Life in NORTHAMPTON.Help!

kandyfloss

Yes

I was born and brought up in Northampton and in those days{60's & 70's it was quiet a nice place to live but now like everwhere else it has seen some rather large changes over the years.

It used to be known that Kings Heath was a rough area and that Far Cotton got flooded in the late 1990's and lots of people down that way were unisured so couldn't claim for flood damage.

I have brothers and sisters that still live in the area{New & Old Duston} The Arbours and also Billing.

We were brought up in Queens Park and Kingsthorpe was our stamping ground but it has been so long since I lived there,I don't know what the areas are like now.

When me and hubby came to get married 29 years ago we couldn't afford to buy even a terraced house in Northampton so ended up living in a village for 21 years on the outskirts of the town and then 8 years ago we decided to move again and bought a nice house in a newly created village and now are happy to be out in the countryside which is quieter than the last village where we used to live plus we have a newly built Dr's and NHS Dentist,new Shop,Village Hall,Coffee shop Nursery etc,plus a really nice community feel about the place:D

Hope you manage to find a place you are looking for and don't forget to go up the front and doon the toon occassionaly:Doh and it is the river Nene,not Neen and Althorpe and not Altrop me duck:p

secla

you live in mawsley then ? im just in the process of selling my house there to get a larger one

as for northampton im not a fan of any of it but im used to village living. saying that the bellinge/weston favell area is one to stay clear of but there seem to be plenty of nice flats popping up along the canal which look nice. generally though price will dictate the kind of area your in. on the other hand there are plenty of small villages around northampton (cogenhoe/brafield etc.) if you want some quiet living

kandyfloss

Yes

:hello:Secla:D

Brallaqueen

Yes

I currently live and work in Northampton, it's not so bad but it's not wonderful either. It is full of bad areas - the nice areas are getting rarer and rarer. Get a map!

AVOID
Bellinge/Blackthorn/Goldings/Thorplands, really anything in the Eastern Districts if possible. Anything to the right of Weston Favel Centre is to be avoided. Rectory Farm (far eastern district, closer to Wellingborough) and Southfields (top edge) are slightly better, in places.

Spring Boroughs - this is the well known red light district - centre of town up to St Andrews Road and around the Railway Station.

STUDENT AREAS (targets for theft and generally noisy neighbours, the complaints are never ending)
Semilong, Kingsthorpe, Mounts and Abington (around Racecourse).

The big problem is that there are council properties and private developments on top of each other all over - Great Billing village is beautiful but right across the road is the biggest pit of a council estate, Blackthorn.

Wench

Yes

Hey, I live in Lumbertubs, which is just next to Weston Favell.

In my opinion its a great place to live, Theres everything you need nearby, doctors/dentists/huge shopping center/schools/colleges.

The pubs on this side of town are best avoided, I certainly wouldnt go in any of them!

Agree with the other posters about avoiding Bellinge/Blackthorn/Thorplands
I've been in Lumbertubs 3 years now,and there hasnt been any problems ( in my street ) regarding theft/anti social behaviour,
Although I dont know of any part of the eastern district that has 'nice' flats to buy, they do all seem to be occupied by the sterotypical single mum/3 kids

Maybe Weston Favell village? Have only ever driven through it, but looks nice on the outside, I'm not much help I know!


East Hunsbury is quite nice, again, near a huge tesco/doctors/dentists all local.
West Hunsbury is a bit more plesant though, nicer housing, not so much of a council estate look to it, if ya get my drift.

Zazen999

No

I lived there for a couple of years and couldn't wait to get out.

laurel7172

I used to walk home through inner city Manchester at midnight without worrying overmuch, but I've felt quite intimidated walking alone in Northampton. It's rough, even in the nicer areas.

Like most unfashionable provincial towns it's...er...somewhere people go to work, rather than aspire to. If you really could live anywhere, what is it about Northampton that attracts you?

2NDTIMEROUNDER

Yes

laurel7172 wrote: »

I used to walk home through inner city Manchester at midnight without worrying overmuch, but I've felt quite intimidated walking alone in Northampton. It's rough, even in the nicer areas.

Like most unfashionable provincial towns it's...er...somewhere people go to work, rather than aspire to. If you really could live anywhere, what is it about Northampton that attracts you?

Hi all. Thank you for the latest info and feedback. Much appreciated. Laurel7172, to answer your question, it was property within my budget plus proximity to Milton Keynes and Oxford.I used to live around the area of MK but from I am hearing now things have changed and not for the better I am afraid. Basically I am stuck with the budget I have to be honest. I will either have to delay purchase or find 20 to 30 grand more to get a better area:o

laurel7172

There are pockets anywhere that are nice, and that aren't. I live in an "unfashionable provincial town" (not Northampton). I used to own a lovely terrace in a quiet street with great neighbours, but there are many places in my town where I would steer you away from buying a terrace. There are some places where I would steer you away from buying a £300K house, because they back onto rough areas and local gangs use the street as a shortcut. A lot of it is about local knowledge. Rather than move in somewhere cold, it might be safer to rent for a bit first and see how you like an area-how it suits you and how you live.

laurel7172

Oh, and DO check the flooding info re anywhere in Northampton-there were hundreds of houses underwater in the 1998 floods....most places will be OK, but be careful.