It’s a shame that there’s not a lot of people who love where they live. Nowadays, it seems that more people want to get away from the place they live in. The alternative is staying put and laying down roots. I see why the idea of moving away would be appealing to some people, especially if you’re making a new start in your life. Despite this, me and the rest of the team at Driven Media Solutions love where we live. We’re based in the county city of Worcestershire, Worcester. We’re known for our sauce, a battle in the civil war and to be honest, not much else.

Nevermind the fact that Edward Elgar also hailed from the local area, we have other reasons why we love our city. It’s long been nicknamed the Faithful City and as I’ve grown older, my love for my city has grown massively. For context, I’ve lived in a lot of different places, especially when I was younger. None of the places ever felt like home in the same way. If you have an opinion on the place you live, or a reason why you love it, feel free to comment below. We’d love to hear some of your thoughts and beliefs.

Worcester Has Beautiful Scenery

It cannot be denied that Worcester has beautiful scenery. All you need to do is take a stroll down the banks of the River Severn to see this. As you continue walking, you will see the accumulation of plant and animal life. I even saw a badger in the city center once when walking home at night. Truly if you’re looking for a place to clear your mind after a hard day, you could do a lot worse. You don’t have to walk out of the city for long to see the rural landscape. I have regularly gone on long walks through fields just outside of the city to clear my mind.

River Severn Navigation | Canal Map | Canal & River Trust
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/river-severn-navigation

That’s not to say that the beautiful scenery stops in Worcester. The whole county has a range of different beauty spots. For example, you have the well-known Malvern Hills, which are famous for a number of reasons. The Water Cure, Florence Nightingale and some of the inspiration behind Narnia. It almost seems like the hills have it all. In my school days, we would walk a good length of the hills one day per year as a school trip. I still look on those memories fondly and pandemic permitting, I cannot wait to get back on the hills.

Worcester Has Good Transport Links

No city is going to be good for business if it doesn’t have good transport links. We’re quite fortunate in the fact that Worcester is a fairly central city in England. What, with being in the West Midlands and all. This means that when we go to meetings in London, or in the north of the country, we never have to go too far. I dread to think what our travel costs would be if we lived in Scotland and regularly travelled to England. With Worcester also being incredibly close to Birmingham, we benefit from having nearby major transport hubs. 

Still no airports here, but what do you expect from a place with a population of around 100,000? The only complaint that I have is that a large number of the county bus routes are consistently being underserved. This is less of a business perspective and more of a personal conviction. There has been a controversial implementation of the Worcestershire Parkway train station in Norton. I am undecided on whether or not the station is good for the area. Despite that, the building of the station shows that the government is still investing in Worcester transport. For better, or worse.

Worcester is a Very Small City

My previous point kind of feeds into this. We only have around 100,000 in our city. That’s ridiculously small. For the earliest points of my life, I remember thinking that Worcester wasn’t even a city. It’s genuinely not even a requirement to use public transport in Worcester. If you don’t mind walking, it is perfectly reasonable to walk everywhere in Worcester. This means that if you need to meet someone, or go into town, it’s not going to take long. This makes meeting up with team members incredibly simple. It also made going out for drinks (pre-COVID) much easier.

Another benefit of having a small city is aside from the bad apples, it’s a friendly, community-driven place. You only need to walk around to see that the people are generally friendly. If you don’t mind the fact that a large percentage of people know each other, then it’s fine. If you’re someone that prefers to slip into the crowd, you may struggle. Here, you don’t have to deal with the constant hussle of the bigger cities. Despite this, you also get access to a lot of the same amenities as the big city boys. Take it from me, it’s better that way.

The City is Currently Expanding

Despite the fact that Worcester is very small, the city has been expanding. This is due in part to the influence of the University of Worcester and local development. For instance, the Cathedral Plaza development was a big makeover for the city. There have been many more attempts to modernise the county city and a lot of these proposals are going through. Some residents aren’t a fan of this, however, I want Worcester to come into the 21st Century. Development will bring new jobs and life to the city that I love. That’s something that can only be a good thing for the future.

Worcester: Cathedral Plaza
https://spellermetcalfe.com/project/cathedral-square/

It also makes it easier to set meetings, when you have a variety of available locations. The number of bars and restaurants means that you’d never be hard-pressed to find somewhere to go. Why not take a look for yourself? There’s sure to be something that piques your interest.

It’s Peaceful and Quiet (For England)

Another benefit of having a small city is that not much actually happens. What I mean by this is that it’s significantly safer than most UK cities. Of course, things do still happen and the police still have to have a presence here. Despite that fact, I have walked home at night many times after work and I have never felt unsafe. It’s the peace and quiet that make Worcester one of the best cities to work in. Of course, that’s just my opinion, although I’m sure it’s one shared by others. Who doesn’t love a bit of peace and quiet in their days?

Conclusion

In closing, it can be seen that I think Worcester is a great place to work. My opinion isn’t just coloured by the fact that I live here. I’ve been to many places and Worcester is just a little bit different. You’ll be hard pressed to find a location more beautiful and in touch with nature than Worcestershire. Furthermore, the fact that Worcester has good transport links with other major cities makes it easier. This is compounded by the fact that its central location makes commercial travel easily viable. The small size of the city also makes it really convenient to get around and manage your day-to-day.

Despite the small size of the city, it is currently expanding. New developments by local companies and the university have played a key role. We are still seeing new businesses and ventures starting up consistently and the city is rapidly becoming a popular choice. Finally, the safety and security that you have in Worcester make it one of the better places to live. I’ve rarely ever had an incident in the years that I’ve lived here and even then, they weren’t severe.