Anyone in the East Midland?

If so, how long have you lived there? DO you like it? What are some highlights of the area?

I currently live in Lincoln. I moved there in September 2011 for work and I'll be honest, if my job wasn't based there, then I would not choose to live in Lincolnshire at all.

Lincoln is kind of in the middle of nowhere, with a lot of flat countryside and not a lot of character and I find that there's just not enough to do in Lincoln. The city is small, with not enough amenities and I often get frustrated with not being able to do what I want to do in the city. I'm from the South West, near Bristol, and Bristol has everything I've ever needed (it's about 4 times the size of Lincoln in population), so to go from that to Lincoln has been a big adjustment.

For example:
- In June, I needed a replacement power cord for my Macbook and didn't have time to order one by post. There's no Apple Store in Lincoln, so I had to drive 55 miles to the Apple Store in Leicester. If I had been back home in Bristol, there are 2 Apple Stores within 30 minutes of my parents' house.

- Last April, I needed to go to John Lewis, H&M and Whittard's. None of these shops are in Lincoln so I had to get a train to Nottingham (an hour's journey) just to get to them. Again, had I been back in Bristol, there are 3 H&M stores, and 2 Whittard's stores and 1 John Lewis store within 30 minutes of my parents' house.

- I have been trying to find a decent public swimming pool in Lincoln, but there are only two, which are not particularly nice to swim in and one of them is not open at any of the times that I am available to swim. So, if I want to go swimming when I return from working abroad, then I'll have to join a gym.

However, cities like Leicester or Nottingham have a lot more amenities and so living there would probably be less frustrating for me.

On the plus side though, housing is cheap in Lincoln - much cheaper than down in the south west, so I'm actually planning to buy a house in the area (when I have enough of a deposit saved) as it's about the only place I can afford to buy.

In terms of highlights of the area:
- there are some nice little villages around the area
- the 'Steep Hill' area of Lincoln is nice - with cobbled streets, a cathedral and a castle.

Hello!  I attended Uni in Leicester.  I found the city quite lovely.  It's home to an interesting mix of traditional English culture and foreign influence.  The Indian food is amazing!  There are quite a few historic places to visit in Leicester (being an archaeologist, King Richard III is all the rage).  The National Space Centre in just outside of the city.  One of the things I liked best about living in Leicester is that it's right in the middle of the country yet isn't too far away from London (only about 1 1/4 hours by train).  The city has all the shops and amenities one might need with the countryside just a short drive away.  There are several parks in the area- Abbey Park has some old ruins.  It also hosts the annual fireworks show on Bonfire Night.  Nottingham and Birmingham are only short (and inexpensive) train trips away.  There really is something for everyone here.

I can't speak much to the housing costs here because I lived in student housing but there is a fair bit of suburban spread around the city as well as housing right in the city centre (where I lived).  Hopefully this has been of some help!

Both have been helpful. I wanted to get a broad range of information about the area as it could be the area I am living in someday, but more so Wellingborough. I realize that it is a very smallish area. I wanted to know what is nearby to it and where one would have to go to get to things just like JSand24 was mentioning. And also how easy it would be to navigate by bus in the area to get to places like the grocery store, rest/pubs and even activities like walking groups, pilates/yoga/exercise classes, etc. And I also wanted to know if there were any Americans in the area or groups that might gather in the region.  I don't mind that it is a rural area as I grew up in one, but wanted to know what the likelihood is that I would be able to make friends there and have things to do.