When most people imagine Great Britain, they think of London, one of the world’s most gorgeous and fascinating cities. They think of the nation’s reputation for wry humor, polite people, and its undeniable influence on modern culture. What most people don’t think about is the countless small towns and hamlets that don’t quite fit into Great Britain’s reputation for austere, aged grace. It might seem unthinkable that Great Britain has some real dung piles among its treasures. They did kick off the Industrial Revolution, after all. If you’re planning to visit Great Britain, you might want to steer clear of some of the following places. These cities will have you wondering how in the world they had the audacity to put “Great” in front of “Britain”.
1. Oldham
According to Britain’s Office of National Statistics, Oldham ranks as “the most deprived town” in the country. Essentially, that means the people are poor, unemployment is rampant, healthcare is below the national average, the education is subpar, there’s a lot of crime, and (inexplicably) homes are hard to get. So … that seems like a pretty good springboard for the rest of our conversation.
