Being brought up on estates, suberbs etc

[bigsharn]

I was brought up on what could be considered the slums of York

Just kidding... I lived there but I was brought up by my SNES

 

[Steve2000]

I grew up on a council estate in South Bank when they were just put in (early 60s). One thing we all shared in common was none of us had two hapennies to rub together, but we were a right close-knit community. Some of the best people I have ever known.

The image everybody has of a council estate these days is quite different.

 

[Fuzz]

I had cows and chickens for company when I grew up.
I lived on the family farm away from all the peasants of society

Hasn't done anything good for my social aptitude though.
Feel a bit of social retard sometimes

 

[Ahleckz]

I grew up in Possilpark in Glasgow, formerly known as the most deprived area in Western Europe. It was row upon row of damp council tenements full of drug addled junkies, benefit scroungers and car thieves.

Was my journey through childhood a bad one? Hell no. If deprived means having a great school to learn in, a huge park area to play in and a dozen full size football pitches to use for free then I must have suffered without noticing. Yes, I do raise a few eyebrows when people ask where I grew up but as far as I was concerned, it was no different from anywhere else.

I must say, after you said "Possilpark" I immediately thought "oft, poor guy!". But I suppose what you say makes sense, you make the most (or some the worst) of where you are from and the person you are and the decisions that you make because of that are more important and 'shaping' than the area where you are from.
These areas are probably worse (or at least, perceived that way) for 'outsiders' than the locals.
I've walked about Springburn late at night and felt fine but my best friend would never walk around there, even though he lives there, after dark. Though, I wouldn't set foot in Sighthill...

As for me, I bumped around a load of different cities and spent time in the country, suburbs, gated estates and cities. But as said, it's who you are rather than where you are brought up that matters.

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

Ahleckz, there is no area anywhere that I would fear to tread. I used to walk through Sighthill quite often when visiting an old flame who lived in Royston and never once did I experience any trouble. The perceived threat is what scares people and not the reality.

 

[qqg3]

I had cows and chickens for company when I grew up.
I lived on the family farm away from all the peasants of society

Hasn't done anything good for my social aptitude though.
Feel a bit of social retard sometimes

Something like this for me. There are positives and negatives to everything.

 

[Scort]

I ended up living on a council estate when I was about 15 or 16 – my parents split up a few years before and my father couldn’t keep up the mortgage payments on the house, so it was repossessed and we were moved into rented accommodation by the local housing authority whilst they tried to find us a house; at that time three of our family (including me) were still in school.

I always recall the stories my dad would tell us about living on a council estate, Christ knows why he did, but he would go on about how we’d be beaten up fairly quickly as the local thugs tried to gauge if we were a threat or not – seems quite funny now! Although, I do recall when I was about 13 walking through this very estate with a friend, on the way home from ‘sports day’ (this is when folks were still together and living in nice area), and he got punched in the face by some lad; he hadn’t done anything, other than ignore said lad’s little brother who was mouthing off before-hand.

I still live on a council estate and long for the days when I can finally afford to buy my own place in a good area, but that’s another subject though, so I won’t discuss the pros/cons of renting here!

When we first moved here (one of Swindon’s ‘known’ estates) the area wasn’t that bad, the surrounding houses were mainly old people, a few people owned their houses too, but further down our road and in surrounding streets you could see the rough places. As the years have gone on, the old people gave way to young couples/families, and sadly these kids have now grown up to be right little ****s!

I’ve had little 6 year old girls shouting abuse that would make a builder blush, one even calling me something as I cycled past her.
The kids will play in the road and won’t move when you drive along it, or will walk/cycle straight out in front of you if they’re on the path, and when you do get past they will shout abuse (the oldest kids are probably 10 or 11).
A mate of mine was almost taken off of his motorcycle when a kid decided to tie a wire to lamp posts each side of the road, another mate had to swerve to avoid another kid swinging an old Playstation controller at passing cars.

The list goes on and on, and it’s the parents fault in my opinion, they seem happy to let these kids run riot, and you’d dare not do anything about it, as you’ve then got to look forward to the revenge attacks.

Council estates – I ****ing hate them!

 

[Biohazard]

I must say, after you said "Possilpark" I immediately thought "oft, poor guy!". But I suppose what you say makes sense, you make the most (or some the worst) of where you are from and the person you are and the decisions that you make because of that are more important and 'shaping' than the area where you are from.
These areas are probably worse (or at least, perceived that way) for 'outsiders' than the locals.
I've walked about Springburn late at night and felt fine but my best friend would never walk around there, even though he lives there, after dark. Though, I wouldn't set foot in Sighthill...

