5 Best Places To Live Outside Of London

As much as fans of their respective football clubs might try to deny it, Manchester and Liverpool are practically mirror images of one another. Vociferous as those nights at Anfield may be, the relationship between the two cities is really more like a sibling rivalry.

The parallels are manifold. Obviously there's the football: Liverpool FC and Manchester United are the two most successful clubs in the country, and let's not forget Everton and Manchester City either. Then there's the music: Manchester may boast Oasis and The Stone Roses these days, but Liverpool were there first with Gerry and The Pacemakers, and of course, The Beatles. Hard to top that, isn't it?

The pair also share a history: both grew into Northern powerhouses during the Industrial Revolution, and both suffered in unison during the mass unemployment of the Thatcher government. Since then, huge regeneration schemes have been afoot, and as a result both cities are vibrant and modern cultural hubs that most would be proud to call home. Liverpool in particular is a hotbed for the arts; the city boasts the country's largest selection of galleries beyond the capital, and it's no surprise it was christened 'European Capital of Culture' in 2008 - an accolade which still eludes London.

Perhaps the key area where Liverpool differs from its Mancunian cousin is that it as bloody great river running through it, the estuary ultimately emptying into the Irish Sea. So even if you do manage to grow tired of Merseyside's vast array of boons, a short trip away is never an inconvenience.