Do you think that Sheffield is a 'Hard' city?

Is your experience of Sheffielder's that of warm, friendly folk open to opportunity, learning from others' point of view etc...

or is it closed minded, biggoted, inward looking, belligerent?

discuss... :thumbsup:

What's your definition of 'a Sheffielder'?

Nomme

I think that's covered in another thread Nomme :P

Perhaps, but since you asked the question I'm asking you for your definition of a Sheffielder. I'd just like to know what group of people we are supposed to be discussing. The term 'Sheffielder' is too woolly for my liking.
Are they any different from 'Yorkshire folk' in general?

Nomme

I'm not sure I can be that specific nomme... let's see...

how about people you meet when you're in Sheffield? :)

I don't think Sheffield's a hard city at all. Try Manchester/Glasgow/Bradford for comparison. Sheffields nice and squidgy soft in comparison.

That said, it's still pretty backward in many ways imho.

I wouldn't say so, in general. If you've ever been to one of those dilapidated ex-pit towns, you'd see plenty of people you wouldn't like to meet on a dark night!

Anyone ever been beaten up in Sheffield?

Just realised - this would have been a good subject to have a poll... is it possible to add a poll to an existing thread?

Originally posted by alert_bri
I'm not sure I can be that specific nomme... let's see...

how about people you meet when you're in Sheffield? :)

Using this definition makes everyone in Sheffield a Sheffielder. I think this might come as a big surprise to a lot of people!
If I go to London for the day do I become a Londoner while I'm there? I don't think so.

Interesting that after an hour or so you changed your definition (i.e. someone born and bed in Sheffield).
I think I prefered your original definition, at least it was precise. No mistaking whether you are in or out of that group, however - difficult to know if someone is in that group without asking them.

Nomme

As I said nomme - I had difficulty with your question ;)

Use whatever definition makes you happy mate - it's only an idea for a discussion :D

I think Sheffield generally feels pretty safe - I'll take it over Manchester or London any day of the week! But that's probably because I've been roaming around since I was a nipper... rarely had a life threatening experience in the last 30 years ;)

Of course there are rough areas - as with any major city but on the whole isn't it supposed to be one of the safest big cities in the UK?

It all comes down to perspective. If a visitor to sheffield stays in the better areas and has the right attitude then they would obviously find the people they met warm and friendly, and vice versa. I left Sheffield in 1979 and still class myself as a Sheffielder, still have the accent and still the ties. Three generations should be the rule to decide whether you are a Sheffielder and I'm being lenient at that. Any less and you are just a tourist.

eh? So if you're born here but your grandparents weren't you're a tourist?

hmmmm....

Have to say that in general Sheffield peeps are friendly. Been up here since '96 from Leicester and have found that the people up here are easier going than in Leics. Have a small market stall in the city center and meet a good cross section of people so I say give yourselves a pat on the back !!

I have found in general that the vast majority of people in Sheffield are friendly folk. I think that people who serve in shops are often more chatty and friendly. I lived in a block of flats when I first moved here and my neighbours were all friendly and stopped to chat to me. Where I live now my new neighbours have been friendly too.

I lived in Surrey for 2 years and I would say in general the people who served in shops weren't as friendly overall. Of course I met plenty of nice people in Surrey too.

I don't think I had any pre-conceptions about what people in Sheffield were going to be like when I moved here, I was more concerned about finding somewhere to live and doing well in my new job to be thinking about anything else. I've found people here to be friendly towards me.

So, no I don't think it's a "hard" city!

Well how many cities in the world, could men call each other 'Love' without being beaten up? lol

Where does that come from, blokes calling blokes love? It's very strange and still catches me sometimes.

As for is Sheffield warm? Yes I believe so having been born in London and spent three eyars in Leicester, people here are very nice and approachable.

I'd agree - Sheffield in my eyes is a warm and welcoming place to live. As has already been raised as a point - any large city has to bear with the fact that there are more open and attractive areas - while other areas could do with a pikey revamp IMO.

Having moved from the south - people are more friendly generally up north. But there is a definite stigma attached to the way of the world. If you want to like something badly enough, you will. And it works the other way around too. I wanted to love Sheffield so much when i moved up here - that i only found nice things to say about the place.
Yes i have had run-in's in the past - not through choosing but from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thats what happens when good folk (like myself) are forced to infiltrate among the pikey people - its a way of life, and i accept that some people gain pleasure out of hitting other people over the head with beer bottles!!!

My main point, however, is that people will generally reciprocate the feelings that face them. Its psychology. So if i walk into a newsagents and smile at the cashier and say 'hi' - that person will be polite in kind. If i get face on - i will just be seen as another mardy customer.

BE NICE TO PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WILL BE NICE IN RETURN!!!
irrespective of town or region........

thank you.

What is 'Hard'?

All i've seen as evidence of 'hardness' is young lads telling bouncers they 'Don't know who they are'.

There seems to be LOTS of tramps and scagheads in the city centre too.

Originally posted by alert_bri
...or is it closed minded, biggoted, inward looking, belligerent?

...was my meaning of 'hard' - not hard as in tough to fight. lol :D

I think the people of sheffield are quite hard (as in tough) but they just don't tend to use it as much as, say, in manchester. I think in some cities people define themselves by how hard they are, but there doesn't seem to be that attitude here.

I originally come from near knutsford in cheshire, posh as f*** little town. However, in 5 1/2 years living in sheffield i have seen three fights, every time i go out in knutsford i see trouble. According to a couple of things i read, sheffield is statistically the safest major city in europe too (as in lowest crimes per head of population), which can't bad going!

It's about the only city where i've ever felt pretty safe walking through the city centre on my own after midnight. With a few exceptions (such as the horrible incident with caprice's boyfriend in another thread), i think if you try to avoid trouble, you don't tend to get any trouble. I'm 23 and have still never been punched by anyone! I hope to keep it that way :D