I’ve lived in Liverpool for almost five years now and whenever I go somewhere else people who haven’t been here seem to think its a super rough and ready, people getting beat up on street corners and sirens blaring all the time kind of a place, and its not! So I wanted to throw out some of the things I really love about living in Liverpool.
Its Quiet
If you’re used to country living then maybe it’ll be super loud for you, but having lived mostly in small towns prior to living here I find it really quiet. I don’t live in a fancy area either, the area I live in is considered quite rough by people that don’t live here but in reality its a quiet and mostly uneventful place. Theres the odd crime and accident that happens, but I’ve always felt safe walking around the area even late at night.
There’s plenty of Things to Do!
This is one that gets said about a lot of places and is usually true, but an extra perk of Liverpool that I like is that there are a lot of free events and places too! Liverpool Biennial Art Festival is, I think, entirely free, I’ve been to free screenings of several different films, all through the summer there are street performances and festivals that are free and during the winter not only are there a LOT of Christmas/Holiday celebrations that are free and fun but also all of the museums and art galleries we are home too. I can head into the city centre having paid £2 for the train and taking my own lunch and spend a whole day fully entertained without having to spend a single penny, which is great considering how often I don’t even have that!
There Is Still Community
All over the UK I’ve seen people moan about the lack of community where they live and I can very proudly say that the community in Liverpool is very much alive and in many different ways. There are still lots of community centres, churches that do tea hours for people of all religions, even allotments that sometimes sell fresh fruit and veg grown almost on my doorstep! All unexpected for such a large city but then again, Scousers are known for being friendly and helpful!
It’s Beautiful
We all have our opinions about the sky scrapers and other new buildings that are popping up all over everywhere, but you can’t deny the amount of beautiful buildings in Liverpool, and you definitely can’t ignore how lovely the Mersey and Birkenhead can look on a sunny day (if you just ignore the fact that its Birkenhead!). I know I’m lucky and its not the case for everyone, but I adore being able to look out my kitchen window and see the Mersey, I can’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else.
I know that these points likely stand for a lot of cities, but I see Liverpool get so mistaken and spoken badly about that I wanted to point out that actually living here is honestly really nice. The people we have, the communities that are strong knit and diverse and the history that surrounds the city have built a beautiful place where people still care about each other. It’s not perfect, its not crime free or perfectly tranquil at all times but its a good place to live, its a great place to visit and its the only place I feel I can really call home.
-Dana
Carry on Beautiful! 