There’s more to Harrogate than rich old people and the weird smell, we promise

Meeting people at uni and announcing you’re from Harrogate should be a proud moment, yet we end up stuck with saying we’re from near Leeds or York because clearly everyone from south of Sheffield has no clue about Yorkshire’s geography. And nobody wants to be from Leeds, sorry.

This is Leeds. It’s shit.

If you have had the pleasure of visiting us, we can almost guarantee the only place you will remember is Betty’s: where a macaroon costs the same as a month’s rent and you will have to queue for at least half an hour for a table. Despite all this, we all still flock to Betty’s so that we can feel civilised and take instagram-worthy shots of our pretty, overpriced cake.

I spent my entire student loan on this

Nights out seem a bit dull compared to probably any university in the country, but then again you can always take a drunk blurry selfie in the giant mirror in the vipers toilet, and there’s the inevitable reunion with all your old primary school friends at the Sexy Santa bar crawl at Christmas when you return for the holidays.

The best night out you’ll have in a long time

Not many of us will be returning to Harrogate after graduation, however. Not that we can’t be charmed by the allure of all the pretty buildings and greenery, but we won’t be back due to the sky-high house prices. We’ve been ranked one of the most expensive towns in the country, which makes us a bit more grateful for the 18 or so years we’ve had here, pampered with trips to the Yorkshire dales and overpriced meals out.

Endless amounts of people still ask “isn’t that the place that’s full of rich old people and smells a bit funny?” when you declare your hometown with pride.

Well yes, it smells slightly funny but that’s only because of the whole spa town thing and the Royal Baths. Realistically the only reason a lot of people have even heard of us is because of the water we produce. But it could be worse, Harrogate could have been the home of something 100 times more shit than a brand of water. We should be proud of our water.

It tastes better than any other water, we promise

And as for celebrities…we literally only have Jim Carter who plays Carson in Downton Abbey. But everyone with a TV knows and loves Carson so we’re proud. Also Agatha Christie hung out at one of our hotels for a week or so back in 1926 so we have some history.

What a guy

Harrogate is mostly just made up of private schools and shops for expensive things you never knew you needed. But you’ll miss it when you’re away, and it’s cheaper to bring potential romantic interests back to for a romantic weekend than Paris or Venice, and was actually named as the third most romantic destination in the world.

The atmosphere at the Grand Départ in 2014 made everyone who has moved away want to come back, and those of us still around realise how lucky we are to live in the best part of England.

Fantastic