“I'm glad you like it here, but I've lived in the area nearly all my life and I can't wait to get out.

As you say, the environs are superb, but surely you can't have too many positive things to say about the city itself. It's scruffy, dirty and rundown and has got progressively worse and worse in the last ten years. We have a 'Cultural Quarter' which consists mostly of bars and the city centre is largely a no-go area on weekend evenings for anyone who doesn't want to get thumped or abused or vomitted on. The shopping 'experience' is so poor that my wife and I routinely catch the train to Derby to go shopping.

As for the 'friendly folks', I firmly believe that that is a myth. People are no more or less friendly in Stoke than anywhere else, in the same way that Cockneys are no more 'cheeky chappies' than anyone else, and Scousers are no more comedic geniuses than anyone else. This city seems to have one of the greatest support bases for the BNP and is steeped in poverty, lack of ambition and low value placed on education.

In short, as soon as I retire, I will leave and never look back.”

“To be honest I live in Newcastle and my initial post was a response to hearing some folks on the radio moaning about Stoke.

I grew up in Toxteth, Liverpool so I'm fairly well acquainted with impoverished communities, low expectations, rampant vandalism, violence and other social ills. I believe this kind of phenomena has lot to do with mind set, self-perception etc. and simply trying to do the best with what you have. If you think Stoke is that bad, you should look at other parts of the country. But if even the locals constantly give their city a hard time what's the answer - how can you expect to improve things?

As for Scousers having a reputation for being comedic geniuses - this is obviously a ridiculous stereotype because, let's face it, Stan Boardman, Jimmy Tarbuck and Ken Dodd (bless him) are hardly olympic class humour-mongers. :-)

Having lived in a number of different places around England I can, truly, attest to the friendliness of the local people in my short stay here and that's just how it is - I haven't made it up I'm basing this comment on my own experience. I'm sorry if you can't but, comparatively, I can.

And as for shopping, unless you're looking for Harvey Nick's et al I'm personally fine patronising shops in Hanley & Newcastle. I also know that folks in Mid Cheshire often take a trip to Hanley so it can't be so bad? Of course Hanley isn't too pretty but, to be fair, they are try to pump some regeneration cash into developing parts of it.

All mid to large city centres are dangerous at the weekend and they always have been, it's not a problem unique to Stoke and I have friends who have been set upon in both Crewe and Derby.

I might have it all wrong since I've only lived around here for 11 years... perhaps after I've been living here for 30 years I'll be kicking off about what a dump it is too...”

“Scouse_Stokie I was literally born on what was then the largest social housing estate in post war europe. I have lived here for all of my 50 years and therefore have witnesed many changes. I also know that there has always been a snobbery amongst certain 'aspects' of the community, a sort of class system within a class system. One of neighbours recently refered to their fellow human beings as rif raf. They live in a bungalow, on a street which is a bus route. in an ex mining village!!!!

My experience is that people everywhere are human and all areas have problems. Yes we have a lousy council but that is not the fault of the people who live here. As for nights out the worst thing I ever saw was in the quant old town centre of Chester. A grown man vomited onto the pavement as he walked along the street! Didn't even stop, bend over nothing! The image will haunt me forever.”