| Ipswich 18:53 - Sep 11 with 7644 views | KungfuBlue |
I’ve heard repeatedly both in person and on here just how crap Ipswich is as a place.
Possibly an unpopular opinion but I disagree. Having come into the area from a small nothing town in Cambridgeshire I really appreciate all that the town offers, from the array of shops (could always be more of course) to the stunning parks - Christchurch is a gem in the towns crown, to the waterside and all bars / restaurants for both my generation and the younger generation. You have lovely areas down St Peter’s and St Nicholas street with independent shops, bars and restaurants, many other park areas and some great pubs. Plus the mighty Portman Rd.
I get some areas are better than others and a lot have their issues but for me Ipswich is a great town and has a lot going for it.
What annoys me a little is some of the people that tell me Ipswich is S**t don’t even go there or have never lived elsewhere.
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| Ipswich on 19:25 - Sep 11 with 4876 views | NthQldITFC |
It has certainly gone downhill a bit, but then most town centres have since eCommerce became the thing. I'd agree with you that the parks are excellent and the Waterfront not bad, if a bit plasticky.
And the Underground system is highly efficient, spotlessly clean, and rarely overcrowded. |  |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| Ipswich on 19:30 - Sep 11 with 4858 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
| Ipswich on 19:25 - Sep 11 by NthQldITFC |
It has certainly gone downhill a bit, but then most town centres have since eCommerce became the thing. I'd agree with you that the parks are excellent and the Waterfront not bad, if a bit plasticky.
And the Underground system is highly efficient, spotlessly clean, and rarely overcrowded. |
Nothing wrong with the town centre if you Like having a Latté when you are putting a bet on, and then buying some charity shop jeans with your winnings.
Perfect |  |
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| Ipswich on 19:31 - Sep 11 with 4848 views | MattinLondon |
I’ve lived in a fair few places and Ipswich isn’t that bad a place - it’s better than many parts of London. It seems to be fashionable to criticise the town -especially from those that live in the countryside - but it’s a nice town.
Hopefully the waterfront regeneration will continue and if ITFC gets better than more investment will be made.
I do think that the Town needs to be more aggressive in marketing itself rather than the county - but having not lived in Ipswich for some time that may well not be applicable anymore. |  | | |
| Ipswich on 19:34 - Sep 11 with 4854 views | judespiveyg |
My take is that for most people in Suffolk, the only comparably sized places that make sense to go to are Cambridge and Norwich, both of which are seriously above average places, so Ipswich seems less good than it actually is. It's definitely a nice place to live, even if its maybe a little bit dull in some regards.
I moved to Sheffield in 2020 for uni and while the city itself confirmed to me that Ipswich definitely has its shortcomings, (maybe a bit unfair because I absolutely love Sheff) the surrounding towns I've visited (Rotherham, Doncaster etc) have made me really appreciate that Ipswich is perfectly nice and far from a sh*thole.
Ipswich is a 6 maybe 7 out of 10 place, and there's absolutely no shame in that. [Post edited 11 Sep 2022 19:37]
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| I survived Ipswich 0-0 Burton |
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| Ipswich on 19:44 - Sep 11 with 4768 views | Stu_boy |
It's like anywhere. Those that want to find fault will. However, in reality there's nothing wrong with ipswich as a place, it's certainly better than many other towns in the uk but it's fair to say everyone can view things differently and equally all are entitled to an opinion. An opinion is neither right nor wrong it's just a viewpoint based on their own perspective |  | | |
| Ipswich on 19:56 - Sep 11 with 4667 views | DeepBlueSea |
| Ipswich on 19:34 - Sep 11 by judespiveyg |
My take is that for most people in Suffolk, the only comparably sized places that make sense to go to are Cambridge and Norwich, both of which are seriously above average places, so Ipswich seems less good than it actually is. It's definitely a nice place to live, even if its maybe a little bit dull in some regards.
I moved to Sheffield in 2020 for uni and while the city itself confirmed to me that Ipswich definitely has its shortcomings, (maybe a bit unfair because I absolutely love Sheff) the surrounding towns I've visited (Rotherham, Doncaster etc) have made me really appreciate that Ipswich is perfectly nice and far from a sh*thole.
Ipswich is a 6 maybe 7 out of 10 place, and there's absolutely no shame in that. [Post edited 11 Sep 2022 19:37]
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A friend of mine went to uni in Sheffield, a good 15 years before you, and i went to visit him a few times - it's a really underrated city; loads going on, good transport, good mix of students and subculture. It doesn't always get a great press, but it's a genuinely good place to live. | | | |
| Ipswich on 21:29 - Sep 11 with 4354 views | SomethingBlue |
Ipswich feels on the up again to me — seemed to have a pretty major slump between say 2005-2018 but it's sorting itself out and some really decent venues and ideas springing up. Some bright people with can-do attitude starting to make a difference on the council side of things. I find it's often the people who actually live there that are negative about it, weirdly enough. The place has a tonne of potential and plenty of good things in place already. [Post edited 11 Sep 2022 21:29]
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| Ipswich on 21:43 - Sep 11 with 4299 views | King_of_Portman_Rd |
| Ipswich on 19:56 - Sep 11 by DeepBlueSea |
A friend of mine went to uni in Sheffield, a good 15 years before you, and i went to visit him a few times - it's a really underrated city; loads going on, good transport, good mix of students and subculture. It doesn't always get a great press, but it's a genuinely good place to live. |
I also went to Uni in Sheffield and went back there recently for a weekend. What I will say about Sheffield is that it is there is constantly some kind of development/improvement as some places were almost unrecognisable to me.
