I truly cannot believe that I get to write this post – that I have been so lucky and so fortunate as to be able to have lived in my beautiful city of York for five years, and to get to live here indefinitely. Five years ago today, on 13 October 2016, I landed in the UK and moved to York.

I was recently granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK (ILR) – a process that has consumed my last horrible year. I am so beyond grateful to have this, this stability and certainty, the freedom to continue rebuilding my life the way I want, and to stay living in this incredible place that I love so fiercely. I feel so blessed.

I’ve written a post every year on this day. My first annual post in 2017 was about 15 Harsh Truths About Living In England (this post is somehow still my most popular post of all time!). Then in 2018, What I’ve Learned About British Culture After 2 Years Living In England. In 2019 I wrote 3 Years Of Living In England: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. Last year, in 2020, I wrote about Celebrating 4 Years Living In England: On The Silver Lining Of UK Travel.

After the last horrible year, and everything I’ve been through, I am so happy to be writing my five years in England post. And so happy to share all the reasons why I love this amazing city so much! Words can only express so much, but here are all the reasons why I love living in York.

Interested in a FREE 10-page York Mini Guide? Included in this York Mini Guide are: The top experiences and things to do in the city Where to eat & drink (cafes, restaurants, pubs) The best daytrips outside the city An itinerary for how to spend 3 days in York Click here to get your free copy!

The beauty of the city.

York is stunning. I am constantly and continually floored with how beautiful this city is. The architecture here is amazing, sunsets are so pretty, York looks magical throughout all the seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter). It’s just gorgeous and photos can’t truly do it justice, no matter how many thousand I take to try to capture it. I know I’m biased, but I genuinely think this is the most beautiful city in the world.

The history.

York was founded by the Romans as Eboracum, thrived under the Vikings as Jorvik, and became a major medieval city before taking off as a big railway destination. I walked past York Minster on my morning commute every day for years. I worked down the street from the Shambles, the oldest shopping street in Europe, for over two years. I can go to the pub where Guy Fawkes was born, or one with a Roman bathhouse in the basement. I walk through snickelways that date back hundreds of years. My favorite coffee shop is built into the City Walls, and you can grab a table on the 14th-century barbican. York’s history is immense. It’s home to some fantastic museums, where you can learn about all of York’s different chapters. The history seeps through every inch, every cobblestone, every part of the city. You will discover so much here!

The incredible food and drink scene.

While York is full of history, one of the things I love most about living here is the amazing variety for food/drinks around the city. There are so many excellent restaurants, great pubs and bars, and cozy coffee shops and cafes. There truly is something for everyone, whatever your taste or whatever you happen to feel that day. I love the variety of cuisine on offer: Italian, Nepalese, Polish, Indian, Thai, French – you name it, York probably has it. For more low-key places, Spark: York is one of my favorite places to go with friends, as there are so many different (delicious) food options in one place! You’ll be spoiled for choice at Shambles Market too.

It’s long been rumored that there are 365 pubs in the city (one for every day of the year), but whether you want a riverside pint in the sun at the King’s Arms, cocktails at Evil Eye, one of Brew York’s own beers in their taproom or beer hall, Georgian wine at Cave du Cochon, or a pint or a whiskey (or both) at the Rose and Crown – you will find what you want in York. Even after living here for five years, there are so many places I still haven’t tried and have yet to visit! New establishments are still opening and there is so much diversity in the flavor of what you’ll find here. I love it.

There’s always something on.

There’s never a dull moment in York. There is always something happening in the city! There are so many festivals that take place here throughout the year – the Vikings take over the city in February, before the Romans do the same in June. The Ice Trail is one of the BEST events of the year, and York’s Christmas market (busy as it is) will always get you in the holiday spirit. I love how there’s always something going on here, and how many fantastic events there are to look forward to throughout the year!

Safety.

