A commuter town that tried to be the UK’s version of New York has constantly been named one of the worst places to live.
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, was named one of the 50 worst places to live in a survey by iLiveHere.
One review of the city said they had the “dire misfortune” of moving to the area and that they have come to “loathe the place with a fiery passion”.
Milton Keynes, which ranked 35 in the survey, is one of the newest cities in the UK. Founded in 1967, it was one of the most ambitious projects of the mid-20th century and was built on a grid system, taking inspiration from New York.
While the reviewer was scathing about their home, they said the reason for their anger was not the people they knew, but the environment Milton Keyes sat in.
They explained: “A dismal London commuter belt town/city/(your choice), a symphony in the superficial and a concerto of concrete, eleventy square miles of fetid failed social housing surrounded by dual carriageways where to be cut up if you’re not in the fastest VW/Audi/BMW/Vauxhall Vivaro van going is de rigueur.
“Retail parks, retail parks as far as the eye can see. A Starbucks, a Costa, this place is not for me. Modern Milton Keynes is basically having a delicious cake, filled with razor blades.”
They added that criticism of the city from those who lived there was often muted “as if it’s a thought crime”.
The reviewer claimed there was dissidence/distance between the richer and poorer residents of the city.
They said: “The poor of Milton Keynes don’t have a lot of choice or hope…you pretty much need a car to get everywhere despite the Redways.
“The public transport is expensive and ****, there’s a real lack of affordable or cheap shops, and the jobs, whilst plentiful in the low-no skill category, are usually mind-numbing, back-breaking ‘McJobs’.
“Those who have done well from Milton Keynes, will not stop talking about this fact. To disagree is dissent, the dissenters disbelievers, people who have not subscribed to the dream.”
When Milton Keynes was originally built nearly 60 years ago, it was part of a new generation of towns and cities that sprung up around the country.
Its name reportedly derives from one of the historic villages in the area while the area is known for a rich legacy, one which includes helping to win World War 2.
Bletchley Park, home to one of the world’s first programmable computers which helped to break Germany’s Enigma code, forms a major part of Milton Keynes’ contemporary history.
In the decades following its founding, it became one of the most productive places in the UK and is allegedly home to a high number of startup businesses.
