Manchester has been crowned the ‘most desirable place to live in the UK’, according to a recent survey, beating London by just 0.2 per cent. The thriving northern city was voted Britain’s favourite by thousands of participants.
Mindshare UK polled 10,000 individuals across the nation, asking them which UK city they would opt for if they had to live somewhere other than their current location. In total, 11.9 percent of those surveyed selected Manchester, narrowly outdoing London, which was chosen by 11.7 percent of respondents.
Historically, the capital has been the go-to choice for those seeking to relocate for career progression. However, Manchester’s rapid expansion over the past 25 years has positioned it as a key rival to London, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Both cities were clear favourites in the survey, significantly ahead of Edinburgh, which secured third place and was chosen by 7.6 percent of respondents. York clinched fourth place, having been selected by 7.4 percent of those surveyed.
Liverpool rounded off the top five, being the choice of 5.7 percent of respondents. Conversely, at the bottom of the list, only 2.5 percent chose Glasgow as their preferred place to live, with Birmingham selected by 3.6 percent.
The study, conducted by Mindshare UK, revealed that Manchester holds considerable appeal among Brits – and Londoners might be shocked to hear that almost half of those surveyed in the North West and Cumbria believe Manchester should replace London as the capital.
If Londoners had to choose another city to call home, Manchester would be their top pick, with 19 per cent of respondents backing the northern powerhouse. One person surveyed remarked: “Everybody’s moving back to Manchester. The youngsters love it.”
Across the nation, roughly 22 per cent of Gen Z and 21 per cent of Millennials reckon Manchester should become the new capital, ditching London from its top spot.
Julia Ayling, Head of Research at Mindshare UK, who spearheaded the report, said: “Manchester has positioned itself across the UK as a popular alternative to London as a capital.”
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