As if any Geordie ever needed confirmation, it's now official that Newcastle is the happiest city in Britain. According to a study by the European Commission (who apparently have nothing better to do), 56% of Newcastle residents are "very satisfied" with their lives, and 84% happiest with their financial situation. If that's not cause for celebration, I don't know what is. Look, we all knew Newcastle was the best place to live, no matter how loud London shouts its own claims: the city is a unique Northern haven, surrounded by beautiful countryside, thriving with creativity and culture and full of the kind of people that make you feel at home no matter where you're from. Whether you leave the region or not, it pulls you back irresistibly, the call of Local Hero and Busker dragging your heart back across the river into its homeland. It's impossible not to be romantic about Newcastle... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwiE0xYOXAk And here's exactly why it's just been voted the happiest place in the UK...
24. We Get Stotties
Your typical Geordie ex-pat care package will include a few definite items, but top of every list is invariably the mighty stottie, the region's superior take on the bread bun. Massive, just claggy enough and beautifully tasty, the Greggs staple should be a nationwide delicacy, but everyone else has to make do with barm cakes, baps and cobbs. They don't even sound as good.
23. It's The Greggs Capital Of The World
Among the many, many exports and inventions hailing from the region (including the life saving windshield wiper and Cadburys Wispa - hence the spelling), the sprawling pastry monster that is Greggs is undoubtedly the top of the pile. In Newcastle and its surrounding areas, Greggs are as frequent as street-lights (and far more useful), and their selection of mouth-numbingly hot pasties are a matter of supreme local pride. https://twitter.com/ElasticDonut/status/693429231712387072
22. We All Have A Pitch Black Sense Of Humour
https://twitter.com/ISupportOnikaM/status/488389170256433154 How do you deal with a huge manhunt of a wanted murderer? You fixate on a local, alcoholic celebrity who turns up drunk to try and diffuse the situation with lager, a fishing rod and some chicken. How do you greet devastating floods that put people out of their ruined homes for months? You surf. And how do you deal with the everyday misery of a Metro system that turns up when it wants? You set up a Twitter account, obviously... https://twitter.com/metroapologises/status/691325437029519364
