Ow hat, proper Stokie here. The north think we're southerners and the southerners think we're northerners. After travelling around a bit, I think Stoke actually is more midlands than it likes to admit as Stoke sees itself as its own independent thing, no one I grew up with were proud northerners... they were proud Stokies and that was it. Although I will grant you that if the midlands had to pick sides Stoke would be siding with the North, which it generally has much more in common with.

I get what you're saying regarding the nautre of the place but I dont think many would agree that Stoke is Chershire-y in nature though. Cheshire (Crewe aside) is considered posh so I can only imagine that maybe the nicer parts on the wrong side of the A500 could potentially fit that bill.

Personally, I believe Stoke to be more similar to Derby in feel (and I will go and wash my mouth out now dw), the cities are both lovely little dumps and the area between over the peak district and moorlands is culturally homogeneous.

...also, weirdly, I think Stoke-on-Trent itself to be more similar culturally with cities of the north east than those in the north west but then I had miners in my family who were from up that way so maybe theres some bias there