry with a theme park attached. and norwich -- historically as teh birthplace of english capitalism -- should be on this list.

― That one guy that quit, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

I'd prolly go for Bristol but I've not been to Newcastle, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Leicester, Liverpool or Leeds other than for the Carling Weekend one time. Things like this make me a tad ashamed :(

― DJ Mencap, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 10:06 (eighteen years ago)

I voted for Sheffield, but would have gone for Brighton.

― the next grozart, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 10:07 (eighteen years ago)

I know it's not a market town, but it's too piddly and small to be taken into account here (xxp)

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 10:07 (eighteen years ago)

Fuck a city that isn't London.

― Mark C, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 10:16 (eighteen years ago)

i was going to put oxford on the list, but there wasn't room

also, im strict

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 10:33 (eighteen years ago)

Fuck a city that isn't London or Brighton (and Hove).

― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:06 (eighteen years ago)

i think i like the smaller cities, partly just for being small. cities: example of inefficiencies of scale.

― That one guy that quit, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:16 (eighteen years ago)

The bigger the better, (one of) my main problems with Edinburgh is it's too small f'rinstance (that and not having a river running thru the centre of it)

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:21 (eighteen years ago)

Cities without rivers confuse me.

I mean, a coast is OK, but still not quite the same. A coast doesn't divide a city into neat sections like a river does.

― Masonic Boom, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:22 (eighteen years ago)

Brighton should be on the list. I live here. Not that that's what makes it great but it can't hurt.

Some of those definitely shouldn't be there. I quote:

"Sometimes ups outnumber the downs/But not in Notting-ham"

― Uptoeleven, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:24 (eighteen years ago)

A river is a must!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:25 (eighteen years ago)

Alma matters in mind, body and soul - Leicester it is.

― CharlieNo4, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:28 (eighteen years ago)

I voted Manc. Hard to say why really. At least it's the one I've visited the most tho (all this decade) and I've had some good nights out there.

Haven't been to Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle, Sheffield or Leicester (tho passed thru the last two).

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:31 (eighteen years ago)

Never mind Belfast, what about Derry!!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:33 (eighteen years ago)

I'm ashamed to say I've only been to Cardiff & Birmingham. I've flown from Manchester airport but I don't think that counts.

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:34 (eighteen years ago)

Alma matters in mind, body and soul - Leicester it is.

-- CharlieNo4, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:28 (9 minutes ago)

Another Leicester vote? - I thought I would be the only one in the world.

Leicester and Nottingham have both rivers and canals.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:40 (eighteen years ago)

No river is indeed Edinburgh's biggest problem.

― ledge, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:52 (eighteen years ago)

According to the very half-arsed Google search I just performed, Bradford is the sixth largest city in the UK by population?

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:54 (eighteen years ago)

Probably

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:55 (eighteen years ago)

Above Manchester!

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:56 (eighteen years ago)

Bradford's unique natural beauty, wonderful architecture, thriving economy, and tightly-knit communities stretching across racial divides would give it an unfair advantage in this poll, though.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:58 (eighteen years ago)

bradford has always been one of the larger cities in england, industrial revolution powerhouse and all that.

your figure is probably the bradford metropolitan district though, rather than bradford itself. as an actual city bradford is more like 10th or 11th in size

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:59 (eighteen years ago)

Actually, in fairness, the best sandwich I've ever had in my life was from Bradford. Mango Ploughman's.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:00 (eighteen years ago)

ie bradford and 'greater bradford' are conflated, whereas manchester is not conflated as its constricted by bolton, bury, rochdale, oldham etc

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:00 (eighteen years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cities_by_population

― onimo, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:01 (eighteen years ago)

"Population of entire Greater Manchester Urban Area is 2,244,931 (2005 estimate)"

but it is silent on leeds-bradford as conurbation.

― That one guy that quit, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:05 (eighteen years ago)

Who needs a river when you've got an enormous extinct volcano. Anyway there is a river, it's called the Water of Leith (not to mention the presently pooey firth of forth).

― leigh, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:06 (eighteen years ago)

Skipping 43 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Sinatra: "Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back!"
"No' in fuckin' Parkheed ya cunt!" BIFF POW OOF!!
**dooby dooby doo**

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 15:54 (eighteen years ago)

i voted for newcastle because i remember they used to have a really good record store downtown. also, it was christmas when i visited awww.

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 16:30 (eighteen years ago)

600 - I was in Leeds in... summer 2000 I think, staying with a friend then going to the festival.

Sheffield in late summer 96 and 97, staying with cool holiday friends.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 16:32 (eighteen years ago)

No Inverness, no credibility :-(

― ailsa, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:26 (eighteen years ago)

Gutted not to see Norwich. I voted for Manchester. I wish I could go to Glasgow.

― admrl, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:33 (eighteen years ago)

I actually quite like Leeds, too.

― admrl, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:33 (eighteen years ago)

It's clear that Norwich could have garnered at least two or three votes had 600 not been so strict.

