Regions of England/ British Citizenship by Descent

I'm a student in London, Ontario finishing up my college diploma at the end of April. I've been interested in the UK for a long time and would consider moving there to experience their culture and just to get a different experience. This isn't going to be something that's happening soon (I'm only 20 and would like to spend a few years working and/or finishing my degree I started before college) but I've found myself looking at the different areas of England and, of course, reading up on people's experiences here on the forum.

Let me just say this- I am NOT looking to move to the London area. It just doesn't seem like the place for me and I'd prefer to move somewhere smaller and less intimidating. I hear the weather in the East and South is generally better than in the West, but I notice no one really talks about anywhere in the East England region. I'm a little scared to hear why that is but I want to know!

My next step after school is to move to Calgary and find work there, maybe save up for a few years, get my life figured out a little more, but who knows? I'm kind of a lost soul right now.

Natalie

I'm kinda wondering too--about where is good in the UK. Also, thinking about Calgary. I wish I knew what to do. lol

Good luck:)

everyone that moves to or lives in the UK has their own personal spot - be it for climate reasons or jobs or the glamour draw of the big citis such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool or even Cardiff Wales

If this is going to be a non-tourist interest of discussion - then I'll begin by providing a wiki snapshot of the East coast of England as well as the North East

Enjoy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_of_England

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_East_England

Once you pick a particular town or city of interest, you can google it to find out about its demographics, as well as google map

Trust this helps some

Thanks for the links. I noticed that you are quite helpful on the forum. ^^
It's unfortunate to read about the high unemployment in those areas. I'm hoping to find better economic success somewhere, since I've never really made more than minimum. It's a tough world right now. I don't know if things are going to improve for a long time.

The east of England is such a varied region ranging from the great city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north-east, cities like York and Nottingham further south, down to the technological hot-spot of the Cambridge area. You could also include Kent as well, though that's usually said to be part of the south-east, rather than the east.

The biggest variation is probably climate. The north-east is generally known for cool temperatures even in summer, whereas the Cambridge area is a lot warmer, and a lot drier - with the region having similar rainfull to Seville in southern Spain. The southern part of eastern England is also extremely flat.

It's unfortunate to read about the high unemployment in those areas. I'm hoping to find better economic success somewhere, since I've never really made more than minimum. It's a tough world right now. I don't know if things are going to improve for a long time.

the East of England is probably one of the better areas to live & work

According to this

http://www.east-of-england.eu/east_of_england.cfm

http://www.livingeast.org.uk/

you can google differerent areas & cities around the UK to find similar demographic information

Why does it have to be England & London - is a lot of what I'm reading on these forums, that young folks want to hit the London areas - why not other areas of England or Scotland or Wales

IMO you can (or could choose to) live almost anywhere in the UK where the jobs match the climate & safety - then if you want to go see the bright lights, do it on an excursion.

This is no different than a commonwealth citizen asking a Canuck 'where is the best place to live in Canada or within a certain province'.

If & I mean if, anyone is planning a move over on a semi to permanent basis (even a YMS), I would suggest (subject to funds) that they wait another 12 months to make the move & make at least one visit for a minimum of two weeks & travel aroud the areas of interest (hostel backpacking way as one) just to get a feel.

Otherwise expect the unexpected

In the link below 'British life & culture' is a guidline (dated 2008) gives you a scope of things

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk ... /cost.html

The UK will still be there - one two, five or even longer years from now

Krystina, you're thinking about moving to Calgary too? Thats cool, where are you now?

Portico, thanks for the links. I've already spent a lot of time looking at cities on the East Coast and just general information like the economy, climate, populations, culture, etc. Norwich seems like a really cool place and I'd like to check it out! Even just go there on a vacation sometime to see what it's like.

Themeone, that's pretty much what drew me in to looking at the East Coast. I heard it didn't get as much of the stereotypical gloomy weather that a lot of places on the West Coast do. And to be honest, I don't think I would mind having cool summers at all! It might sound weird but I'd prefer it to be cold all the time than hot all the time.. here in Southern Ontario we had a record breaking heatwave this July- I'm pretty sure it was the hottest it's ever been in history or something crazy like that and it was BRUTAL! My father was born in Stockton-on-Tees which is close to Newcastle (unfortunately he doesn't have dual citizenship as he moved when he was 2 years old) and even that area would be worth checking out for me. Plus Dire Straits is my favourite band and they're from Newcastle, haha

I'm in Southern Ontario, too. I used to live in London ON, for my undergrad, but now I'm back in my home town. Not much here. And I mean Southern Ontario in general. So, I've started thinking about other provinces, or even other countries. I applied for my British passport last week. We'll see how that goes. Portico was nice enough to give me some tips with that... And yes, I see the overwhelming preference for London and surrounding areas, but actually, I am thinking Scotland. There's not much discussion over there, so I've been checking out the UK (as a whole) discussions.

So, m'dear, I would say that you can apply for your passport. Your father was born in the UK, so you are eligible. Just because he moved when he was two doesn't mean he's not a citizen. You just need a copy of his long form birth cert. I'm pretty sure I'm older than you, so I fall into a different set of application rules, but I think (maybe) you also need to show that your parents were married at the time of your birth.

And yes, I see the overwhelming preference for London and surrounding areas, but actually, I am thinking Scotland. There's not much discussion over there, so I've been checking out the UK (as a whole) discussions.

Edinburgh it is for Krystina eh! check it out

I'm in Southern Ontario, too. I used to live in London ON, for my undergrad, but now I'm back in my home town. Not much here. And I mean Southern Ontario in general. So, I've started thinking about other provinces, or even other countries. I applied for my British passport last week. We'll see how that goes. Portico was nice enough to give me some tips with that... And yes, I see the overwhelming preference for London and surrounding areas, but actually, I am thinking Scotland. There's not much discussion over there, so I've been checking out the UK (as a whole) discussions.

So, m'dear, I would say that you can apply for your passport. Your father was born in the UK, so you are eligible. Just because he moved when he was two doesn't mean he's not a citizen. You just need a copy of his long form birth cert. I'm pretty sure I'm older than you, so I fall into a different set of application rules, but I think (maybe) you also need to show that your parents were married at the time of your birth.

That's what I've been thinking too. There's nothing here anymore that could really satisfy me and I need a change. I would consider Scotland as well, it seems like it's a really beautiful place!

I'll give him a call and see if he's got his long form birth certificate on him but I'm not 100% sure he's got actual paperwork of him living in the UK. That's what my mother had been telling me, which was really confusing. Are you totally sure having a parent born in the UK qualifies me? A lot of people say yes but whenever I read about it on official websites it just says grandparent.