As for me, I bumped around a load of different cities and spent time in the country, suburbs, gated estates and cities. But as said, it's who you are rather than where you are brought up that matters.

I avoid foxbar and paisley at almost any cost tbh

 

[Narj]

I lived on a council (tower block) estate between the ages of 0-7 and what little I remember was fine. I lived in a road where there was an allocation of council housing between 7-12 and never had any issues, in fact, one road I lived on had "******" at the end, and they were great people, I used to climb their cherry tree and pick in the summer. I remember scrumping from one neighbour's garden... I'm still friends with people I met back then.

I think council estates nowadays are not the same as they were 20 years ago. People used to actually go out and work back then instead of being completely state-dependent.

I don't think I was disadvantaged tbh having come from that background, I'm doing fine.

 

[fozzy]

I was brought up in a small suburb of Blackburn called Mill Hill. It's a turd hole, but it made me the man I'm today. You either end up a druggie chav, or you don't.

 

[Ahleckz]

Ahleckz, there is no area anywhere that I would fear to tread. I used to walk through Sighthill quite often when visiting an old flame who lived in Royston and never once did I experience any trouble. The perceived threat is what scares people and not the reality.

Yeah, I agree with that.

Though there are certainly some areas I just wouldn't feel comfortable walking through there aren't any I'd particularly feel fear. I have no reason to go through any particularly bad areas though.

It is indeed the perceived threat rather than the real threat as you can come acropper in Easterhouse or Milngavie.

Though, if I was doing a bird from Royston - that would give me the fear

 

[stigggeh]

Essentially living on one. I refuse to start a family here.

There's a collection of maybe 4 different families that turn the area into a cesspit.

Those that seem to be above the law because they dont give really care if they are locked up or not. Yep know the type.

I grew up on a council estate, What do I win?

 

[Nanoman]

Lived in a fairly standard cul-de-sac as a kid where I use to play out with a load of other kids in the street. My road was OK but the location it was in wasn't really, it backed onto a pretty rough council estate.

I went to school with all the kids on the estate and was mates with a lot of them and use to go round theirs, hang out on the green etc. There were a few people I'd try and avoid, and walking through certain areas you would have to be careful. To an extent I don't think you are really aware of how bad things are as a kid, especially if you grow up in it. I moved into a much nicer area when I was a little older and some of the people I was mates with have got pretty bad reputations now, i.e. drug dealers, some in prison.

 

[GreatAuk]

I live in a village, and it's boring as ****. Seemed good to start with when we first moved into a new development, but it became apparent that the only people interested in moving there were the retired and a few rich working class people. The nearby countryside is good, but really, there is nobody I like anywhere near. I go to school about half an hours drive away, and have done since we moved here (the local primary school about 200m from the house was full in my year, so they put my sister there, and said I had to go to one about 20 mins away... despite the fact that meant my mum having to be in two places at once as there was no before school care, and dad went to work really early... so I went to a public school instead ) - So most people I know from school live ages away. Basically, this means that for the past decade I've just sat at home after school and when not specifically elsewhere at weekends, which is why I'm on a computer forum and not out drinking rum or whatever they do now. Villages are rubbish for children, but great for retired people.

 

[starfighter]

I have always lived in massive detached houses in a village just outside a medium sized town. I had plenty of friends who lived in the area but hardly anyone who lived near me went to my school which was crap and the bus took ages.


it kind of sucks now I have to fend for myself in the real world lol, but to be fair I live in a massive house and rent is cheap. Buying is another subject however.

Still it was miles better than living in some council estate and better than living in the middle of nowhere.

 

[zipp0r]

That is a rather sweeping statement. I notice that where you live didn't help you with capitalisation, punctuation or spelling.

not really, some of the things what go on in council estates are disgusting, i feel sorry for any decent people that live on them and have to put up with what goes on around them.
so what of your views on the OP? instead of on my lazy informal internet typing. no spelling mistakes either u winker

 

[OriginalJonty]

Didn't grow up on a council estate. Just a normal street in a normal town. Occasionally there would be a fight or whatever but that's what happens.
Now I've spent 3 years on the estate I live at now and in that time there's been muggings, dog attacks and a few attempted shootings. Not so normal but you adapt to it and learn to stay out of trouble.
However, moving away in a month.

 

[Scuzi]

People from council estates lose their virginity (with another human) on average 4.9 years earlier than those from the countryside.

 

[Scuzi]

There are humans in council estates?

There are equine and bovine vaginas in the countryside.

 

[sanaxe1]

I was abandoned as a child and brought up in a jungle by a pack of wolves. I've lived in civilisation now for about 15 years but i still feel out of place and long to return to the jungle.