Just why would you give up the bright lights of our capital (or similar urban metropolis) for a new career ‘up north’ in Yorkshire? We’re happy to explain just why we think Yorkshire is pretty much the centre of the Universe, and the perfect location to embark on the next stage in both your career and life journey!
Shipley, United Kingdom
1. Country v. City
Why choose when you can have both? Yorkshire can offer you the best of both worlds – the stunning natural beauty of the countryside, juxtaposed with vibrant bustling city centres.
If city life is more your thing then you won’t have far to go with Leeds, Harrogate and York nearby, and Sheffield and Manchester just a little further afield.
2. Location, Location, Location
We’ve all watched Phil & Kirstie showing a couple a ‘gorgeous bijoux’ one-bedroom basement flat in an ‘up and coming’ London suburb for the bargain price of £½ million. Really?!
How about a 4 bedroom detached house built in beautiful natural Yorkshire stone, complete with stunning views for £300,000? Now that’s more like it.
One look at the latest *Rightmove House Price Index will tell you all you need to know. Average house price in Greater London – £600,145. Average house price in Yorkshire & The Humber – £190,441.
And Rightmove’s Happy at Home Index in 2019 placed Harrogate in the number 2 spot, and Skipton at number 4, both are within 15 miles of our offices in Shipley. Meanwhile, many locations in Greater London ranked down towards the bottom of the table.
We appreciate that you may have your children’s education to consider and you will find that we have some fantastic primary and secondary schools in the area, including a number which have ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’ Ofsted reports.
Two of the region’s universities also feature in the top 25 of the University League Table 2015 – namely Leeds and York.
4. Culture & History
London may well have a lot to offer in the culture and history department, but so does Yorkshire. When it comes to museums we have a few to choose from including:
The National Railway Museum, York
The Royal Armouries, Leeds
The National Media Museum, Bradford
The National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield
Eureka! Children’s Museum, Halifax
Jorvik Viking Centre, York
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield
Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds
We also have our fair share of castles and ruins to bring a wealth of history to life – from one of the best-preserved and complete medieval castles in England – Skipton Castle; to the resting place of Dracula, Whitby Abbey.
5. A Feast of Food & Drink
If you’re a gastronome at heart then you’re in for a treat as Yorkshire now boasts more Michelin starred restaurants than any other county outside of London.
We’re also a hotbed of brewing excellence with more breweries in West Yorkshire than London! The county has a plethora of breweries that are regularly featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, including the award-winning Black Sheep in Masham, and our very own, local Saltaire Brewery in Shipley.
There are a plethora of foodie festivals for you to visit throughout the year too, from BBC Good Food in Harrogate, to the Great British Food Festival in Leeds.