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Would you return to live in Southampton?


Goalie66

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Obviously a question for expats and current non-domiciled Sotonians. Having grown up in the City and supported my local team since a kid, the Saints is my only link with my past. All my relatives are dead or no longer live in the City. Personally, apart from going to St.Mary's I find Southampton rather dull and provincial. Maybe that is because I live near London. Anyhow would you go back to live in Southampton?

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Not Southampton, but I am in the process of moving back to the Winchester area after leaving for University 12 years ago.

 

I still have friends/family in South Hampshire and an inherent love of the area rather then just Saints pulling me back.

Edited by Colinjb
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Oddly enough, I was just thinking about this a few days ago. My wife was half an hour late home due to a snowstorm, so I naturally assumed she was dead and wondered where I would go to live out the rest of my life. :)

 

Like you, I now have no family in the area that I would visit. My daughter lives in Devon, but so does my ex-wife. I think I would settle in the waterside area again (I'm from eastern Southampton originally) That way, I would be in an area I know and was always happy in, and my daughter would be keen to visit as she loved it there too. As for being provincial? Well, of course it is! it's in the provinces! I like Southampton. I like Exeter too, and might also go there when the ex is dead.

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Oddly enough, I was just thinking about this a few days ago. My wife was half an hour late home due to a snowstorm, so I naturally assumed she was dead and wondered where I would go to live out the rest of my life. :)

 

Like you, I now have no family in the area that I would visit. My daughter lives in Devon, but so does my ex-wife. I think I would settle in the waterside area again (I'm from eastern Southampton originally) That way, I would be in an area I know and was always happy in, and my daughter would be keen to visit as she loved it there too. As for being provincial? Well, of course it is! it's in the provinces! I like Southampton. I like Exeter too, and might also go there when the ex is dead.

 

:lol:

I take it the marriage didn't end well!!

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Obviously a question for expats and current non-domiciled Sotonians. Having grown up in the City and supported my local team since a kid, the Saints is my only link with my past. All my relatives are dead or no longer live in the City. Personally, apart from going to St.Mary's I find Southampton rather dull and provincial. Maybe that is because I live near London. Anyhow would you go back to live in Southampton?

 

No offence mate, but Woking is hardly the cultural capital of England, having lived there for 5 years myself a walk around the Peacock centre and a night out in RSVP don't offer a lot.

Sure London is great, but you still have to jump on a train to get there, just a bit of a head start than people living in Southampton.

 

in terms of Southampton itself, i think it has a lot of potential, but some short sighted planning and lack of enthusiasm from the council will never unlock it. Depresses me to see what Pompey have done with Gunwharf and the historic dockyard. Still parts of Southampton are a very nice place to live, with superb access to New Forest on the door step, IOW, plenty to do i can think of worse places to live.

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No offence mate, but Woking is hardly the cultural capital of England, having lived there for 5 years myself a walk around the Peacock centre and a night out in RSVP don't offer a lot.

Sure London is great, but you still have to jump on a train to get there, just a bit of a head start than people living in Southampton.

 

in terms of Southampton itself, i think it has a lot of potential, but some short sighted planning and lack of enthusiasm from the council will never unlock it. Depresses me to see what Pompey have done with Gunwharf and the historic dockyard. Still parts of Southampton are a very nice place to live, with superb access to New Forest on the door step, IOW, plenty to do i can think of worse places to live.

 

Didn't Paul Weller base "A Town Called Malice" on Woking?

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Didn't Paul Weller base "A Town Called Malice" on Woking?

 

Not sure but he was from there so wouldn't surprise me!

 

"dull and provincial" could describe Woking and any number of home counties towns.

 

In terms of Southampton, i've just been for a 50 min run taking in some of my favourite parts for memories, along Archers Road past the Dell, up Northlands Road past the old County Ground, around the common on a beautiful sunny day. Lovely.

 

Ocean Village is a decent spot in the summer for a pint as well.

