Is Manchester a tough place to live in?

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Manchester's not bad when you consider another northern city that has recently lost its world heritage standing.
 
Worked in longsight/ rushole last 20 years until retired in April a proper shitehole the pair of them has got worse over the years .
Rusholme and the Curry Mile, even in the height of Moss Side and Longsight’s gun problems, used to be alright. A bit overrated, but full of decent curry houses and a good atmosphere.

These days it’s proper shit! The “Curry Mile” sign should be removed because there aren't even half a dozen curry houses there now. There are a few shisha bars but they’re mostly shit and there’s a moody vibe around there now, and it’s fucking full of litter and overflowing bins everywhere.

Last time I went there I went for a mid-week curry with a girl… and the locals spent the evening tutting at her and looking her up and down in disgust because she wore a short-ish (nothing to extreme) skirt and strappy shoes, and I was attacked and had fireworks fired at me at the cash point.

I’ve never been back and don’t think I ever will. The place is a proper shit hole.
 
What makes a city ‘liveable’ and does Manchester have those qualities? I think we also need to distinguish between the City Centre/inner city Manchester and the outer suburbs. Bernardo is probably fed up living in his flat in town, but Ederson in his mansion out in Alderley Edge is loving life which is why he is signing long contracts with us. There’s few better places to bring his kids up than where he is living.

The best city centres in the world cater for ppl of all ages, something Manchester does not. Is there a single children’s park anywhere in town? There’s zero green space. If you are in town with your kids on a Saturday afternoon, would you feel comfortable hanging around and having a meal and a few drinks with them in tow and going home at 9pm? No, you are looking to get out of there before the idiots arrive. That’s probably the same for every city centre in the U.K. bar London. You really can’t be taken seriously as a city and compare yourself to the great cities when the above is true.

I see town as being somewhere to shop, eat and get pissed. It’s not very liveable at all.
It’s livable if you’re a childless household. But there are no city centre schools, parks (as you say) and family friendly safe relaxing open spaces, and there aren’t enough dentists and doctors in the city centre. It’s also quite dangerous after a certain time (even during the day if you run into the wrong set of dick heads at the wrong time) for kids.

Manchester city centre is now the second most populated district in Manchester behind Wythenshawe, but it’s only developed in terms of number of flats to live in and places to eat and drink for adults, and has not developed as a proper district to live within for all aspects of life.

A bit like Wythenshawe when it was first built: with all the houses that were built there, there were no shops, no dentists, no doctors, few schools for the biggest council estate in Europe.

Developers need to start investing in communities and not just flats.

There are also far too many places that are ‘rent-only’ in the city centre. Places don’t offer mortgages in nearly enough volume in order to build communities. Renters and one-bed flat/studio dwellers will rent for the short to medium term then move out of the city centre to buy a family home. This needs to change. More family homes need building in the city centre (as long as the schools and other amenities come with them).

Then we will have a proper city centre.
 
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Having lived in the city centre (now Ancoats) for 12 years I can confirm this is total rubbish. But I’m 39 and don’t have kids or I’m sure I’d see it in a different way.

Different people like different lifestyles and I absolutely love living in Manchester City Centre. Judging by the number of fellow residents that have moved here and stayed here from all over the country I’d say it definitely has a lot of appeal!
The city centre caters for a minority of the overall population. Sure, it’s good to go and get pissed and get something to eat, but the best cities in the world do that and cater for the wider population.

I’m not saying Manchester isn’t a decent place to live, what I am saying is that it is not involved in the conversation when talking about the best cities to live in, for the reasons previously mentioned.
 
It’s livable if you’re a childless household. But there are no city centre schools, parks (as you say) and family friendly safe relaxing open spaces, and there aren’t enough dentists and doctors in the city centre. It’s also quite dangerous after a certain time (even during the day if you run into the wrong set of dick heads at the wrong time) for kids.

Manchester city centre is now the second most populated district in Manchester behind Wythenshawe, but it’s only developed in terms of number of flats to live in and places to eat and drink for adults, and has not developed as a proper district to live within for all aspects of life.

A bit like Wythenshawe when it was first built: with all the houses that were built there, there were no shops, no dentists, no doctors, few schools for the biggest council estate in Europe.

Developers need to start investing in communities and not just flats.

There are also far too many places that are ‘rent-only’ in the city centre. Places don’t offer mortgages in nearly enough volume in order to build communities. Renters will rent for the short to medium term then move out of the city centre to buy. This needs to change.

Council are all over this. We are building a school and doctors in town and a new park in Salford greengate.
 

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