Sell Milton Keynes to others
Posted by Sedulous280@reddit | miltonkeynes | View on Reddit | 74 comments
Often when I say I am from MK I get derogatory remarks. Some completely wrong, Like it’s all concrete (when we have a million trees) What would you say to highlight MK as the great place it is ?
TheySoldEverything@reddit
That the city center right outside the train station is the best part and the only really good part and it doesn't look like the rest of this swampy dump from the 1800s and actually looks like a real city
CloudDog23@reddit
Let’s flip the script on Milton Keynes. You’re not just from a place with roundabouts and concrete cows, you’re from one of the UK’s most forward-thinking, greenest, and best-connected cities. Here’s how I’d pitch MK to anyone still stuck in 1980s misconceptions:
“Concrete jungle”? More like Forest City. • MK has over 20 million trees and more than 6,000 acres of parkland and lakes. • It’s consistently ranked among the greenest urban areas in the UK, with multiple Green Flag award-winning parks. • From Campbell Park to Ouzel Valley, you’re never more than a few minutes from nature.
Designed for the future, not stuck in the past. • MK was built with modern urban planning: grid roads, dedicated cycle paths, and walkable neighbourhoods. • It’s a smart city hub, with innovation centres, tech startups, and major employers like Red Bull Racing and Santander. • Ranked #2 in the UK’s Vitality Index for economic growth, sustainability, and lifestyle.
Culture, cuisine, and community. • Home to Milton Keynes Theatre, the largest outside London, and the legendary National Bowl for live music. • Over 350 restaurants, from global cuisine to cosy pubs. • Indoor skiing at Snozone, skydiving, escape rooms, galleries—boredom doesn’t stand a chance.
A place to thrive, not just survive. • Affordable housing compared to London, with strong wage growth and job opportunities. • A diverse, welcoming population with a strong sense of community. • And yes, concrete cows—but they’re part of a quirky, self-aware charm that MK wears proudly.
If someone scoffs at MK, you could say: “You’re thinking of the old brochure. Milton Keynes isn’t just a place, it’s a prototype for how cities should work.”
A-nom-nom-nom-aly@reddit
Everywhere has affordable housing if you compare it to London.... But MK is one of the most expensive places to buy in a 50 mile radius.
Gloomy_Bar_5055@reddit
I love and agree with all this apart from MK Theatre, it's a great theatre but it is nowhere near the largest outside london
KeyedTyrol@reddit
Hello ChatGPT
Mimmitar@reddit
Having bounced around a few places, MK was the first spot that actually felt like home after I left Manchester.
Two things I always point out when people slate it for just being roundabouts:
A-nom-nom-nom-aly@reddit
I moved away from MK to a more rural location a few years ago, and whilst I love it here more than I did living in a city (less noise, crowding and pollution, plus near to the sea and mountains)... I do miss the convenience of a few things... Nearest costco is 75 miles away, not much in the way of a decent cinema or theatre closer than 30 miles.... and lacking some of the larger and nicer stores. No Sainsbury or Waitrose stores at all in North Wales it seems, but we have Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Iceland, Farmfoods, Lidl, Aldi, B&M, Home Bargains all within 7-8 miles, many within 1-2 miles.
But I've adjusted to it now and whilst it would be nice to have those things back again and have more convenience... I'm not actually that bothered by it, I've switched to alt brands for some things.
And the food.... we live near a more tourist destination (geared more towards peace and quiet, walkers, and so forth not kids and amusements) and there's so many great places to eat. We're out at least twice a week for lunch or dinner and the prices are reasonable.
The downside... what local people call a good takeaway... I do not. I've found 1 decent chippy and 1 decent kebab place and both of those are 15 miles away... all of the local ones are crap. Not found a decent Chinese anywhere up here yet.
Comfortable_Regret57@reddit
This is interesting! Wife and I moved from Austin, TX, to the UK recently and are trying to find out footing.
We're in Manchester temporarily but looking to be further south, better access to family, London etc.
It feels like MK might be a good compromise (and feel more 'American' than other cities)
uphoriak@reddit
Welcome to the UK! My cousin and her partner live in Austin (part of my family is from Plano). Would definitely recommend MK for what you've mentioned above.
Comfortable_Regret57@reddit
thank you! - ha, my wife lived in Plano when she was in grad school. thanks for the rec! will be looking at coming down to visit in tthe next month or so
Mimmitar@reddit
Happy to answer any questions having lived in both locations. Drop me a dm if you want.
Comfortable_Regret57@reddit
amazing, i might reach out as we get deeper into research. really appreciate this!
