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hi- I live in the USA. First, I never know if I should call your place the UK or England? Can someone please clarify?
I went to England once when I was a child. Other than that I only know what I see in media and books and such. But I tend to romanticize the place! I think it seems lovely and much more peaceful than the USA. Particularly, the cops don't even carry guns! That seems like such a more peaceful place than the US these days.
Is it true-- my romantic ideas of England- flower gardens, beautiful accents and gentle people- national healthcare and a generally more polite way of being? Is the UK much nicer of a place to live than the USA?
Why or why not?
Yes- I think you're views are not necessarily wrong- depends where you visited- but not totally accurate either.
I'm sure you don't need telling that the US is big and there are many quiet and peaceful places. I've been lucky enough to stay in some great spots around the US and they take some beating.
The UK, which includes England, can be pretty busy in places. Parts of it are the most densely populated around. That said there are also more tranquil parts, and even remote parts, especially in Wales and more so north Scotland.
I lived in the US and just to burst your bubble I found that I preferred wandering around towns and cities there to here.
People I found were more polite, and swearing is far less common there. Petty aggravation is worse here, especially with the drink culture that can be seen in towns and cities later into the night.
England is only one part of the UK. England is like US state while the UK is a sovereign Nation (like the USA) so that's the difference.
The UK isn't a romantic place to live overall, its a Country full of tranquil places and places that are more violent, run-down and downright ugly. But as a whole I think the UK is ranked less violent than the US, bear in mind though we do have riots, gangs and everything in-between.
Come to the UK and visit only the touristy areas are how you mention...
Depends entirely on your priorities and what you're looking for.
I think the UK has a higher level of 'violent crime' - a higher concentration of people in a much smaller area, and drinking is an ingrained part of our culture in a way that it just isn't in the US - but your risk of being a victim of violent crime is obviously pretty low wherever you live. Bearing in mind, though, that nations have different definitions of what constitutes a violent crime. In the UK, no physical contact is required.
Beautiful accents - well, that depends on what you consider a beautiful accent. Most people here don't sound like Hugh Grant. For such a small country, the UK has a large variety of accents. Some will be harsh and hard to understand if you're not used to them. People are polite to an extent - people do apologise a lot, but are also rather reserved and probably don't appreciate casual chitchat, so might come across as rude or aloof. I think Brits also have a tendency to be passive aggressive - most of us don't like causing scenes, which is why poor customer service is so widely tolerated. I've never really noticed the swearing that Jezer mentions, but I'll be the first to admit that I swear whenever I want and I don't care who hears me. Some people will consider that crude but whatever. I think Brits are less uptight in that regard, and probably less prudish (but still quite prudish compared to mainland Europe).
Police officers here don't carry guns, except in very special circumstances. They do use tasers though, and although it appears police brutality is less commonplace here, it still happens occasionally. I have no experience with American police but they look rougher and more hands-on. Maybe someone else can weigh in. I trust the police here for the most part, and never feel threatened in their presence.
Yes, we have national healthcare. It's free at the point of use. The quality of the care will vary depending on where you live and what hospital you use. Most American expats here value the NHS very highly, and most list it as one big reason why they chose to move here (bearing in mind that they married British people so were eligible for citizenship), but most agree that Blue Cross in the US provides a slightly higher level of quality care. The NHS is the only 100% publicly funded healthcare system in Europe so finds itself under strain from time to time. Overall, I'd say most people are satisfied with the service, and people will defend it to the death.
Overall, I think your idea of England is unrealistic. Most of us don't live in little cottages with beautiful gardens, we don't have afternoon tea with scones. Most of us live rather mundane lives - as do most people in every other country in the world. Most Brits live in towns and cities in semidetached housing, with rather small gardens, and a car or two. Most of us go to work for 8 hours a day and then come home. Life in England is pretty ordinary, and much the same as it is anywhere else.
Last edited by dunno what to put here; 04-28-2015 at 09:15 AM..
Yes- I think you're views are not necessarily wrong- depends where you visited- but not totally accurate either.
I'm sure you don't need telling that the US is big and there are many quiet and peaceful places. I've been lucky enough to stay in some great spots around the US and they take some beating.
The UK, which includes England, can be pretty busy in places. Parts of it are the most densely populated around. That said there are also more tranquil parts, and even remote parts, especially in Wales and more so north Scotland.
I lived in the US and just to burst your bubble I found that I preferred wandering around towns and cities there to here.
People I found were more polite, and swearing is far less common there. Petty aggravation is worse here, especially with the drink culture that can be seen in towns and cities later into the night.
I'll leave it there for the moment.
As someone with British parents who are essentially teetotalers, I absolutely agree with the second bolded paragraph. What is it with the drink culture in many parts of the UK? Why do so many seem unable to enjoy a drink or two and leave it at that?
I'm curious about what you say in the first bolded paragraph. Which cities in the US have you been to, and why did you prefer wandering around in them to walking around British towns and cities?
As someone with British parents who are essentially teetotalers, I absolutely agree with the second bolded paragraph. What is it with the drink culture in many parts of the UK? Why do so many seem unable to enjoy a drink or two and leave it at that?
I'm curious about what you say in the first bolded paragraph. Which cities in the US have you been to, and why did you prefer wandering around in them to walking around British towns and cities?
You might want to read my post - drinking has been a large part of British culture for centuries. It is thoroughly ingrained. As far as I'm aware, the US has never had a drinking culture as large or as prevalent as the UK - and some areas of the US are still 'dry'.
