Misconceptions about where you live

And why the feck would anyone want to live in Chelsea <spit>?

I don't live in She Bu anymore but when I visit (every other saturday during football season) I see my childhood. So much fun.

My name is Hayley and I am an alcoholic live in Hemel Hempstead.

OK, so its not Berkhamsted or Harpenden or St Albans or Kings/Abbots Langley, and it is (just) north of Watford - but y'know what, I like it. I have lived in "posher" places before but nowhere has had the sense of community that I've felt since living in Hemel. Yep, we have hoodies and kids hanging around on street corners, and yes, if you remember a previous post of mine, there was a murder at the end of my road a couple of months ago - but those hoodies are often seen chatting to their nan or grandad sitting on a pub wall or wandering around Sainsburys with there mums. We have Thugs Lite.

Nowhere that I've lived before has annual outside concerts on the moor - the classical weekend being just as popular as the pop one, nowhere that I've lived before has so much green space and parks. We have the gorgeous Grand Union canal on our doorstep.

It takes me 20/25 minutes to get into Euston - and then when I come home I'm in the countryside. Whats wrong with that?

I live in Portsmouth which always gets a bad rep, and I've never really understood why to be honest? ?.

Parts can be a bit tacky and dare I say 'chav-like'?, but I love living here. I have friends/family, all within walking distance. That, for me, is enough reason to love it here alone. There's a beautiful seafront with a million and one free things to do on a sunny weekend. Lots of green parks, nice pubs and restaurants (in my opinion), and good travel links to London, Brighton and elsewhere.

There's a tiny streatch of the motorway coming in to Portsmouth where if you look to the left you can see the entire city, albeit for a brief second or two. I absolutely love seeing that on the way home, especially at night with all the city lights on... always makes me feel warm and fluffy [laugh.

Tangent... I spent a couple of very happy years in Camberwell..... all my uni mates lived there post uni thanks to BR owning a load of houses... I often wish I'd bought the victorian basement flat with garden for £34k in 1993 but then wonder how different my life would have been had I not realised that West is best rotfl!

I lived in Bootle for years and 2 years ago moved to Walton in Liverpool - similar reputation, just higher council tax! I love the place. handy for City Centre, a few miles to Crosby and the beach. Parks on the doorstep. Plenty of local shops, good variety. Give me the city over the countryside any day.

I moved to Northern Ireland in February. My family took a sharp intake of breath when i told them, but it is the friendliest most beautiful place I've ever lived! Bear in mind I moved into Belfast to start off with then migrated up the antrim coast (which is a breathtaking area of natural beauty)

You tell 'em Hay !

MS, there's a bit like that near me (top of South Norwood Hill) where you can look out for miles across the valley to my parents house, or coming down Gypsy Hill from Crystal Palace and there's the whole of London, The Gherkin etc.

Now now, no need to be directionist.

funny you say that, as im from Bogota and lived there for the first 18 years of my life! Its no shanty. Of course it has shanty bits, like New York has the Bronx for instance. Bogota is a great city, fantastic restaurants, lovely parks, big shopping centres, amazing medical service, the best university in South America, lovely residential areas, I could go on. yes, it is dangerous in places, but I took H last year (blond, blue eyed english boy) and he said he felt safer than he would anywhere in England. Just thought i'd mention that as a misconception of where I (used to) live. ?

Belfast has paramilitaries, yes, but at the minute, I do think it defines 'up and coming' with loads of bars and clubs, a lot more boutiques and independent shops than other places and really friendly residents.

*sings* Hahahahahaha P&P got told off! *sings*

Those were the bits I was referring to, not the whole city.

? Ok people you are now all highlighted places Spinster knows and loves

Hay... I am (seriously) working to help promote Hemel Hempstead's reputation.... I agree with what you say but why does no one else!!!... are you on flickr can I stalk you on email??

Minx Sauce - that is very true about Pompey I love the lights along the seafront in the winter. the only think I didn't like (but it is 15 years since I lived there was the fact that each group was quite segregated and didn't mingle if you were a local / a student / a sailor...

I live in Sutton or Slutton as some people call it!

Its got a pretty bad rep and when i tell people at work where i live they always make a negative comment.

One of my collegues went to sutton shopping and she commented on the number of single teenage mums with a couple of todlers and a pram there were down the high st!

There are also lots of 'hoodies' that hang about the shops and down the hightstreet but to be honest i think wherever you are you are going to get that!