 

went to see War Horse the other week at the Mayflower theatre, one of the biggest outside of London that attracts some of the top shows. We have a premier league football club, international cricket hosted just outside the boundary of the city at the Rose Bowl, London in just over an hour on the train, the New Forest a short drive away.

 

Can't complain really.

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:lol:

I take it the marriage didn't end well!!

 

The second one is looking a bit ropey too. I reckon a second snowstorm could finish it off :lol:

 

Um....Maybe i need to clarify. Second wife is awesome! However, people do die, one must, however plan for the worst. ;)

 

First wife? It ended well. I said I was leaving, and she waved to me as I was walking down the road with my bags and hoping I was coming back!!! She had a poor grip on reality that one! My daughter has "left" her too.....First wife is a bloody nutcase. Not my fault.

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Kids are settled here in Sussex but once they're grown Id move back to the area, although not the city itself. It helps having cheaper house prices than where I am currently so maybe a retirement option.

 

Yep similar to me. Firmly part of my plan to move back once kids are at Uni (meaning they could be anywhere so, it makes no odds where I am). Cheaper house prices help, but also the quality of life over to the West side with the New Forest, coast, beaches etc. These things I always took for granted until I moved away and its only in later years I realise how lucky I was. The City itself is tired but hey, so are most of the places near me now. I have family in the area and add in SFC and Hants CC on my doorstep (instead of the 3 hour round trips now) and its a done deal

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Yep similar to me. Firmly part of my plan to move back once kids are at Uni (meaning they could be anywhere so, it makes no odds where I am). Cheaper house prices help, but also the quality of life over to the West side with the New Forest, coast, beaches etc. These things I always took for granted until I moved away and its only in later years I realise how lucky I was. The City itself is tired but hey, so are most of the places near me now. I have family in the area and add in SFC and Hants CC on my doorstep (instead of the 3 hour round trips now) and its a done deal

 

The New Forest is a key attraction for me and that area. It is surprisingly easy to take for granted, and is a huge loss when you leave it.

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Think so, but mostly to be closer to friends and family.

 

Many of my mates have moved away from the city, but most of them are fairly close by.

 

Apart from The Common, SMS and Bevois Valley, there is nothing I'm really looking forward to doing there that is specific to Southampton.

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I would move back down tomorrow but not to Southampton, back next weekend for Dads birthday and really looking forward to it as I always do, its about jobs and money as usual, if you get paid a London wage here and live in a nice area what can Southampton City offer, thats what bites me as I would love to say it has this that and the other but it plainly does not when it should do, the Island dwellers are ahead of us on that and that does not bite it hurts.

Curdridge, Bishops Waltham, and Curbridge are parts I would look at for sure.

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Well all this proves if you are born in scumpton, don't leave, or you will see just how big a shyt hole it really is:lol:

 

The Island of thick blood is no architectural jewel either, you have made more of an effort granted but your inbred friends in Copnor, Somerstown and Fratton bring it back to a scene from the walking dead.

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Seems that many would return to Romsey, Hedge End , Cadnam, Winchester but not Southampton itself. Other than Bassett and some parts of the "City" much of the housing stock is mid thirties or post war council estates. I think all the bloody traffic lights would drive me crazy. By the way the comments about Woking may be true but I am 25 minutes from London 14 miles from Heathrow and there is also some lovely countryside nearby.

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Seems that many would return to Romsey, Hedge End , Cadnam, Winchester but not Southampton itself. Other than Bassett and some parts of the "City" much of the housing stock is mid thirties or post war council estates. I think all the bloody traffic lights would drive me crazy. By the way the comments about Woking may be true but I am 25 minutes from London 14 miles from Heathrow and there is also some lovely countryside nearby.

 

Hedge End? It surely has to be in the running for the most boring spread out place without culture on the planet, Hampshire does well and **** boring towns, Havant, Gosport, Fareham, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Fleet, Basingstoke and others.