A-nom-nom-nom-aly@reddit
I moved away a few years ago, but when I tell people where I'm from and they go to the stereotypical crap about it. I tell them about the parks and lakes everywhere, the hundreds of miles of cycle and pedestrian redways that can get you anywhere in the city away from the roads. How you could drive from one side to the other and not even realise you were driving through a city, hardly seeing any houses at all due to the roads lined with tall, mature trees and bushes.
Appointment_Salty@reddit
How about you drop the faux American bullshit and call it Milton Keynes not MK. You’d never find someone from Bury St Edmunds calling It BSE…
Comfortable_Tie8471@reddit
Don't sell it .. let us enjoy.
Shrugz92@reddit
This ^ 🙌
RustyInvader@reddit
I just keep my mouth shut. It’s fucking great as it is
Shrugz92@reddit
Same. We don’t need more people moving here anyway!
TreKeyz@reddit
Let them believe it, so we keep it all to ourselves.
Shrugz92@reddit
Agreed!
baqucadadi13021@reddit
Good plan—less traffic for us.
Sea-Butterscotch191@reddit
Cheap- not very far to London (train is cheap), with a Costco, houses are new hence not much issue.
Necessary-Nobody8138@reddit
I now live just outside of Glasgow. I left Milton Keynes 9 years ago. When I say, ‘I’m from Milton Keynes’ it’s rare anybody knows anything about it!!! I usually either say Northampton or between London and Birmingham. It’s not that well known out of the local area
rainbow-songbird@reddit
We've got the best football stadium in league 2
gogihiqisodilokxh9j@reddit
Yeah, because league 2 stadiums are the true measure of a city’s greatness.
First-Lengthiness-16@reddit
Occupied by the worst football club in the country.
fuzzbook@reddit
🙄
First-Lengthiness-16@reddit
me me a worse one.
It is the embodiment of all that is bad in football.
Dave80@reddit
Only read the title, I'll give you £6 for it.
Ophiochos@reddit
Just saw this having returned from a gig in MK st The Stables which involved a rather surreal walk from Woburn Sands station where I became more and more convinced I was going to an actual stables in the middle of the countryside until I actually got there, and was told off for inconveniencing the cars in the driveway/car park (total lack of pavement might have been a factor).
On returning I realised from the info boards that n 1846 I would have been able to go by train from Wendover where I live instead of getting taxi to Tring, and that it’s very easy to go to Northampton until extremely late, but nowhere else, on the train. Also that insanely long freight trains go through Bletchley at ludicrous volumes (louder than the gig).
The provision for bikes on all these trains and routes is insanely good, which made not taking my bike really annoying.
How’d I do? I mean it’s all character. And no concrete cows.
Jack_Faller@reddit
You've never seen anything like it (Ah-aaa) Central Milton Keynes! You've never been anywhere like it. Central Milton Keynes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyIls75IhaY
AvadaBalaclava@reddit
I live in an old house, with views over countryside. I’m a 5m walk from the river, 20m walk from a mainline train station, 30m walk and I can be eating Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, Turkish food.
skend24@reddit
I’ve lived there for 3 years and I couldn’t sell it to save my life.
Soft_Intern_2849@reddit
Just too many issues with MK
MLC1974@reddit
Well officially or not, you can't deny that MK is very close to the Midlands. Northants starts just north of Stony Stratford.
Sedulous280@reddit (OP)
Yes the south east does border the East Midlands. All the regions border other regions. So your point being ??
MLC1974@reddit
Hastings and Dover are also in the South East but are absolutely nowhere near the East Midlands, but MK absolutely is...
...so your point isn't really a point.
xxmekailxx@reddit
You could also say that Northants is very close to the south, and therefore should be considered southern. Imo MK should be in a region called "south central England."
fuzzbook@reddit
I find it so weird. People are so happy to tell you MK is bad for some reason. Never happened with anywhere else I've ever lived and actually MK is probably the most I've enjoyed living somewhere
Otherwise-Plane8282@reddit
Tell them it could be worse you could be living in Swindon 😆
Stock-Comfort-5297@reddit
The PR for MK has been shocking for years. I think people here really underestimate the negative impact that MK Dons have had on the place. Beyond the jokes about roundabouts and concrete cows that is often the only thing that outsiders actually know about the place.
CapnP00P@reddit
I live in Ireland now and the Dons fiasco is the only thing that most people here know about MK
MLC1974@reddit
Fastest growing city in the Midlands.
Sedulous280@reddit (OP)
Not in the midlands, It’s in the South East Region
MLC1974@reddit
According to the government it's also the South Midlands.
Geographically I'd say it's more Midlands than South. Luton southwards is where they can claim to be the South.
Sedulous280@reddit (OP)
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-regions-of-england.html
And every government site I have googled still has Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes as part of the South East. So where are you getting this information from ?