― admrl, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:34 (eighteen years ago)

Belfast - train station like a nuclear bunker aqnd a shop called O'Hara's
Birmingham - future systems Selfridges (is it?)
Bristol - Mental Boyfriend
Cardiff - dunno, Carlotte Church?
Edinburgh - Genteel old women and narrow closes.
Glasgow -
Leeds - People ~~talking really loudly~~ shouting.
Leicester - ?
Liverpool - Fred's weather map.
Manchester - Gallaghers.
Newcastle - people with really good manners and people with really bad manners & no in between
Nottingham - dunno, robin hood?
Sheffield - dunno, the wedding present?

― jed_, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:48 (eighteen years ago)

Another Norwich fan here.

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:49 (eighteen years ago)

Norwich thirded.

― chap, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:52 (eighteen years ago)

Also, where is Brighton? Surely there's an ILX contingent from there.

― chap, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 17:53 (eighteen years ago)

i recall encountering quite a bit of Brighton hate when i first started posting on ILX

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 18:14 (eighteen years ago)

well ilx veterans are notoriously homophobic.

― That one guy that quit, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 18:18 (eighteen years ago)

Birmingham - the way you can walk from the Ikon gallery to the aforementioned future systems Selfridges along mostly car free roads.
Bristol - SS Great Britain (but really so much more)
Cardiff - National Assembly building
Edinburgh - Arthur's seat
Glasgow - GoMA (does anyone in Glasgow actually call it this?)
Leeds - Shopping
Leicester - The people (i.e. me and my friends) are really very nice, the largest covered market in Europe, also my son says I have to say the the National Space Centre.
Liverpool - I'm very much looking forward to the new Museum of Liverpool
Manchester - Oklahoma/Pelicanneck
Newcastle - ~~virtually naked women~~ amazing bold architecture
Nottingham - The Broadway - the best cinema in Britain
Sheffield - Hilly

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 18:35 (eighteen years ago)

Leicester - ?

Actually I'm quite happy with this...

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 18:36 (eighteen years ago)

Belfast - the why don't you gang
Birmingham - heavy metal
Bristol - trip hop and the clifton bridge
Cardiff - welsh people
Edinburgh - home
Glasgow - tongs/partick thistle
Leeds - corn exchange
Leicester - never been there
Liverpool - curly hair
Manchester - bez
Newcastle - brown ale
Nottingham - B&S 1998/The road to Jerusalem
Sheffield - Threads

― Keith, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 20:33 (eighteen years ago)

im strict.

i also hate gays

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:17 (eighteen years ago)

Belfast - the why don't you gang
Birmingham - heavy metal
Bristol - drinking myself stupid on the Thekla, nice but too many crusties
Cardiff - cup final, marvellous, loopy beer
Edinburgh - sculpture park/museum, favourite railway station
Glasgow - lots of friends and good times
Leeds - over promise, under deliver
Leicester - bus station, teh dullness
Liverpool - Anfield & great great pubs
Manchester - moody people, great (moody) music
Newcastle - only ever ever passed through!
Nottingham - Rollersnakes & scary scary nights out, also Selectadisc
Sheffield - Wonderful times, great shops, fantastic pubs, all very much in the past

― Porkpie, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:19 (eighteen years ago)

Belfast - went there in 93 (pre-ceasefire) and I'm incapable of thinking of Northern Ireland without thinking of the troubles
Birmingham - been through it, never to it, mental image = spaghetti junction
Bristol - school field trip to SSGB & Clifton Suspension Bridge in 88, nice bridge
Cardiff - never been, probably never will, mental image = rugby
Edinburgh - just been there, lots of daffodils, pretty good
Glasgow - never been, mental image = Rab C Nesbitt
Leeds - went there a few times in the early 90s but remember almost nothing about it, mental image = David Batty
Leicester - never been, mental image = Adrian Mole & crisps
Liverpool - went there loads of times in the 90s, not a huge fan, too many shellsuits (honestly)
Manchester - been zillions of times, like it
Newcastle - went once in 92, I think there was a hill, mental image = Jimmy Nail shouting incomprehensibly at a fat bloke with no top on in the middle of winter on that bridge over the Tyne
Nottingham - never been, mental image = Raleigh bikes
Sheffield - went a few times late 80s/early 90s, lots of hills and 60s estates, right next to the Peak District which is nice

― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:20 (eighteen years ago)

sheffield seems pretty good, and i would have said sheffield, but its getting a lot of love here

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:21 (eighteen years ago)

meant to say i would have said sheffield was underrated

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:22 (eighteen years ago)

sorry, my belfast and brum went wron there as I'd copied Keith's towns and pasted them in. Mind you I've never been to Belfast and only think of the troubles when it's mentioned (although the why don't you gang is a good shout)

Brum = new street bloody station, a shithole

― Porkpie, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:27 (eighteen years ago)

I just thought you were agreeing. I also think of Jasper Carrott when I think of Brum.