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The Island of thick blood is no architectural jewel either, you have made more of an effort granted but your inbred friends in Copnor, Somerstown and Fratton bring it back to a scene from the walking dead.

 

Old on a min Bazzer the freds about the place not the livestock,:smug:

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Seems that many would return to Romsey, Hedge End , Cadnam, Winchester but not Southampton itself. Other than Bassett and some parts of the "City" much of the housing stock is mid thirties or post war council estates. I think all the bloody traffic lights would drive me crazy. By the way the comments about Woking may be true but I am 25 minutes from London 14 miles from Heathrow and there is also some lovely countryside nearby.
Same as most cities then really, apart from London I don'tthink that many of the UK cities would bring about much unique excitement as a place to live.
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Same as most cities then really, apart from London I don'tthink that many of the UK cities would bring about much unique excitement as a place to live.

 

I'd disagree. Lots of cities have swagger, self-confidence and a strong sense of identity that Southampton just lacks.

 

Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool, York all qualify off the top of my head.

 

What is the essential thing that Southampton does really well? From where do we derive our identity? Which thinkers or creators of culture have we given to the world? The Wikipedia page lists a few, but we're not world-beating or even world-challenging by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Now it's possible that familiarity breeds contempt, and it's also true that everyone takes their home town for granted. I remember being initially in awe of the surrounding mountains when working in Northern Ireland. To the locals, they're just part of the scenery and have been there since day one. However, there are a few things that really stops Southampton from kicking on. First, it really doesn't feel like a city. Not joking, I could look out of my window now and see 20 people walking about. There is a bus into town that goes from outside my house every 10 minutes, innumerable taxis ready to whisk you anywhere, while the farther out benefit from a local mass transit network.

 

Southampton just doesn't have the buzz of a load of those places. No dedicated mass transit system, buses that mostly run on the half hour (no competition there either), taxis that charge a tenner to take you two miles (lol), nightlife locations at completely opposite ends of the city centre, the "highlight" of which is a gigantic shoebox on a retail park. It's incongruent, with no real flow to the place. Don't get me wrong. Southampton has bits of the city that definitely flow; London Road/Bedford Place, Bevois Valley, the rivers, obviously :D - but none of it is joined up, and too much of it is just plain out of the way.

 

There are a number of towns and burbs that'd really benefit from a proper mass transit system - Eastleigh, Totton, Hythe, Hedge End, Hamble, Netley, etc. There are a number of natural assets that the city just doesn't capitalise on, such as the riverfront, the medieval history of the city, or the city centre in general (especially High St to Town Quay). Those other cities have learned how to sell their natural assets, warts and all, to facilitate genuine improvement for the region.

 

FFS, the scousers built TWO tunnels under their river, and we're still making the poor bastards over in Waterside go the long way round.

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I'd disagree. Lots of cities have swagger, self-confidence and a strong sense of identity that Southampton just lacks.

 

Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool, York all qualify off the top of my head.

 

What is the essential thing that Southampton does really well? From where do we derive our identity? Which thinkers or creators of culture have we given to the world? The Wikipedia page lists a few, but we're not world-beating or even world-challenging by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Now it's possible that familiarity breeds contempt, and it's also true that everyone takes their home town for granted. I remember being initially in awe of the surrounding mountains when working in Northern Ireland. To the locals, they're just part of the scenery and have been there since day one. However, there are a few things that really stops Southampton from kicking on. First, it really doesn't feel like a city. Not joking, I could look out of my window now and see 20 people walking about. There is a bus into town that goes from outside my house every 10 minutes, innumerable taxis ready to whisk you anywhere, while the farther out benefit from a local mass transit network.

 

Southampton just doesn't have the buzz of a load of those places. No dedicated mass transit system, buses that mostly run on the half hour (no competition there either), taxis that charge a tenner to take you two miles (lol), nightlife locations at completely opposite ends of the city centre, the "highlight" of which is a gigantic shoebox on a retail park. It's incongruent, with no real flow to the place. Don't get me wrong. Southampton has bits of the city that definitely flow; London Road/Bedford Place, Bevois Valley, the rivers, obviously :D - but none of it is joined up, and too much of it is just plain out of the way.

