Have you ever been to Lille? What did you think? Or, do you live somewhere in France that you would like me to know about?

One thing to take into account is the proximity of Paris, that means that if needed you can hop on the train for a doctor appointment in Paris easily to consult specialists. You also have easy access to Paris architecture, cultural life and events in general. Something you won't benefit from in Montpellier. There are people that commute daily to Paris by train for work. On the downside, the weather is indeed gloomy and cold during winter. I have been living in Lille for 6 years now, without a car, not an issue really.

Hello, I moved to Lille last month from the US Midwest. I purposefully chose Lille because of the weather (not too hot in the summer) and also the excellent public transportation. I am living in a suburb of Lille (La Madeleine) which is easily connected to downtown by bus, bike lane or even walking. The metro and tram system also connects a lot of suburbs to downtown.

I am in a newer apartment on the banks of the river Deule with a large terrace, elevator and excellent views.  The downtown area and Vieux Lille are very busy and seemed too densely populated for me. I haven’t spent a winter here yet, but I lived in the Pacific Northwest for many years, so I don’t think the gray skies and rain will bother me.   The people here are friendly and kind. I am learning French but have a ways to go. I found a immobilier agent who speaks English and who helped me find my apartment after only being here for one week.

Thanks for the discussion of Lille. I'm looking forward to hearing your take on beautiful Pau. 😊

I’m so happy that you released your Lille review ❤

For a less studenty area, your definitely wanna look at La Madeleine, around tram stops Romarin, Botanique and Saint-Maur.
Restaurants are pretty expensive in Lille.
A big pro for an expat is probably that Paris CDG airport is less than 60 minutes direct by train (and Brussels Zaventem is similar but there's a connection in the center of Brussels).

Two of my bigger fears about moving to France are that 1) I won’t have enough money to stay there if the value of the dollar declines too much and that 2) I will feel too isolated. One way to reduce both risks is to move to a city that is less expensive and more centrally located.

This is why Lille tends to float to the top of my list. Housing costs appear to be lower than other leading contenders such as Strasbourg, Nice and Nantes. In addition, Lille is closer to Paris (and thus its international airport) as well as other major northern European cities.

I’m not hugely drawn to Lille’s Flemish-tinged culture, but some American expats who have lived in this city have found it to be friendlier than elsewhere in France. Lille doesn’t appear to have as many Americans as Nice or Strasbourg, but it does have a large college student population, which is something I appreciate.

One of the biggest complaints I have seen about Lille is its maritime climate. I currently live in the Pacific Northwest so am used to cold and wet winters . . . but I sometimes wonder whether my lungs would benefit from a drier climate.

Another complaint about Lille is that it is in an industrialized part of the country. Thus, there’s not much in the way of natural settings to hang out in. That’s a meaningful negative for me.

So I don’t know – I need to spend some time there to see if it would be a good fit.

Hello, I regularly watch your videos. I would be very happy if you came to live in France. I live in Clermont-Ferrand, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It's a very beautiful city. I have a suggestion: I think it's a shame that no one talks about my city. It's a university town and a metropolis of 300,000 inhabitants. If you discover it, I welcome you to France and wish you great happiness in your future life in France, in the city you choose.

Hey student that just moved to Lille from southern France (don't ask me why i'm here ig i juste like being conforted in my choices😂) But the bike are actually are free addition to your transit pass. They take an imprint of yout banking card and if you fork-up it's 200€. And regarding the usefullness of the transit network well... i dont have my driver licence 😂😂

We’ve been visiting cities in France. We stayed in Lille recently for 3 weeks. You need to consider the hot weather in summers and misquotes.  Lille is better for these 2 issues. Lille excels for these. You may also want to consider the amount homeless. We had a couple of issues in Lille that I didn’t like.  It’s not different than Portland OR where we are from.  The Lille area has high unemployment but a lot of investment.  If you like art, the area has some FANTASTIC fine art museums - Le Piscine, Beaux Art and the Lens Louvre. I wish I could join your art groups though!

winter heating costs need to be considered.It’s very cold up there

Your number one choice is the capital of Vermont!!

En tant que Français, j’ai séjourné dans toutes les régions Française. Concernant Lille, je retiendrais plusieurs choses : l’accueil et la gentillesse des habitants (mieux que partout en France), la proximité de la ville de Bruges en Belgique, de la ville d’Arras et la proximité de la mer…. Sans oublier le magnifique « Parc de la Citadelle »…

Very well summarized, your presentation of Lille. Only two comment from me. The HUGE difference between Lille and  Montpellier is the climate, completely different. This is really a personal choice, according to your liking. The other comment is that there are no direct trains connections between Lille and the Netherlands. If you carefully look at a railway map, you will see that the junction for Brussels, Amsterdam andCologne on the high speed line, is just BEFORE Lille. So no direct trains to the Netherlands. From Lille you may only travel by a Eurostar train coming from London, up to Brussels, and then have a connection to the Netherlands (or Germany).

Population Lille Métropole 1179050 inhabitants