A love letter to Tang Hall: The best place to live in York

Where does one even begin when describing Tang Hall? From the ambient sounds of children screaming or the ice cream truck that never seems to take a day off, to the smell of weed and vomit, Tang Hall is an interesting place to say the least. 

Before you stick up your noses, you Fulford, Badger Hill and campus lot, let me remind you that it is our turf. And therefore only we can make jokes. 

As freshers in 2019, my housemates and I just wanted to find somewhere to sign a tenancy with quickly. We weren’t quite well-versed yet in the stereotypes surrounding areas of York, instead more focused on price and location. Perhaps if we’d heard the horror stories surrounding Tang Hall beforehand we would have been put off. But then we would have never got to experience all the things that come with living here. 

There is never a dull moment in Tang Hall. I’ve seen kids ripping up MY cardboard boxes in the middle of the street,  a man doing karaoke out of the doorway of Tang Hall Fish & Chips, and even a man who tried to use a drain pipe as a weapon in a fight…at two in the afternoon. 

If you’ve ever been stupid enough to go for a walk at the same time as the school run you’ll learn pretty quickly that kids are mean. And scary. 

You soon start to realise that everyone you vaguely met at uni lives in the general vicinity of Tang Hall. Nothing will be worse than stumbling into the Co-op hungover after a night out only to bump into someone you used to talk to on Tinder the year before. Thank god for masks. And for the deal that always seems to be on Doritos. 

While Tang Hall does have its slightly uglier sides, Hull Road Park does prove itself as a genuinely beautiful part of the area – as long as you only go in the daytime. Especially in the sun, nothing can beat a few mid-afternoon tinnies or a BBQ with mates. It is also home to some amazing food – Buffalo Pizza’s margarita and Bjaans fried chicken to name a few. The £1 slushies at the Spar are also a big plus. 

It’s also one of the only places in York where it is completely acceptable to walk around in a dressing gown and slides – in fact you’ll probably blend in more. Quite honestly, no one gives a shit in Tang Hall – it’s one of the best parts about it. It is a place where anything goes. 

Am I living here again next year? Of course. Despite its faults, nothing beats out its location, house prices, and entertainment factor. Besides, who doesn’t want to watch the street cats decapitate a doormouse in front of you?

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