Although i must admit, i dont venture further than the Asda - is grim past there!

But as a whole i like where i like, i am near the station, i can get to London Bridge in 30 minutes. I can get to about 3 different high streets in about 20 minutes and there are plenty of parks, bars and restaturants.

I am near all my friends and family and i 'know' the area so i know the nice bits nad know the parts to avoid

I know P&P - wasn't really telling you off ? - just thought i'd take the chance seeing as you'd mentioned it!

I'm in Gloucester, work in town, grew up on the outskirts of the city and now live in the suburbs. I don't really know what the misconceptions are from an outsider, I guess a lot of people think of fred west when you think of Gloucester.

Apart from being a fantastic rugby town and having some wonderful old buildings a beautiful cathedral I find it hard to summon up anything else nice to say about it. I've recently felt quite nervous walking to work, I never thought i'd say that about a place I know so well and have lived in for the last 30 odd years, it's quite sad.

I'd love to move further out, the surrounding countryside is beautiful, but expensive. Alternatively i'd like to live by the sea.

Email addy deleted.

I come from Guernsey, and there are huge misconceptions about me personally because of that. Some people, when told where I come from, assume that my family are rich. In fact, someone once said to me "oh, so you must be loaded right?". Wrong, I'm from a working class family, and yes, whilst the Island does have a number of millionnaire residents, the majority of the residents are middle to low income.

I've also lived in Acton (london) when I was at University. Yes, parts of it, aren't that pretty, but where I was, I would definitely have described the area as up and coming, and that was 7 years ago that I left.

What the Piester said,except I'm at the junction of the Brixton/Stockwell high crime areas and the Kennington middle-class enclave ?

I've been spending quite a bit of time in Brixton lately. My gym is there and it's a local council one that's as good or better than any private gym I've been to in London. There are fab reastaurants and amazing food shops, including the world's most bargainous butcher. There's also a fab farmers' market at Oval.

I can walk into central London in under an hour, or my commute is about 25 minutes door to door on the bus.

Although the estate where I live has its problems, it's extremely well managed and there's a sense of community - we've just started a veg-growing project which I am very excited about ?

Awwww you've made me all sentimental for my home town.........Love the view of Pompey from Portsdown Hill on a clear night.......

I live in Leith in Edinburgh, Leith has a bit of a rep for being rough and ready which in some places it certainly is. However, its vibrant and eclectic with fantastic independent bars, restaurants & shops. I don't know another place where you can be eating in a Michellin star restaurant one minute and dancing on a bar in a rough pub the next. In fact this happened to me a few months ago. Lovely Michelin starred meal in Martin Wisharts one moment and 30 minutes later I got offered the opportunity to purchase a half used Rimmel Heather Shimmer lippy in the toilets of the Port of Leith bar, followed by a double voddie and coke for £2. (I use the term voddie loosely - more likely anti freeze made in a bucket out the back and stirred with a stick)

I'm jealous - having read The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Literary Society I want to live there! (Well, maybe visit at least).

I live in Birmingham. My family live in Surrey. So we get a whole lot of 'you lot up north' comments (I have given up on trying to explain that it's called the Midlands for a reason - it's in the middle, not the north!) and faux Brummie accents which are actually Black Country accents.

Everyone also thinks that the city centre is really grim and the shopping is rubbish, which was true 8 years ago. However it has undergone a massive regeneration in the last few years and is now properly lovely, with good shops and everything. Nobody believes me though.

Hay have emailed you!

I live in Birmingham and people seem to think it is some grotty industrial city full of smoke and people who speak like Lenny Henry which is the biggest thing that annoys me as he is from the Black Country not Birmingham.

Although I live that far out I am just within the border the city is only 20 mins drive away at the most,it has good trains links,the bull ring shopping center (although not to many small shos now which is a shame),we have such a mix of backgrounds in the city that there are some great places to eat and meet new people. Brummies in my view are very friendly down to earth people and I enjoy the fact we are in the midlands so no where seems to far to get to.

I was however born and brought up in rural Ireland( think back of beyond) and one thing that bugs me there is when ever I tell people they ask some really stupid questions such as do you have phone lines so you can have the internet,do you get electric and the best I once had from some one at work was to you a road to get to you house..erm no we use a ponny and trap and go across the fields in the mud! Oh and as my accent is so think people cant understand it at times and talk back to me like I am thick which really is annoying.

Belfast...... Probably not as bad as you think. But, that said, all the things that you think go on here.... Probably do.

