should I move family to UK

[odinloki1]

Well I'd line up a job first but I'd say go for it.I'm going to move to Michigan firstchance I get. The people are friendlier there, the weather is nicer, and there is more to do, both in terms of outdoors and city/culture. Phoenix is completely lacking unless you want to drive 2 hours across the urban sprawl to do anything. In addition you could have actual trees in London. They don't have trees here. (yes technically Mesquite is a tree, in Michigan we'd call it a shrub or bush) Oh yeah, London would have a realistic source of fresh water too.

[uli2000]

I lived in the UK for work for a couple of years (comming from Phx) and loved it. Of course, I lived in nice housing provide for me (well, the exception being Ramsgate). If you have something lined up job wise (especially if you work for a company that will pay to move you over there plus maybe pay some living expenses) I say go for it. My bro-in-law is currently in Italy and I envy him everyday. But moving over there without a plan is a recipe for disaster. I say find a way to all go over there and visit and then talk about it when you get back. You may find it's changed too much for you or maybe your family hates it. Id hate to move over there and then discover that.

[perino]

For Cyanna and other: I'm not uk citizen but i much appreciate culture of Britain insted of America. Life in US is so empty and by the way here is a very realistic topic about murders in US vs Canada vs UK and the rest of the world:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/polit...er-capita.html
Maybe the americans have more toys but life in Us IS SO EMPTY IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN....

[UKFSChick]

Cyanna...

The pics of the chavs are great. But isn't there something similar you refer to as 'white trash' over here in the states? The UK isn't the only country that has areas of poverty and low-class people.

I am from the UK and moved to AZ 3 years ago. I love it here but I don't agree with so many of your comments about the UK! The UK and the Arizona are soooo different it's almost impossible to compare...and I can't help but think you are all but ignoring many of the positives of UK-living, such as the warmth and humour of the people, the rich, lively media (paper and TV), the proximity to Europe, the beautiful English countryside, the culture, the heritage, marmite, Marks and Spencers...etc etc...

From reading your posts, I think you are suffering from a couple of things:

Firstly, the dollar to pound ratio means Americans used to a high standard of living do not find their money going so far in the UK. There are plenty of gorgeous places to live in the UK, some of which require you to have a high income and/ or a lot of built-up capital to live there. Newcastle (sorry Jordies!) is not one of them. Yes, even on a middle-to-high income in the UK you will probably have less physical space than out in the desert...but then, we *do* live in the desert, which is not to everyone's taste either . And middle income people in the UK do not all live in dumps, or Windsor would have no teachers or firemen

Secondly, you probably read the Daily Mail (and other 'enthusiastically' conservative papers). Whenever I read the Mail I find myself becoming more and more enraged about the state of the UK, chavs, dole-bludgers, bad schools, crappy hospitals etc etc. The Mail's main objective is to oust the Labour government and get the Tories back in....With that in mind, I'll add that I actually agree with that sentiment, but I try to read the Mail's rants against teenage mothers with that in mind...The US has nothing even close to the UK press in terms of breadth of opinion and slant, and I imagine it could take a little getting used to.

The UK health system is not perfect, but it is (all but) free. This is a great thing! The hospitals and care down south are generally fantastic. If you really can't bear how squalid it all is, you are still at liberty to take out a private plan

The schools are not all hellholes either. I used to do substitute teaching in Maidenhead and Slough (with all those scary Muslim kids too! ), and while I have some hairy stories, the schools here in AZ aren't all that either, IMHO. The Daily Mail likes to rant with regularity about the dumbing down of British schools, and they will probably continue until the grammar schools that the Labour party took away in the 70s are restored

I'm sorry you have experienced such anti-Americanism where you live but I think it could be another symptom of living in a less-than-desirable area. I can't imagine that happening in the area I grew up. The UK is a great country in many ways, but you do need a certain amount of money to really enjoy it.

For the lady thinking of moving back...make sure you and your husband spend at least a few months there before deciding, and take into account cost of living and what you could actually afford. That will make a big difference to your experience there. After all, Madonna likes it, so I hear