Cool Britannia, Britannia rules the raves. But where should the young Brit with a degree in creative writing and DePop account live if they want to find fellow Dr. Marten-shod draft-dodgers to go to cabaret drag nights with?
Where can Greenpeace badges be found in their highest density? Where is Adobe most used? Where has a Boots that runs out of pink hair dye before it runs out of men’s razors?
Here, that’s where:
Manchester
Six-and-a-half-thousand creatives moved to Media City when the BBC rebased. This was a trigger-moment in the wake of which there has been explosion of creative agencies in the area.
Low living costs, a huge contribution to recent youth culture and the air of a city on the up are drawing thousands of creatives to Manchester every year. If you are a creative kind of person looking to rent in Manchester, check out our Northern Quarter Area Guide for tips on where’s good to be.
Bristol
Where there’s gentrification, there is, what my gran likes to call, trendies. Bristol has tons of both. Since a few years ago, it is being hailed as one of the UK’s coolest places to live with people like Luke Jerram and Crack Magazine making a mark on the nation’s bon vivants. Flats to rent in Bristol are about half as expensive as in London too, so get looking here.
Brighton
Having a uni renowned for its arts courses is a great way to get a reputation as a creative city. Chock-full of great galleries like Ink_d and Fabrica, Brighton is famous for being a volcanic island of socialism in a blue Tory sea.
It’s not as cheap as its creative northern cousins, but then again creatives here won’t might actually be able to wear rain jackets for purely stylistic reasons.
Glasgow
Glasgow is another cool city with a famously cool art school.
GSA’s cutting-edge spans from Mackintosh to Alex Kapranos. Now the city can boast a lovely West End, great metro system and serious nightlife pulling-power.
Cardiff
Like London and Manchester, Cardiff has big TV production business. It also has around a quarter of the population ages 20-35, meaning it’s popular with young people. Nightlife is cheap, with great venues like Clwb Ifor Bach leading the way.
Rent in Cardiff is cheap too, as are house prices.
