Once we had decided on England, we needed to pick a city. Not easy, as there are lot of good candidates to choose from!
Most English cities have most of what we're looking for in a place to live. The public transportation systems are quite extensive (especially compared to the US), and depending on how you calculate it (a controversial subject), our impression is crime is on average lower, too.
Of course price came into consideration in ruling out a couple of the more expensive cities, and England can be a pretty rainy place, so we wanted to minimize that as much as we could by giving preference toward the drier east side of the island.
In general, cities in the South are more expensive, especially those closer to London. Some other places were quite beautiful, but maybe too small, like York, Norwich, and Lincoln. At various times, we were seriously considering Liverpool, Nottingham, and Leeds. But, what finally won the contest is the cultural capital of the Northeast:
Newcastle upon Tyne!
Here are two generalizations not everyone will agree with, but which we've heard again and again: England is in culture and attitudes somewhere between the US and Western Europe. Similarly, Newcastle is culturally somewhere between the rest of England and Scotland. (Not surprising as this is also geographically so; Newcastle is the closest city of its size to the Scottish border. Tanya is thrilled that it is only a 1 1/2-hour train ride to Edinburgh!)
Newcastle seems to have incorporated the best of the various civilizations that surround it. A stunningly beautiful city architecturally, it is often referred to as the friendliest city in England. For a metro of its size, it scores remarkably well in safety, air quality, cost of living, and healthcare. For an easy getaway from the city, the metro connects residents to the coastal towns along the North Sea.
Although we're going from New England to Old England, at least we'll still be in the Northeast!