OliB

I'm from Armidale and I love it here. Since finishing high school 10 years ago I have lived in Moree and Sydney and I travel a lot for my current job all around the area - Tamworth, Gunnedah, Inverell, Moree, Narrabri - and everywhere in between.

I find people friendlier in smaller towns (like Armidale or anywhere else in the region) compared to in larger cities, and Armidale is no different in that regard.

Pros:
Good, interesting, diverse friendly people
Pretty town
Good climate (winter is cold but I don't mind that for a change, I would prefer it to a hot summer)
Everything is close by - catching up with friends, cafes, pubs and bars, bush walks, amenities
The coast is only a pretty 2 hour drive away
Lots of nice old houses that are affordable (yes, maybe slightly more expensive than some towns in the region)
Lots of flights to Sydney
Reasonable drive to Sydney or Brisbane
Things to do

Cons:
More long term jobs would be good, which is the case for most country towns - this would create a less transient population which I think would benefit the town in other ways as well.

Some of my friends who I see on a weekly basis are long standing friends from Armidale, but most are actually not from Armidale (e.g interstate and overseas).

I mention that I have friends who are not from Armidale because this seems to be a sticking point for some of the naysayers. In my experience making friends anywhere does take time, some work out and some don't.

Some of my friends work at the uni as lecturers etc, some work in town as tradesmen or in hospitality, others in professional jobs, so I think I mix with a fair share of the community.

I have worked in pubs, cafes and retail, and I have worked and studied at the uni, but at the moment I have a professional job in town.

With regards to the 'snobbiness' of the town reported sometimes, I'm assuming people think this comes from people at the uni, and some richer established families in town. I know some fantastic, good and humble people at the uni, and there are also some wankers, but that's life. Similarly, there are rich, families in every town and city in Australia! From my experience, this influence is less in Armidale than in some rich agricultural towns where there is the gentry and then there are the blue collar workers.