The great city of Liverpool has come top in new research on the best cities in the UK for geeks to visit or live in. The research was conducted by Broadband Savvy, a leading authority on UK broadband service and performance.
With Brits now spending 32% more on video games and consoles than in 2019, and the increasing popularity of Pokemon and other pop-culture icons, the UK is becoming geekier, whether we notice or not.
What is a geek?
A geek might be described as someone who loves video games, comic books, anime, and pop culture. Geeks may want to have regular gaming or anime conventions going on near home, and may wish to have a good choice of comic book and trading card stores to explore.
With this in mind, Broadband Savvy scored the 50 most populous cities in the country based on the following factors:
- Comic book stores per square mile
- Collectables stores per square mile
- Anime/Comicon conventions each year
- Number of live action role-playing (LARP) groups
- Number of science museums
- Cost of rent
- Tech jobs per 1000 people
Top ten best cities in the UK for geeks to visit or live
| Rank | City | Score |
| 1 | Liverpool | 67.68 |
| 2 | Portsmouth | 64.66 |
| 3 | Bournemouth | 62.53 |
| 4 | Kingston upon Hull | 60.50 |
| 5 | Bristol | 59.72 |
| 6 | Glasgow | 58.07 |
| 7 | Blackpool | 56.26 |
| 8 | Ipswich | 54.68 |
| 9 | Nottingham | 54.58 |
| 10 | Birmingham | 53.58 |
Collectables stores per square mile in Blackpool and Liverpool
Blackpool has the most collectables and trading card stores in the UK, with 0.23 per square mile. If you’re walking along the promenade, you’re never far from a collectables store, although these stores are most concentrated in two spots. The first is just north of SEA LIFE Blackpool, and the second is near Blackpool South train station, where you’ll find I Collectibles, which has a range of trading card games in stock, including Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering.
Liverpool also has a huge number of collectables stores, boasting 0.21 per square mile – the second-most of any city in the UK. There are nine collectables stores in total, making Liverpool a fantastic city to visit for collectables geeks, no matter whether you’re looking for trading cards, collectable figurines, or other pop culture memorabilia. The majority of these stores are located around Ropewalks, where you’ll find Forbidden Planet Liverpool – one of the UK’s leading pop culture stores.
Tom Paton, founder of Broadband Savvy said:
“Different cities performed well in the rankings for different reasons. Liverpool topped the rankings because it has heaps of collectables stores, as well as three amazing science museums to explore…
“As a geek choosing a place to live, there are plenty of great choices in different parts of the UK. The most important thing is thinking about what matters most to you, whether it be LARP meetups, comic book stores, or your average download speed.”
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