― Keith, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:32 (eighteen years ago)

Digbeth Bus Station = seventh circle of hell. Also my parents made us go on holiday to Birmingham when we were younger for a fortnight, so it makes me think of worst holiday ideas ever.

Cardiff city centre smells of hops. Mmmmm Brains Bitter...(another crap summer holiday destination dreamt up by my parents)

― ailsa, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:56 (eighteen years ago)

bump

― treefell, Friday, 27 April 2007 11:10 (eighteen years ago)

Belfast - been there once, last year. ~~Shitehole~~ Not great.
Birmingham - been once, for Univ interview in 1980
Bristol - saw The Clash there in 1982. never been back
Cardiff - great place - rugby, superb guitar shop, market
Edinburgh - very nice, but not been in ages
Glasgow - went to a wedding there in 1997. Loved it! Might be coming back soon on business.
Leeds - grim
Leicester - does it really exist? I have never met anyone from there or who's been there.
Liverpool - had a chinese meal there once. I should go back. I suspect it's classic
Manchester - classic
Newcastle - passed through once in the way to get a ferry. No opinion
Nottingham - never been.
Sheffield - goodish

― Dr.C, Friday, 27 April 2007 11:52 (eighteen years ago)

Leeds is wonderful you fool.

― braveclub, Friday, 27 April 2007 11:54 (eighteen years ago)

isnt leeds made out of crystal now?

my overriding memory of liverpool is of off-licenses with grills

― 600, Friday, 27 April 2007 12:10 (eighteen years ago)

Crystal and tin, yes.

― braveclub, Friday, 27 April 2007 12:10 (eighteen years ago)

Leicester - does it really exist? I have never met anyone from there or who's been there.

i live in leicester. its kinda sleepy, but is arguably the most multicultural city in the list above after london (eg i have spanish couple living downstairs, polish family next door, massive sikh temple about 100 yards down road etc etc). ie TEH YUM FOOD from all over the world - the indian food especially.

― zappi, Friday, 27 April 2007 12:26 (eighteen years ago)

after doing some googling, according to the 2001 census link

"Leicester is the most ethnically diverse of all UK cities, with a white population of 60.5 per cent. It is expected to be the first European city with a non-white majority. "

exciting!

― zappi, Friday, 27 April 2007 12:41 (eighteen years ago)

Sheffield's gonna walk this I reckon.

― the next grozart, Friday, 27 April 2007 12:57 (eighteen years ago)

seems that way, an unexpected success if so (though i guess sheffield university is quite well represented by ilxors?)

― 600, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:01 (eighteen years ago)

there used to be more Mancs on ILX.

― blueski, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:21 (eighteen years ago)

[/i]Leicester - does it really exist? I have never met anyone from there or who's been there.[i]

I live there and it's great. But people really do seem to have something against the place. A friend of mine met someone at a party and when asked where they lived said South Leicestershire even though they lived within the city boundaries.

― Ned Trifle II, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:39 (eighteen years ago)

The someone said that not my friend I hasten to add.

― Ned Trifle II, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:39 (eighteen years ago)

Glasgow - went to a wedding there in 1997. Loved it! Might be coming back soon on business.

Business that involves going to pubs, I hope.

― ailsa, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:42 (eighteen years ago)

It is odd how few Mancs are on ilx these days. Is it just myself and Pisces repping for the cit-ay? What happened to Tag and Yer Mam and the rest? (a minutes silence for Graham, the boy who Manchester did mangle)

― NI, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:16 (eighteen years ago)

Tag thinks ILX is full of *****.

― Keith, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:34 (eighteen years ago)

Oh come on; Glasgow's full of shite!

― Keith, Monday, 30 April 2007 00:39 (eighteen years ago)

But Sheffield is third... I bet it was "Threads" that did it.

― Keith, Monday, 30 April 2007 00:40 (eighteen years ago)

a spirited try by sheffield, but in the end couldnt really compete with pre match favourites glasgow. not a bad showing by ilxs bete noir cities leeds and manchester

― 600, Monday, 30 April 2007 08:49 (eighteen years ago)

Scottish Independence now.

― Ed, Monday, 30 April 2007 08:52 (eighteen years ago)

I can't believe Birmingham only got 2 votes. It's the Glasgow of the Midlands.

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:07 (eighteen years ago)

Liverpool sonned. I know it's always been under-represented on ILX but I didn't expect no votes at all.

Glasgow was always going to win, wasn't it?

― Matt DC, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:10 (eighteen years ago)

fraid so, it was a mere dream to think plucky sheffield could challenge

― 600, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:13 (eighteen years ago)

I wonder what result an STV voting system would have brought us.

― Ed, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:13 (eighteen years ago)

never thought of sheffield as spririted or plucky

― RJG, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:17 (eighteen years ago)

gritty and queer

― blueski, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:59 (eighteen years ago)

sooty and sweep

― blueski, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:59 (eighteen years ago)

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