Some people from the South might picture the North of England as a vast area of freezing countryside where everyone is a farmer. This is not quite the case, but there are many differences between the North and South of England, which should help us identify what is North and what is South. However, it is not that clear cut.

It sounds simple: the North-South divide is the imaginary ‘line’ between the North and South of England. Nevertheless, there have been many debates as to where this line is. Some people think that a straight line goes through the middle of the country and others say it is diagonal. The Midlands is categorised differently on different maps. Nobody is right or wrong, and this line will change considerably if you take different factors like wealth, land mass and population into account. 

In many respects, the North and South are contrasting places; the high level of regional inequality in the UK is rarely seen in the developed world. The Economist featured an article in 2012 that suggested that the North of England is ‘becoming another country’. We may see worse health problems, a lower life expectancy, lower wages and lower houses prices in the North of England, but that does not make it worse. There are also undoubtedly exceptions to this rule, and there are several well-known cities in the North of England.

I spoke to Amisha Teeluck, who moved to London from Leeds. “Back in Leeds there was hardly any diversity,” she said. “Houses in Leeds were significantly cheaper compared to here, and the North is not as populated as the South. I would say that there are a lot more opportunities here too.”

The origins of the North-South divide are not recent, although it may have been amplified by recent events like Brexit.  The North-South divide goes back to at least the Industrial Evolution, where the majority of labour was carried out in the Midlands and the North, but the country’s wealth was largely concentrated in the South. The divide may even be traced back to Medieval times, where lots of Northern towns and estates were neglected under William the Conqueror. 

Nowadays, many young professionals are drawn to London from the North by the job opportunities. Most businesses would rather be based in London as England’s capital city and one of the world’s leading financial centres. The largest markets are in the South-East, so it makes sense. 

Another one of the most prominent things that divides England is accent and dialect, which can cause hostility. Northern accents might be regarded as humorous or not serious, whereas Southern accents might be seen as pretentious. There are also political stereotypes that people from the North are more likely to be Labour supporters and people from the South are more likely to be Conservatives, although the 2019 UK General Election suggests a shift in voter attitudes.  

The journalist and radio presenter Stuart Maconie once said, “there isn’t a South in the same way that there’s a North.” He also added that Southerners may think of the North as “a cultural wasteland with limited shopping opportunities” but that Northerners would think of “home, truth, beauty…warm and characterful people…and decent chip shops.”  

Few benefits might be found in the North-South divide, particularly for more affluent areas and in terms of cultural identity. Anyhow, it has also generated dislike and inequality between areas, so there have been several attempts at bridging the gap. Northern cities might bid for companies to move there in an attempt to improve the economy, such as when Channel 4 moved to Leeds in October 2018. There have also been focuses on Manchester, which is emerging as one of Europe’s growing digital cities and has been given funds to spend on improving the city’s infrastructure to attract new businesses.

Having spent a lot of time with people on both sides of the North-South divide, I know that all of us are human. Perhaps one day, every place in England will enjoy more equal opportunities whilst being able to embrace cultural differences. Right now, the North-South divide is only becoming more visible.