Why Southampton is a great place to live and visit

From the city's rich and vibrant history to its fantastic transport links, many residents had their say.

This comes after Southampton was named in the top 50 worst places to live in England. 

READ MORE: Southampton again ranked among worst places to live in UK

Despite this, the city has a lot to be proud of, especially as it is a City of Culture 2025 finalist.

Here is what our readers had to say.

Lovely parks and places to walk

Riverside Paerark by Carol Neary

Riverside Park, Southampton Common, Royal Victoria Country Park and Itchen Valley are just a handful of the beautiful parks and outdoor spaces Southampton boasts.

The city centre is also home to lovely parks which are blooming with flowers in spring and bursting with beautiful yellows, oranges and reds in autumn.

One reader said: "I love living here. We live right near Riverside which is a lovely park to walk the dog.

"I am walking distance to many green spaces for his multiple daily walks and within 10-20 minutes driving distance of loads more.

"We are close to beautiful rivers, the forest, rolling countryside."

The city's history

The Bargate by Jyoti Kumari

Southampton's rich history was mentioned numerous times by readers, and it is an integral part of the city.

Revered novelist Jane Austen lived in the Old Town of Southampton from 1807 to 1809.

The Titanic set sail from Southampton in 1912 and the city has a great maritime history, which you can learn about at the SeaCity Museum.

Much of Southampton's medieval city walls are still standing, and residents and visitors alike can enjoy walking along the walls and learning more about the history of Southampton. 

One reader said: "I would love to see more sympathetic enhancement of our historic walls and buildings and really sell our history more widely."

Fantastic location

New Forest by Claire Sheppard

Southampton is only one boat trip away from the Isle of Wight, less than 30 minutes away from the New Forest and around two hours from London - we have great transport links!

This is what one resident had to say: "We're 10 minutes drive from New Forest, 20-30 minutes from beautiful beaches, and close enough to London, but far enough away.

"Good travel links to others parts of the country."

Another resident said: "It’s the gateway to the world. You can get a flight connected to anywhere in the world, jump on a ship to anywhere in the world, and it's one hour from the New Forest."

Southampton FC

St Mary's Stadium. Photo: PA

Our city is home to Southampton FC, so who wouldn't be proud of that?

The club had humble beginnings before being promoted to the Premier League in 2012

Although the football team's performance has been both positive and negative over recent years, Saints has an army of supporters behind it, regardless of where it stands on the table.

We march on!

A reader said: "Wherever I've lived in England and Wales - 28 different dwellings - I have supported Saints throughout."

And here are some more things people said:

• "I was born and bred Southampton back in the late 50’s and I still have family there. Living in this city was fantastic.

"Such a wonderful place with a great heritage; beautiful gardens, classic architecture, and one of the best shopping centres in the UK.

We had a university that was one of the best in the UK too, and it was welcomed warmly by the city’s inhabitants."

• "The people are so much friendly then where I live in the Channel Islands!"
• "I’ve lived all over the UK, and Southampton is ok. It's central, near the Forest, own airport, some amazing costal areas not too far away and lots of other reasons I won’t bore you with.

"Not too much crime (compared to big cities). Glass half full is the way to go."