I grew up in Hull, it really isn’t anything like as bad as people make out. It has some crappy parts, what city or town doesn’t? The media have made Hull out to be a right pit over the years, mostly because they never go there. It has loads of history, cheap housing, loads of parks, a great music scene, some truly beautiful scenery on its doorstep – alright its crap for mountain biking but the Holderness area and the Yorkshire Wolds are beautiful. It has good access, some decent shopping, York, Leeds, The Dales, Moors Peaks all within 90 minutes drive. It says a lot that Hull Uni has (or at least used to have have) the highest proportion of graduates who stay in the city beyond graduation than anywhere else. I have been away from Hull for nearly 20 years and now live just outside Swaledale/Arkengarthdale as its where the missus is from, but all my family are still in the Hull/Beverley area and frankly I get homesick for the place every time I go back. Give it try, you just might like it.
I did try living in Hull, but couldn’t stick it. I do agree that it gets a bad rep considering what it can offer in terms of culture, access etc. But (and it’s a big but!) it is a very difficult place to live as an outsider IMO.
In the UK, I’ve lived in Ayrshire, Glasgow, London, Leeds, Manchester Newcastle and Hull. I’m no stranger to rough. I didn’t actually find Hull rough, but I did find it remarkably inhospitable and insular at times. I was working in town and living on Little High St. That’s the first mistake. Although Hull is a “city”, it’s not set up like other cities. When 5pm comes, everyone you’d consider having a beer with scurries back to Beverley/Cottingham etc and the centre becomes a ghost town. Even trying to find a pint of milk at 10pm is easier said than done.
I found that strangers are treated with a bit more suspicion and not really welcomed in the same way that you often find in other cities. Despite living there for almost 2 years I struggled to feel “at home”.
Bizarrely, I was spat at three times on the same stretch of road (heading towards Drypool Bridge), on all occasions I was just walking home from work. twice spat at from a bus, and once from a passing car. 🙂
My ex was from Cottingham and I spent a number of years in the area before ending up working there for 2 years, so I did give it a chance and I did have a decent circle of friends. But I honestly could never imagine settling there.