Back to the topic - Ipswich. One thing it does need is a steady and consistent development like Sheffield, as the nice parts of Ipswich are nice and would benefit from being extended/finished.
It doesn’t need the complete overhaul some would have you thinking, but some sensible planning and better marketing it’s not all that bad.
Like others have said, it’s ‘rivals’ for shopping days out etc. are better than the national norm so Ipswich does feel a bit less cultured in comparison |  | | |
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| Ipswich on 21:46 - Sep 11 with 4278 views | ParisBlue |
| Ipswich on 21:29 - Sep 11 by SomethingBlue |
Ipswich feels on the up again to me — seemed to have a pretty major slump between say 2005-2018 but it's sorting itself out and some really decent venues and ideas springing up. Some bright people with can-do attitude starting to make a difference on the council side of things. I find it's often the people who actually live there that are negative about it, weirdly enough. The place has a tonne of potential and plenty of good things in place already. [Post edited 11 Sep 2022 21:29]
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Similar slump to the football team then.
I wonder how much the success of the football team helps the town (and vice-versa). I recall reading about the impact promotion in 2000 made to the local economy. Maybe it is "The men that made the Town" |  |
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| Ipswich on 22:01 - Sep 11 with 4202 views | Vic |
25 years ago I moved out of Ipswich to go to north London. I was quite shocked when I moved back 10 years later. It had undoubtedly lost something in that time. The Buttermarket never took Orr, always half empty and had/has little atmosphere. Tower Ramparts gradually emptied. So many shops disappeared and were not replaced by comparable outlets. Likewise The Walk and the Odeon. Most of Tavern Street is shot!
But on the plus side the Waterfront is lovely, St Nicholas and St Peter’s Street are brilliant, as is the area around Cineworld. Sadly we’re also caught in some politics between the Borough Council and the County Council - people are trying but it will take some time.
I think we have to accept Ipswich for what it is - we’re more working class than Cambridge and Norwich. We have got into a bit of a moaning mentality - and it seems trendy to have a pop at anyone who tries to do anything to change things.
Plus - we’ve had a slowly declining footie team that until a few months ago we’d all but given up on. The state of our club really has affected how we see all things Ipswich. Hopefully the whole town will mirror the rise of the football club. |  |
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| Ipswich on 23:28 - Sep 11 with 3929 views | ITFCson |
| Ipswich on 19:44 - Sep 11 by Stu_boy |
It's like anywhere. Those that want to find fault will. However, in reality there's nothing wrong with ipswich as a place, it's certainly better than many other towns in the uk but it's fair to say everyone can view things differently and equally all are entitled to an opinion. An opinion is neither right nor wrong it's just a viewpoint based on their own perspective |
If ever you have walked 1 end of Norwich rd to the other it would be a bold claim to say nothing wrong with the town. The sad thing is it’s a average town for the country but as a country we are light years away from others. | | | |
| Ipswich on 01:22 - Sep 12 with 3824 views | monytowbray |
| Ipswich on 23:28 - Sep 11 by ITFCson |
If ever you have walked 1 end of Norwich rd to the other it would be a bold claim to say nothing wrong with the town. The sad thing is it’s a average town for the country but as a country we are light years away from others. |
What’s wrong with Norwich Road exactly? |  |
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| Ipswich on 01:59 - Sep 12 with 3771 views | BondiBlue |
It's all relative. I'm currently moaning about the inner-city suburb of Sydney that i live in to anyone who will listen. Apparently my problem is i can't walk to the beach. There's no pleasing some people. | |
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| Ipswich on 07:40 - Sep 12 with 3475 views | iamatractorboy |
| Ipswich on 19:34 - Sep 11 by judespiveyg |
My take is that for most people in Suffolk, the only comparably sized places that make sense to go to are Cambridge and Norwich, both of which are seriously above average places, so Ipswich seems less good than it actually is. It's definitely a nice place to live, even if its maybe a little bit dull in some regards.
I moved to Sheffield in 2020 for uni and while the city itself confirmed to me that Ipswich definitely has its shortcomings, (maybe a bit unfair because I absolutely love Sheff) the surrounding towns I've visited (Rotherham, Doncaster etc) have made me really appreciate that Ipswich is perfectly nice and far from a sh*thole.
