Now that I’ve been living in England for just under a year, one question that has been directed towards me more than once is what exactly is it that I like about living in England so much. After giving this question some thought lately, I’ve come up with these top ten reasons.

Top 10 Reasons to Love Living in England

Public transportation – Even outside London, it’s quite possible to live in many places in England without a car. There are good train and bus networks, and I’ve been able to walk to most necessities from where I live.

Hearty food – English food is not particularly healthy, but it sure is hearty – and I love to indulge in it from time to time. Fish and chips, Sunday roast, and a traditional English breakfast are some of my favorites.

Cozy pubs – Whether it be a pub quiz or a Sunday roast, English pubs have character, are family friendly, and are great gathering place for a bit of relaxing.

Varying landscape for the size of the country – The landscape of England will surprise you. In my time thus far in England, I’ve seen stunning countryside, lively villages and towns, the megacity that is London, mountains and lakes, and coastal beach towns (no guarantees that the water is warm though!).

Proximity to mainland Europe – Traveling to mainland Europe is really easy – in London you actually have the choice to take the train directly into France or Belgium. If you are going farther afield, then there are dozens of airports throughout the country that make all of Europe easily accessible within a few hours. To boot, flights are quite inexpensive (oftentimes under $150), which make it much more affordable to travel as well.

Fascinating history – In the U.S., you’ll be hard pressed to find much of anything still standing that’s older than the 1700s. In England, the history and what remains stem much farther back (Windsor Castle is almost 1000 years old!) so learning about the different periods of history and how they’ve shaped current day England is really interesting.

Tax is included in prices – Seeing a price with tax included and only having to pay that amount makes it much easier to calculate how much money to pull out (understanding why England has so many coins, on the other hand, is not!).

Temperate climate makes being outside year round easier – Despite England being quite north, the temperatures are quite mild. The average in summer (based on London) is about 70°F (21°C), and in winter is about 45°F (7°C). It also rarely snows. All of this combined mean that outdoor activities like country walks or hiking are comfortably doable year round.

(Most) ATMs are free of charge – Unlike I was in the U.S., I’m not limited to only taking money out of my bank here. There are plentiful ATMs that offer no service charge regardless of what bank you have when taking out money – making it far less stressful to get cash when you need it.

It doesn’t rain as much as you think it does – I think it’s a misconception that it rains a lot in England. When it does rain, it’s more of a drizzle, and not usually a downpour. I personally rarely carry an umbrella, and I can’t think of many cases where rain has impacted my plans. I actually feel like it rains just as much (if not more) in D.C.!

Do any of my reasons surprise you? Why do you love where you live?

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