The city of Sheffield remains one of the best places to live in the UK, and for good reason.
Bars and pubs hum with the sound of live acts – something that sets Sheffield’s nightlife out against other major cities – with live venues such as The Rocking Chair and The Greystones being but two of the many names known by locals. There are plenty of delightful places to eat too; including several up Sheffield’s famed Ecclesall Road. Artisanship still lives on in the local crafts and family businesses around the town, and it is another valuable aspect that has managed to preserve the cultural identity and traditional customs of Sheffield.
In one word, you could describe Sheffield as picturesque: naturally beautiful, there are in fact more trees than people in Sheffield which means fresh, unpolluted air. It has 250 gardens, parks and woodlands in the city alone, and 61% of the city is green space. When compared to other cities, especially industrial ones such as Birmingham and Manchester, it is a haven for nature lovers – the countryside is only five minutes away from the city centre, which makes for some lovely walks, hikes, bike rides, and everything in between that shouts ‘healthy’! Suburbs such as Broomhill have been lauded by names like John Betjeman as the most pretty in all of England.
The friendliness of the locals is another admired quality of the city – generous with their spirit and sharp in wit, Sheffield has produced many a star of stage and screen including comedy icon Michael Palin, actors Sean Bean and Dominic West and musical acts including Joe Cocker, The Human League, Pulp and Arctic Monkeys. Sheffield also contributed one of the biggest inner-city music festivals in England – Tramlines – to the musical calendar of the U.K.
Sheffield’s theatres are also internationally reputed; on the drama circuit, the Crucible and the Lyceum are lauded for their performance spaces by actors and directors – especially the Crucibles unique thrust stage. As a sporting venue, the Crucible is known as the home of the Snooker World Championship.
Sheffield has a proud sporting heritage across many, not just snooker; football World Cup winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks, former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and current captain Joe Root, Olympic gold medallists Dame Jessica Ennis and Sir Sebastian Coe are but a few of the world-class athletes the city has produced. The English Institute of Sport is based in the city also.
For young people – and students especially – the city offers a great opportunity to find the best that life can offer. There are fewer struggles to make it through the month if you are a starving student, and the city gives students that quality of life that everyone deserves. This doesn’t just mean the nightlife – it’s less than 3 quid a pint in some places – but also rent, and with a monthly average income of just £1,000 you’ll be able to take care of utility bills and more while leaving you enough to enjoy city life and everything that comes with it! The universities in the city – the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam – are world renowned, and are partly responsible for making it (along with Glasgow) the best city for graduates and job-seekers, with a wide array of plenty of career opportunities ready and waiting to be snapped up.
According to a poll conducted in 2013, Sheffield residents are the happiest citizens in the whole of the UK, and remain proud of the heritage and cultural advancements of their hometown – and it’s easy to see why.
