Manchester may have just been voted the best place for beer in the UK and home to the best marathon in the country, but that doesn’t mean it has it all its own way. The Northern city has been pipped to the post for the top award of the most popular city in the UK, and must settle for eighth place in the rankings in a YouGov poll.
Heading to the most popular city in the UK means taking a trip across the Pennines to visit the quaint and pretty city of York, which was ‘liked’ by 74 per cent of respondents to the poll. It’s not hard to see why people are smitten by the place, either. It’s a picturesque little cathedral city that’s steeped in both Roman and Viking history, with plenty to see within the city walls and beyond to the stunning countryside.
York saw off stiff competition from not one, but two of the heavyweight capital cities in the UK, with Edinburgh hot on its heels, taking second place in the poll. It also scored 74 per cent on the popularity scale, which trounced London’s score of 63 per cent – though this was still enough to get the big smoke a place on the podium. As for Manchester, it received a popularity score of 55 per cent – clearly we’re not for everyone…
Elsewhere in the polls, Cambridge has come out on top of the battle of the big university cities, coming in just ahead of Oxford at spots #4 and #5 respectively. The poll lists 48 cities in total, and also lists the factors of Fame (98 per cent for Manchester, no biggy), Disliked By, and Neutral. This time we’ll have to settle for eighth, and York can bask in the glory of its victory. This time.
The top 10 most popular cities in the UK
- York – 74%
- Edinburgh – 74%
- London – 63%
- Cambridge – 62%
- Oxford – 61%
- Brighton – 60%
- Liverpool – 58%
- Manchester – 55%
- Portsmouth – 55%
- Bristol – 54%
Read the full rankings here.