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And large portions of the United States have very little violent crime. Avoid places like St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, and the south side of Chicago, and you're usually in good shape.
You can buy guns in the UK, however certain guns are restricted and you must have a licence.
There are two types of licence, a shotgun licence and a firearms licence, whilst gun ownership is mainly for sport and hunting.
Most handguns are prohibited as are semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and shotguns with a capacity of more than three cartridges (in magazine plus the breech).
Gun murders in the UK usually equate to around 30 odd a year.
I'm American but very familiar with the UK. I prefer the US but I do absolutely love the UK as well.
I don't find the people there, not even in London, to be unfriendly. In fact, I find them, without exception, to be very pleasant, helpful, and even talkative, albeit in a very polite way. I also really like their sense of humor. I find no significant differences in customer service between the US and the UK.
And large portions of the United States have very little violent crime. Avoid places like St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, and the south side of Chicago, and you're usually in good shape.
Right. I've lived in the US most of my life, generally in midsize cities, and I've never been the victim of a violent crime.
One time - in fact, it was when I went on a vacation to the UK - I left home and accidentally left my front door unlocked, for about two weeks. When I got back, everything was fine and of course no one had even tried to enter my house.
And large portions of the United States have very little violent crime. Avoid places like St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, and the south side of Chicago, and you're usually in good shape.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
One time - in fact, it was when I went on a vacation to the UK - I left home and accidentally left my front door unlocked, for about two weeks. When I got back, everything was fine and of course no one had even tried to enter my house.
Yep.
Gotta stick up for Detroit, here.
I lived in Metro Detroit for 14 years (northern suburbs). We often went out and left the doors of our home unlocked. Nothing ever happened.
I routinely went for my run-walks after dark. Never felt unsafe and never encountered any problems.
When my kids were really young and I was extremely sleep deprived, I went through a period when I would forget my purse/wallet anywhere I went -- the grocery store, the doctor's office, even the gas station. But, every single time, my purse and wallet were returned, completely intact. Nothing taken.
Both my parents are from the UK, and when I was younger, I never would have considered living there full-time.
I love the US and there are many, many things about it I prefer to the UK. But, in terms of the US's political environment and the extent of US political polarization, not to mention concerns about the cost of US healthcare, I now now consider retiring in the UK.
When I was a young kid, my grandmother, who'd immigrated to Canada not long after my parents did, chose to return to the UK, and, no matter how much my mom begged her to come back to Canada, she never did. She said she preferred the European way of life. She also insisted that senior citizens are far better taken care of in the UK/Europe than they are in the US/Canada. Of course, at my age then I didn't understand what she was talking about, but I do now and believe she was absolutely right.
If a good job opportunity presented itself now, I might even be tempted to go to the UK before I retired, but that's not likely to happen.
The weather in the UK could drive me crazy, though, so if I do retire there, I'd probably settle somewhere in the south of England.
Last edited by newdixiegirl; 05-16-2021 at 08:11 AM..
I have stated less than a handful of foods from each country I could list more, what I have said about the weather isn’t inaccurate uk has gloomy weather cool summers mild winters us has much more vast weather overall is much sunnier warmer in summer colder in a lot of places during winter, I haven’t gone into great detail about education but what I said wasn’t false. People in us are known for being very sociable and friendly and British more reserved and unsmiling, that is pretty much a well known fact so I don’t get what I have said is so inaccurate some things may be lacking in detail but most of what I have said is true.
But this is just god-awful stereotypical nonsense, you don't actually know, your just going by the inaccurate stereotypes.
I am in the software industry so this is a no-brainer. If I worked in the UK I would probably make half of what I make in the US. The only way I could approach US earning power would be to become a contractor in the London area. That would be unpleasant because I prefer employment to contracting, and because I would then have to pay double for housing that is half as large as what I can afford in the US. If I wanted to pay a lot of rent for disappointing housing I would move to the SF bay area and make double again what I could in London.
If I had to choose, it would be the US without doubt.
Employment opportunities: Not a factor for me.
Healthcare: With insurance, I would take the US system.
Crime: UK, but very easy to avoid in the US by choosing an appropriate city and neighbourhood.
Education: Equal Food: Equal. You can get any food you want in either place.
Government: UK. Parliamentary system is superior IMO, but not a deal breaker.
COVID Response: Equal
Weather: US given wide range of Climate zones to choose from.
Health: Equal
People: Equal
Live sport is another big factor for me. While England does play Rugby and Cricket, Soccer is No. 1 and I can't stand that. I love MLB, NHL and NFL, so I would head over to UK a couple of times a year for my Cricket fix, and never have to hear anything about soccer.
The only thing I couldn't find comparable to the US in London was Mexican food, though I'd be shocked if there was authentic American southern cuisine and BBQ in the UK too (could be wrong, though).
The only thing I couldn't find comparable to the US in London was Mexican food, though I'd be shocked if there was authentic American southern cuisine and BBQ in the UK too (could be wrong, though).
I wouldn't be surprised if there was, we have a couple of authentic American BBQ places here in Montreal and we aren't one of the largest Anglophone cities on the planet.
The election of Donald Trump showed that a total incompetent could take over and destroy it in four years. Now I have to go with the UK
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