I can only speak from my own experience, and I know that bad incidents are happening with a bit more increased regularity. But York is an incredibly safe city. I grew up in a big city and have always been very street smart. I’ve traveled solo around the world and have honed my gut instinct like nothing else. I know not everyone will have the same perspective as me, but I feel incredibly, extraordinarily, safe in York. I live in a safe neighborhood (full of students, so there always seem to be people around no matter what time of day or night) and close to the city center. I walk home from the gym in the dark with headphones in – which is truly amazing and so freeing. I often walk back home alone after meeting friends for drinks in town—I am extremely cautious when I do this and never let my guard down, but the ability to do that is wonderful. (If I’m very drunk I get a taxi!) I have only been catcalled once in my five years of living here. ONCE.

Yes, there are a lot of scary things that happen. And yes, town can be a bit rough at night with late night drinkers and general chaos. But I feel legitimately safe here. I do things here that I never did in my many years of living in Minneapolis, the three years I lived in Decorah, or my year studying abroad in Nottingham. I feel safe in this city. And my god, as a woman living alone, it is the best feeling to feel safe where you live.

The location.

Of course my love for York knows no bounds, but part of why I love it so much is because of where it is. York’s location, in the heart of Yorkshire, is truly excellent. I can be in the North York Moors or the Yorkshire Dales National Parks within an hour. I can be by the sea at the Yorkshire Coast in just over an hour. The Peak District is easily within two hours, the Lake District just over two hours away. I can be in Northumberland in two hours, Snowdonia in three, and I’ll get to the Scottish border in 2.5 hours. Manchester Airport is the best option for flights, but I have also flown from or into smaller regional airports like Leeds-Bradford, Newcastle, or Doncaster Sheffield. York has such a convenient location and I love it.

And of course, we all know that Yorkshire has my heart. This is the best place on earth, I truly believe that, and there is something for everyone here. I have managed to see an extraordinary amount of places in Yorkshire in the last five years, but the problem is that my list only keeps getting longer as time goes on. I am so happy to be here.

There are a million more specific, little things about this city that make my heart weep with joy. The daffodils that bloom along the City Walls in spring. The perfect way the golden hour light hits the west front of the Minster. When you go outside and the entire city smells like chocolate. When I go for a pint at my local and they already know what drink I’m having. That rare moment of peaceful bliss when you stumble upon the Shambles, and find that you have the whole street to yourself.

After five years here, I still think to myself, my god how did I get so lucky. I have never taken this city for granted. Not once in five years. It is still magical to me, I am still awed and overwhelmed at its beauty. I have to pinch myself sometimes to remember I’m not dreaming – this is actually my life. I actually live here.

After this last year of hell, after fighting for my life and fighting with all my heart to be able to stay, after thinking I would be writing this five-year blog post as a heartbreaking goodbye to my city… all I can say is: thank you. For everything.

I love York with all my heart. This city never abandoned me. When I had nothing, truly nothing, I had this city – it was always there for me. And today, celebrating five years living in this most magical and beautiful city in the world, I am simply beyond grateful to call it my home.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along with me on this journey. Who has supported me in all of this, whether you’ve been reading regularly for five years or joined more recently. I, literally, would not be here without you. Thank you! <3

You might like my other posts on living abroad:

What I Wish I Knew Before I Moved Abroad

15 Harsh Truths About Living in England

What I’ve Learned About British Culture After 2 Years Living in England

3 Years of Living in England: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Celebrating 4 Years in England: On the Silver Lining of UK Travel

Getting My UK Driver’s License: My Battle With the Wrong Side of the Road

13 Tips For Surviving Life Abroad

5 Years Since Nottingham: Reflections on My Study Abroad

All of the posts in my life abroad category!

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Interested in a FREE 10-page York Mini Guide? Included in this York Mini Guide are: The top experiences and things to do in the city Where to eat & drink (cafes, restaurants, pubs) The best daytrips outside the city An itinerary for how to spend 3 days in York Click here to get your free copy!