It's not a UK phenomenon though, but a European phenomenon. Europeans are heavy drinkers, and enjoy a good 'p*ss up'. It starts from an early age. When I was in high school, it seemed most people were drinking alcohol for the sole purpose of getting drunk, and I'm talking about 13-15 year olds here.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with getting drunk - but a lot of people take it to excess and don't know when enough is enough. This drinking culture has actually lessened over the past 40 years though, and young people in the UK today are drinking far less than their parents were in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Also, we have started adopting European traditions like having restaurants open well into the night - so it kind of mixes things up. City centres historically were the haunts of drunks at night but now you will see people enjoying a meal at 10pm or doing a bit of shopping. Bars and clubs are usually concentrated in one area so it's easy to avoid.
As someone with British parents who are essentially teetotalers, I absolutely agree with the second bolded paragraph. What is it with the drink culture in many parts of the UK? Why do so many seem unable to enjoy a drink or two and leave it at that?
I'm curious about what you say in the first bolded paragraph. Which cities in the US have you been to, and why did you prefer wandering around in them to walking around British towns and cities?
Fair question, and looking back on it I perhaps didn't word it as well as I should have done.
This morning I was up in Salisbury, our local town. It's gorgeous and I love it.
In the past I have encountered louts who were looking for trouble and I'm no hero but I wasn't backing down.
I have spent time in NYC where my wife worked, worked close to LA and we've lived as a family in Houston. I've visited maybe a dozen States.
My overall impression (and impressions can be misleading) is that with a couple of exceptions I have generally felt safer wandering around towns and even cities in the US.
I'm not silly enough to head for a rough part of NYC, LA even Boston or San Fran but I never felt threatened there.
There is an exception to that but I won't go into it here.
I think it was summed up above where it was mentioned about our drinking culture. Maybe because I'm getting older I notice these things more, but I am more and more steering clear of even towns like Salisbury in the evening.
It's not big stuff, it's mainly small stuff that can escalate, especially later after the alcohol levels have risen.
I also think that the younger kids are less respectful than their American counterparts. There's a number of ways of looking at this, even assuming I'm right.
I actually think things are worse in smaller towns like Salisbury because there is simply less to do after hours besides drink, compared to central London, where there is a large array of things for people to do that are not oriented around drinking, and in larger cities it's easier to avoid. Even here in Leeds, considerably smaller than London, there is more to do after 9pm that doesn't focus on alcohol - there are shows at the theatre, or the arena, and restaurants remain open later than they did a decade ago. Every small town I have been to, everything shuts up about around 5/6pm, pubs excused, and these pubs almost always attract dodgy clientele.
Just my experience though.
Having lived here for the best part of 27 years, I have encountered trouble a few times - any teenager who grew up in a major UK city in the 1990s/early 2000s probably experienced trouble at some point or another - this is generally the theme I get when I talk to people from other cities around my age (late 20/early 30s) - crime was at its peak then - though in recent years I haven't gotten into any bother and it isn't often I feel threatened in any way.
The area I grew up in was suburban, but had a problem with mischievous teenagers who threw rocks at people's fences and were very loud, and just caused a lot of problems (I think they were from a nearby housing estate). The problem got so bad that there was a police presence for a few months. 10 years later, my mother still lives in the same house I grew up in, and this problem doesn't exist anymore - so things do change, and one person's view of a place might not be true now. I recently spent a few nights there over Christmas and the area was dead as a dodo, literally not a soul to be heard - and this is despite there being a pub just up the road.
The area I live in now is suburban in nature as well, and is much the same - dead as a dodo. I take my dog for walks occasionally at 3am and there isn't a soul to be seen or heard - bar the occasional fox.
I can't compare this to the US though because I've never been.
OP - you'll get a lot of advice on here, but you might also be interested on looking at this forum designed for Americans in the UK, to see what they think. I'm sure you'll come across the pros and cons of living in the UK vs the US. It ain't perfect, but it's pretty good.
You might want to read my post - drinking has been a large part of British culture for centuries. It is thoroughly ingrained. As far as I'm aware, the US has never had a drinking culture as large or as prevalent as the UK - and some areas of the US are still 'dry'.
It's not a UK phenomenon though, but a European phenomenon. Europeans are heavy drinkers, and enjoy a good 'p*ss up'. It starts from an early age. When I was in high school, it seemed most people were drinking alcohol for the sole purpose of getting drunk, and I'm talking about 13-15 year olds here.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with getting drunk - but a lot of people take it to excess and don't know when enough is enough. This drinking culture has actually lessened over the past 40 years though, and young people in the UK today are drinking far less than their parents were in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Also, we have started adopting European traditions like having restaurants open well into the night - so it kind of mixes things up. City centres historically were the haunts of drunks at night but now you will see people enjoying a meal at 10pm or doing a bit of shopping. Bars and clubs are usually concentrated in one area so it's easy to avoid.
Well, I guess I'll have to take your word for it, but that hasn't been my experience.
I grew up in a large Canadian city full of immigrants from all over the world, including Europe. Many of my friends throughout school had immigrant parents, as did I. It was almost the norm. As a rule, however, I never saw other immigrants groups, with the exception of one or two, who drank the way the Brits do. My parents aren't drinkers, but I saw lots of other Brits at family functions, parties, etc, who never seemed able to have fun without getting wasted. And here in the US and Canada, the Brits, especially the Scots and Irish, have quite a reputation for their drinking. It's embarrassing.
My friends' families, on the other hand, who were immigrants from Italy, Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands, Germany, etc. always drank in moderation. They might have enjoyed alcohol, yes, and making their own wine and drinking it daily, for example, was perhaps integral to their culture. But drinking was merely PART of a social experience for them, not THE experience, as it seems to be for many Brits.
BTW, I AM very proud of my Scottish ancestry, overall, just not the drinking culture of it.
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