 

There are a number of towns and burbs that'd really benefit from a proper mass transit system - Eastleigh, Totton, Hythe, Hedge End, Hamble, Netley, etc. There are a number of natural assets that the city just doesn't capitalise on, such as the riverfront, the medieval history of the city, or the city centre in general (especially High St to Town Quay). Those other cities have learned how to sell their natural assets, warts and all, to facilitate genuine improvement for the region.

 

FFS, the scousers built TWO tunnels under their river, and we're still making the poor bastards over in Waterside go the long way round.

No, all those cities are the same. There is only one major city in the UK that people really make sacrifices to live in and that city is London.
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I'd return like a shot...family and business keep me from doing so but the region as much as the city is home...been away for decades but it's still home and Saints is very much part of that. I've travelled nationally and internationally pretty extensively but never found somewhere that I want to live that beats it.

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I DID move back when my dad died to help my mother out. Not back to the City (Sholing) but towards Fareham. I think I'd looked at my youth through rose coloured specs because things weren't as they were before.

 

I was tempted back to Oxfordshire by a great job offer and we moved like a shot (Mr TF is from Bishops Waltham but he was happy to move too). Got lots of relatives in and around Southampton and we might be tempted back once my daughters don't need me for childcare and Mr TF retires. I'm amazed at how cheap property is in the City compared to here so we'd be quids in I reckon.

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No, all those cities are the same. There is only one major city in the UK that people really make sacrifices to live in and that city is London.

 

Well, it was an honest attempt at eliciting some debate about how Southampton might move forward.

 

I disagree even more with your other point. I've still got the same view that I held on the London threads. It is a great city, but I'd argue that a big part of why people go there is because of the opportunity it provides. There is no denying that it's the greatest city in the country, but that comes at a cost. Many of the surrounding cities don't really bother and are rather dull as a result.

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Same as most it seems, I wouldn't move back to Southampton. I'm pretty sure I'm here for life now, but if I were to move to the UK, it might be Hampshire, but not Southampton. Thing is, I wouldn't want to live in any city, so it's not that specific to Southampton. I think if I managed to drag the wife over, the only place she loves in the UK is the Lake District.

 

She recently had to go to Hull on business and described it as the worst place she has ever been to in her life. And she's been to Birmingham.

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I'd disagree. Lots of cities have swagger, self-confidence and a strong sense of identity that Southampton just lacks.

 

Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool, York all qualify off the top of my head.

 

What is the essential thing that Southampton does really well? From where do we derive our identity? Which thinkers or creators of culture have we given to the world? The Wikipedia page lists a few, but we're not world-beating or even world-challenging by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Now it's possible that familiarity breeds contempt, and it's also true that everyone takes their home town for granted. I remember being initially in awe of the surrounding mountains when working in Northern Ireland. To the locals, they're just part of the scenery and have been there since day one. However, there are a few things that really stops Southampton from kicking on. First, it really doesn't feel like a city. Not joking, I could look out of my window now and see 20 people walking about. There is a bus into town that goes from outside my house every 10 minutes, innumerable taxis ready to whisk you anywhere, while the farther out benefit from a local mass transit network.

 

Southampton just doesn't have the buzz of a load of those places. No dedicated mass transit system, buses that mostly run on the half hour (no competition there either), taxis that charge a tenner to take you two miles (lol), nightlife locations at completely opposite ends of the city centre, the "highlight" of which is a gigantic shoebox on a retail park. It's incongruent, with no real flow to the place. Don't get me wrong. Southampton has bits of the city that definitely flow; London Road/Bedford Place, Bevois Valley, the rivers, obviously :D - but none of it is joined up, and too much of it is just plain out of the way.

