compare contrast different areas of england

I know that I am moving to the UK sometime around september as a dual citizen. however, unlike most people on this board, im not moving for a job or moving to live with a significant other.  so, when i get there in september I'm going to start the job hunt and a place to settle.  id like to know the differences between living in like london, birhmingham, or manchester.  id prefer to be closer to a big city, but any info about any part of the uk would be great. maybe thats to broad of a question, but oh well any experiences you can share would be great.  are there large differences between north/ south like there are in the US?
thanks
-chris

Well, here are my observations on the North/South divide:

The cost of living is lower in the North than in the South
There are more highly paid jobs in the South East, particularly London, Cambridge and the Thames Valley
Parts of the North are still suffering the effects of deindustrialisation, although some of the bigger Northern cities are doing pretty well
People are generally more friendly and open in the North
London and the South East are generally more ‘international’ (i.e. people, food etc …) than the North
There are more national parks in the North
There are more museums/cultural facilities in London than in any other UK city
The weather is generally better in the South East
The North is closer to Scotland (a big plus!)
The South is closer to France (an even bigger plus!)

I have lived in London, which was great and I am currently in the North and very happy to be here!

There are lots of posts on UKY about places to live – keep an eye out or post another question specifically about a particular city/town – you’ll get lots of interesting responses and feedback from fellow Americans.

Good luck with the move!

For practical reasons, I live near London. If I could, I'd go north. I love Manchester and I think the people in the north are lovely....

I currently live in Newcastle, but I've spent significant time in London and Cambridge.  Based on my experiences, I prefer the North.  The cost of living is certainly lower (and not all salaries are lower -- despite what you might hear) and the pace of life is a bit slower -- even in a city like Newcastle (unless you're a university student -- there are plenty of places to drink and dance until you puke!). 

I would like to stay here as long as we're in the UK.  DH looks at jobs sometimes and the first thing I want to know is where they are -- I'm pretty much dead set on staying up here and the further South the job, the less I'm in favour of him applying for it.    

I've never been to the south, so I can't make a comparison, but based on my experiences with the north (moving to York in a few months), I have to agree that the people up north are extremely friendly.  From what I have read about southern rents, housing is much, much cheaper in the north.  Also, from what I have researched about jobs, the south, particularly London, seems to have more old, established big companies (which would explain the larger salaries), while the north seems to have a lot of small companies, just starting out, lots of IT.  Kind of like New York vs. Seattle.

I also agree with what Lola said about the cost of living being much less in the north.   I'm amazed at the numbers people mention around here when talking about living around London. My fiance's salary is miniscule compared to some salaries people mention as not enough to live on in the south, and yet my fiance is able to live comfortably up north.