MLC1974@reddit
https://www.southmidlands.org.uk/
RoastPotatoFanClub@reddit
Statistically speaking not a real thing tho is it?
MLC1974@reddit
I believe the government set it up.
Sedulous280@reddit (OP)
That plan got rejected 🙅♂️
RoastPotatoFanClub@reddit
As someone who is actually from the midlands I can categorically tell you it's in the south. South east to be precise. The Milton Keynes Wikipedia page backs me up on this.
sevudajal0k5@reddit
Is that because everyone’s trying to leave, or do the roundabouts just make people dizzy?
stepfordcuckoo@reddit
The little delivery robots. I wont be elaborating further. you just need to visit.
Also all this concrete slander when Coventry exists....
RoastPotatoFanClub@reddit
Hey, leave off Cov! I lived there for three years and loved it. The city centre has gorgeous historic buildings hidden amongst the concrete ones, and since it got City of Culture in 2021 it's been done up loads. Like MK, it has a bad rep that it doesn't deserve!
darybrain@reddit
Tell them not move here. Prices are high enough as it is.
dragonb2992@reddit
Milton Keynes is often the place for new projects. Like electric scooters, Santander bikes, robot deliveries, self driving cars.
Intrepid-Employ-2547@reddit
Absolutely, if there is a new restaurant or new concept MK always seems in the middle of it
ariadnevirginia@reddit
I tell them the city centre was designed by hippies to follow ancient ley lines and that Midsummer Boulevard is lined up with the path of the rising sun at the solstice.
Nobody has an answer for that.
one_pint@reddit
I just tell people that it's got a far worse reputation than it deserves, which is true.
The convenience of getting across the city and travelling to other parts of the country, the green spaces, lots of job opportunities, decent schools, great place to raise a family are all selling points.
But people often go by their first impression which is the quarter of a mile around the train station.
I come from a proper concrete-ridden shit hole, MK is so much better.
hefujo6x2v3e6@reddit
So Milton Keynes is just suffering from bad PR, not actual bad living. Maybe the city needs a new agent.
Notagelding@reddit
The worst thing about MK is that it's not London, while the best thing about MK is that it's not London!
Vamyan91@reddit
Explain that the City Centre isn't all of MK. A lot of people coming to MK from outside go there, so they don't actually see what MK is like anywhere else. Sports fans who travel to MK for either the Dons or Lightning will only see MK1 (another shopping district) or Planet Ice, right at the edge of the Centre next to train tracks. It's easy for them to create a negative image when they don't actively venture outside that bubble. All the parks, natural areas etc should be the highlight.
SerendipitousCrow@reddit
Someone once asked me how I live in MK because they went and didn't see any houses.....
maciel-BR@reddit
Don’t sell it. We have enough people here…
dereks63@reddit
I dated a girl from MK, she was posh and dirty. Does that help?
SnowPrincessElsa@reddit
Spreading this slander myself after MK got city status and Northampton didn't
lowflyingdutchman@reddit
I just agree with those kind of people and I embellish what they say sometimes. It usually comes from people who haven't been to MK before. There's no point in arguing with them. Ideally we want to keep close minded people out of MK anyway.
Those who know, know. Those who are open, will or can find out. Those who aren't will hopefully never know. MK is the perfect filter for people who are open minded
fabbookfiend@reddit
There are enough trees in MK for it to be classed as a forest!
nuttydogpoo@reddit
From Google:
The United Nations (UN) defines a forest as land over 0.5 hectares with trees taller than 5 meters and a canopy cover greater than 10%.
Surely we meet that criteria. Looking at a satellite view I think we just scrape by the 10%. Either/or, from now on I’m going to tell people this.
UnableContest2669@reddit
I see it as a new city that designed itself to segregate the classes, I've never seen a town so well split in it's design
ParticularNo3104@reddit
Yooooo I get so much hate especially when I try to date. ‘ you’re not in London? Bye’ hahahahaha
But MK is great and there are the golden few who see that over time. I mean to go from a lake side pub to a mall in 5mins? That’s what I love most about MK.
But my mates and I have agreed that MK can be the biggest cockblock of all time 😢
richStoke@reddit
The roundabouts?
BananaHomunculus@reddit
People know Milton Keynes as the grey blob that has an extensive shopping centre and indoor skiing.
it has more valley parks and lakes close to the centre than most cities I've been.
It has a lot of variability between the boroughs.
There's a lot of activity options - capitalistic and non.
Great golfing options.
Great cycling options.
Aspley woods is beautiful and free to park. Woburn in general is very nice.
There's a huge choice of restaurants - my only complaint is that there aren't any that are that good, just pretty alright across the board.
London is 30-60mins on train.
Seraphidian@reddit
No one can