One of the areas which fought it out - and lost - for the chance to have the first super casino in the UK, Blackpool is arguably still one of the foremost centres of gambling in Great Britain.
Live in Blackpool? Heaven or Hell? Discuss with others and rate the area >>
Think donkeys, think fish & chips, think 'The Big One', think Blackpool! In its heyday this was Britain's favourite holiday destination, millions flocked to the famous seaside resort - and it's still popular, with up to 14 million visitors each year!
The single biggest problem here is health. Being a party town, it's unsurprising that drugs and alcohol are both taking their toll. Binge drinking is common and hospital stays due to alcohol are nearly double the English norm.
Kiss me quick? More like, keep your distance. And it's not just their bad health that puts us off. Here, you're twice as likely to be the victim of violent crime. There are plans for a new multi-million pound indoor theme park complete with its own version of the London Eye - add investment, global warming and a growing fear of flying and Blackpool could be a hot spot again.
Incorporating the popular seaside resort - with its famous piers, tower and fairground attractions - the borough of Blackpool remains a major tourism force. A wide range of regeneration projects aim to change the area's landscape visually, but without quite letting go of the past. And it's a history which is vast and storied. Indeed, some of the earliest villages on the Fylde, a coastal plain in western Lancashire, were to become Blackpool and were named in the Domesday Book in 1086.
Aside from the ice creams, cabaret acts and coach-loads of tourists, there is a less chirpy side to Blackpool though. The borough has one of the very highest suicide rates among men in England, while the average life expectancy amongst men here is 73.2 years - the ninth lowest in the UK. No wonder so many people visit the Pleasure Beach.
While it's unclear whether it's a by-product of the roaring tourism industry, unemployment here - among women at least - is lower than the national average, with a mere 3.1 per cent of those who are of working age finding themselves out of a job, compared with an average of 4.8 per cent nationwide.
At just over £130,000, the average house price in Blackpool is up by 10 per cent on 2006 prices. While there is plenty to do for those who live in the area and those visiting it, there are still concerns about safety here. This stems from the rate of violent crime offences which take place in the borough, which at 36.4 per thousand residents is more than twice the national average for such incidents. Indicating, perhaps, that a few superfluous cream pies from the end-of-pier entertainment wouldn't go amiss, to fling in the faces of any potential thieves.
<< Go back to the index to learn about more places in the top and bottom 20
Have your say and see what other people are saying about Blackpool and the other 433 UK boroughs >>
Find out which unlucky boroughs made the top 10 >>
Local area info on Blackpool from upmystreet.com >>
Blackpool Borough Council >>
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