 

There are a number of towns and burbs that'd really benefit from a proper mass transit system - Eastleigh, Totton, Hythe, Hedge End, Hamble, Netley, etc. There are a number of natural assets that the city just doesn't capitalise on, such as the riverfront, the medieval history of the city, or the city centre in general (especially High St to Town Quay). Those other cities have learned how to sell their natural assets, warts and all, to facilitate genuine improvement for the region.

 

FFS, the scousers built TWO tunnels under their river, and we're still making the poor bastards over in Waterside go the long way round.

 

Part of what I said when I talked to you last week, pride thats what I want when I talk about it.

Edited by Barry Sanchez
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No, I wouldn't. When I was offered the opportunity to move to Sheffield in 2004 I jumped at the chance because I had become so bored of the total lack of any decent culture or nightlife in Southampton. My other half and me have discussed to possibility of moving to Devon or Cornwall at some point but I can't imagine ever moving back to Hampshire.

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I remeber going to Long Beach and staying on the Queen Mary and ironically reading a book about my home city. Such an iconic ship could have become a hotel in Southampton with a bit of imagination as well as a tourist icon much like Pompey has Victory.

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Obviously a question for expats and current non-domiciled Sotonians. Having grown up in the City and supported my local team since a kid, the Saints is my only link with my past. All my relatives are dead or no longer live in the City. Personally, apart from going to St.Mary's I find Southampton rather dull and provincial. Maybe that is because I live near London. Anyhow would you go back to live in Southampton?

 

I have some great memories of living there when I was younger and then again post-uni (on Archers Road), but I wouldn't move back to any city. I did live in Bournemouth for 6 years though (I know it's a town) and despite some of it being a bit of a dump and a pain to get to, I would consider Bournemouth again - maybe when I'm 70 though.

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Ooo, this a tough one.

 

Not while I have kids, but have trouble thinking I am really through with the city.

 

Could deffo imagine living in the NF or East Dorset.

 

National Front? :) Didn't think you had it in you. Must be something in that Austrian water.

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I was born in the city, but dads job took us away when I was 12, have not been back since except for football and the odd mayflower show. Very proud of the football club, but never really felt anything towards the city. Moved around a lot before finely settling in Poole about 20 years ago. Feel a Poole man now, and really love the place. Dad lives in the Forest and it is lovely, but I couldn't live there. Apart from the club, dont particularly like the city. Poorly laid out, **** poor for boozers , I can think of 20 cities id rather live in.

 

I dont mean to offend anyone, each to their own. But its really not for me.

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Hedge End? It surely has to be in the running for the most boring spread out place without culture on the planet, Hampshire does well and **** boring towns, Havant, Gosport, Fareham, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Fleet, Basingstoke and others.

 

Nothing wrong with Hedge End Barry, why not move down here and live the dream ;-)

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I grew up in Bishopstoke, went to Reading university and stayed there for a few years, lived in London for 18 years, then Newcastle for another four. When I had no reason to stay in the north-east I moved back down and lived in Woolston for a few years. I still have some family and friends in the area, and my parents (now in their mid-eighties) still live in the house they moved to in 1960. I've been living in Horndean for the past couple of years, as my wife's lived here for several years and it made sense (her daughters go to school in Waterlooville).

 

Don't think I'd want to live in Southampton now, but I'd move to Winchester like a shot. Probably couldn't afford more than a shed there though...

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Hedge End's barely a town so a bit harsh to refer to it as if it tries to be more than it is.

 

I moved out from the city centre to Hedge End just under a year ago and am enjoying it. Got quick 'n easy access to the benefits and amenities of Southampton without so many of the downsides.

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Left Sot'on for Uni @ 18, married at Uni and moved up to God's Own County, and have now spent twice as long living up here as I spent down there, so whilst it's a nice place to visit, and many of my family are down there, my wife and children are up here, and I'm quite settled. However, nothing will take the Red&White out my heart.

 

( On a side note, I got bloody annoyed the other night watching University Challenge when Paxman kept referring to one team as South-hampton ).

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