Guideline for people who have started work in York

York is a beautiful town ! It has been named Britain's happiest place to live:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-43448590

And after spending a few weeks here, I have no doubt about this. I have lived in Sheffield, London, Slough and Harrogate - York beats them all !

1. Get registered with a GP.
https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4
Call the surgery and ask how to register. Usually you have to go to the surgery and fill out a form. In most cases, you have to personally go and submit your forms along with identity documents 9 ie passport, BRP, etc.) 

2. You will have to pay council tax. Set up a direct debit account here:
https://www.gov.uk/pay-council-tax

You can calculate the band of your property here:
https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands

3. If you have a TV, you have to pay TV tax. The site is the same for all cities in UK :
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/

4. Like everywhere else, public transport can be expensive therefore it is best to have your own car. However all the major stores are in the city center anyway so you will hardly need to drive to get your grocery.

5. Places you can visit in York :
Everywhere! Even walking into city center - past York Minster, Shambles Street, the River Ouse is amazing!
This city has a river, lovely historic buildings, a castle, a lot of greenery and is a 30 min- hours drive from areas of outstanding natural beauty. It is an hours drive from the coast.

6. Shopping in York.
City center has all the major stores. Clifton Moor is just a few minutes drive away which has retail outlets.
Sainsbury's, Morrisons have huge stores within walking distance of the city center. 
There is a small ASDA, tesco in town. 
There are a lot of interesting shops here - especially in Shambles Street. 

7. Food in York.
There are a lot of restaurants here:
Just follow this app:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ 

8. Halal Meat.
There are a few stores like Ammas Oven which have Pakistani mangoes, desi vegetables and halal meat. 

9. Accommodation 
Accommodation here is cheaper than in the South but expensive as compared to other neighboring cities in this county. You can read about my accommodation here:
http://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/2017/05/my-guideline-on-accommodation-in-uk.html

10. Tourists. 
This city has a lot of tourists. But it does not feel very crowded unless you are walking in city center on a weekend. 

Overall York is like a "mini-London" - just less crowded, cleaner and cheaper. It is a tourist-destination so there is always something going on here and the locals are extremely friendly. 

 Everyone must visit York - even as a tourist! It is worth a visit and definitely worth living in! 



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