And in regard to being on the up.... Yes, it certainly is. But... (I love buts) It's over reached itself and an implosion of sorts can't be far away. It has more pubs/bars/shops of whatever description than a lot of other cities. What it doesn't have, is the population to support them. Nothing to do with the past or paramilataries or anything else, it's just a small city on a small island and the post-peace boom has been way over-sold.

I love it.

I live in Switzerland, and, well, the trains don't all run on time...

I live in Eastbourne, East Sussex...

Its' not trendy Brighton (though I drive there every morning in about 30 minutes door to door)

Neither is it "gods' waiting room"!

I love my town - born and bred here. Much cheaper houses than down the road (though I do love going into Brighton, I just love coming home!), situated on the foot of the downs.

Lovely seafront, but just a bit quieter than other towns, but still up and coming with a vibrant young population.

Great Thread!!

I live in Cornwall and everyone thinks it's a sunny place to live, ask any holiday maker here this and last summer it isn't?. Cornwall has some of the poorest households in the uk, we have the lowest wages also and the highest water rates in the uk because we are surrounded by water.

On the positive, Cornwall is a fab place to live, low crime, the beaches, the fact your children can still play out quite safely. There is a huge sense of community and I know all my neighbours etc. It is also a fab plac to buy homegrown food on our doorsteps.

I also lived in Camberwell for about 6 years. I loved it there, I thought it was rather bohemian should anyone have asked me to describe it. I eventually left Camberwell and now live near Middlesbrough which is currently the reigning champion for Location x3 'Worst place to live in the UK' and quite frankly I did a Jeff Stelling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdBuDSEokz0

I am from Eastbourne - although now live in Maidenhead, Berks and I have to say, whenever I go back to see my folks I smile fondly. It is a great place. Granted that as a kid growing up there it seemed really dull, I think it is a fantastic place.

What school did you go to sweetcaroline?

I live in Milton Keynes, which is full of misconceptions. The most annoying people who critisise it after having 'gone through on the train' or 'been to the shopping centre'.

There is so much to do here...indoor skydiving, skiing, gyms, resturants, pubs, bars, euqestrian facilities, shopping, water skiing, it just goes on and on. There was masses of open green spaces, with numerous lakes. I can cycle seven miles from my house to the city centre wiithout encountering a road along green routes through trees and along streams. We have the Grand Union Canal on the doorstep. We even have sheep grazing five minutes walk from the shopping centre.

I can get a train to central London that takes 40 minutes. It's far from the 'concrete jungle' perception most people have.

Hay - I spent the first 23 years of my life in HH and my parents are still there, I love it. However my sister has gone upmarket and moved to Berkhamsted ?

I live in Reading. The South side of the river. aka the "wrong" side as it's not the posh bit.

Yes, we have our stabbings and our riots, but we also have some beautiful places too. There are the ruins of Reading Abbey (where the oldest English tune was penned - Summer is Icumen In) which is Next to The Forbury - complete with band stand and ornate statues.

There are two lovely churches in the town centre - St Mary's Minster (looks like a checkerboard) and St Laurence (has the only set of a full octave of 12 bells in the whole of Berks). There was something lovely about working a Sunday morning in my shop, listening to St Mary's do a full mathematically changing peal of bells before we opened.

I live in a little terraced house which is 7 minutes from one of the only places outside of London with a House of Fraser, John Lewis and Debenhams all within 800 yards of one another. Great shops, great restaurants, great atmosphere... and you know what? With the exception of one or two bars, it feels safe, and non-angry at night. I happily walk home

Having recently had a baby, I can safely say that I wouldn't mind raising a family here, and letting him grow up. Someone said when he was born "poor thing will have Reading on his birth certificate for the rest of his life..." Yeah, he will. And he should be proud of it ?

I live in brighton (well just outside, but nobody has heard of southwick!) and I love it. However people seem to think that everyone from Brighton is gay, seriously whenever you meet people that is usually their first reaction, clearly thinking they are being amusing and original. It really winds me up. Yes we do have a large gay community (Kemp town area has some great restaurants) but you do not have to be gay to live there (obviously!).

If I am honest though parts of brighton are getting worse each year, the stag/hen industry makes weekends a nightmare if you venture into town and personally I wouldn't want to walk up the main drinking street after about 9pm on any night of the week, although there is usually a massive police presence thurs-sat.

But for all its faults it is an amazing place to live, I love living by the sea and couldn't ever even dream about moving away.