Ipswich is a 6 maybe 7 out of 10 place, and there's absolutely no shame in that. [Post edited 11 Sep 2022 19:37]
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You've hit the nail on the head here, compared to Norwich and Cambridge, Ipswich will always suffer but those are hardly typical towns/small cities. Cambridge gets visitors from all over the world due to the famous University, and also the wealth associated with graduates remaining in the town and taking up high tech jobs at the science park etc. If you want to compare Ipswich to anywhere, Colchester is more apt and I don't think there's much difference between the two there. Comparing to Sheffield is a bit unfair as well though, must be... 4 times the size, population-wise? | | | |
| Ipswich on 07:42 - Sep 12 with 3467 views | iamatractorboy |
| Ipswich on 01:59 - Sep 12 by BondiBlue |
It's all relative. I'm currently moaning about the inner-city suburb of Sydney that i live in to anyone who will listen. Apparently my problem is i can't walk to the beach. There's no pleasing some people. |
Must be awful!! | | | |
| Ipswich on 08:07 - Sep 12 with 3394 views | eastangliaisblue |
| Ipswich on 07:40 - Sep 12 by iamatractorboy |
You've hit the nail on the head here, compared to Norwich and Cambridge, Ipswich will always suffer but those are hardly typical towns/small cities. Cambridge gets visitors from all over the world due to the famous University, and also the wealth associated with graduates remaining in the town and taking up high tech jobs at the science park etc. If you want to compare Ipswich to anywhere, Colchester is more apt and I don't think there's much difference between the two there. Comparing to Sheffield is a bit unfair as well though, must be... 4 times the size, population-wise? |
I've said it before on here and i'll say it again, Colchester never seems to be viewed negatively compared to Ipswich. In my opinion Ipswich is a far better town than Colchester, which to me is just an urban sprawl with not much there. |  | | |
| Ipswich on 08:13 - Sep 12 with 3356 views | MattinLondon |
| Ipswich on 01:59 - Sep 12 by BondiBlue |
It's all relative. I'm currently moaning about the inner-city suburb of Sydney that i live in to anyone who will listen. Apparently my problem is i can't walk to the beach. There's no pleasing some people. |
I feel your pain.
#prayforBondiBlue. | | | |
| Ipswich on 08:14 - Sep 12 with 3352 views | MattinLondon |
| Ipswich on 01:22 - Sep 12 by monytowbray |
What’s wrong with Norwich Road exactly? |
It has ‘Norwich’ in its name. | | | |
| Ipswich on 08:31 - Sep 12 with 3296 views | PrideOfTheEast |
It's fine. I really like Christchurch Park and the area around it.
Waterfront is lovely and with regular investment will continue to thrive. | | | |
| Ipswich on 08:42 - Sep 12 with 3244 views | Leaky |
| Ipswich on 01:22 - Sep 12 by monytowbray |
What’s wrong with Norwich Road exactly? |
Whats right with it |  | | |
| Ipswich on 08:55 - Sep 12 with 3169 views | bluelou |
| Ipswich on 08:42 - Sep 12 by Leaky |
Whats right with it |
The Maharani | |
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| Ipswich on 09:04 - Sep 12 with 3135 views | itfc48 |
| Ipswich on 19:34 - Sep 11 by judespiveyg |
My take is that for most people in Suffolk, the only comparably sized places that make sense to go to are Cambridge and Norwich, both of which are seriously above average places, so Ipswich seems less good than it actually is. It's definitely a nice place to live, even if its maybe a little bit dull in some regards.
I moved to Sheffield in 2020 for uni and while the city itself confirmed to me that Ipswich definitely has its shortcomings, (maybe a bit unfair because I absolutely love Sheff) the surrounding towns I've visited (Rotherham, Doncaster etc) have made me really appreciate that Ipswich is perfectly nice and far from a sh*thole.
Ipswich is a 6 maybe 7 out of 10 place, and there's absolutely no shame in that. [Post edited 11 Sep 2022 19:37]
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Like you say Cambridge is above average however even their retail areas have gone downhill in recent years. Grand Arcade is nice however despite its facelift, the Grafton Centre fills quite sorry with the big named shops it's lost. You also need to remortgage your house if you want to drive into the centre for your shopping trip. | | | |
| Ipswich on 09:06 - Sep 12 with 3128 views | Bluefields |
Lived here for 34 years and the town centre is a sh*t hole. | | | |
| Ipswich on 09:08 - Sep 12 with 3112 views | hatch |
| Ipswich on 19:56 - Sep 11 by DeepBlueSea |
A friend of mine went to uni in Sheffield, a good 15 years before you, and i went to visit him a few times - it's a really underrated city; loads going on, good transport, good mix of students and subculture. It doesn't always get a great press, but it's a genuinely good place to live. |
Short of making this a Sheffield thread, fully agreed on all the positivity it’s getting. Hence my avatar which is the sheff uni logo from when I was there.
Ipswich has its shortcomings but it’s home and I like going back for nostalgia. Once they truly link the town to the waterfront it will be heaps better. The Botanist should hopefully bring some buzz back to the cornhill area too. |  | | |
| Ipswich on 09:10 - Sep 12 with 3101 views | Leaky |
| Ipswich on 08:55 - Sep 12 by bluelou |
The Maharani |
yes, you do have a point. | | | |
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