I know Gloucester is an historic town with a lot of heritage and nice places to visit but as someone who lived and worked there I never really want to return.
I recently went back to the area to visit friends and family and I found empty shops, the same drunks still hanging around after I left 2 years ago and the same gloomy look on everyone`s face. The only good thing about it is the college Gloscat.
In a town where shops and town centre cinemas are turned into pubs, a real pain when it`s your nearest cinema and you have an hours bus journey to get there. The leisure centre is closed completely while being rebuilt with no alternative public access sports centre. In 2 years it had changed out of all recognition, 70% of people I knew had lost their jobs and had been out of work for more than 12 months. It is a town unable to rely on tourism for employment as it`s tourism is very specialised.
It is no wonder most people prefer to travel the extra distance to Cheltenham where the atmosphere is more relaxed and you don`t fear for your belongings as you walk down the street.