Where is the best place to live? The good & bad as we are relocating from Australia

windermerefamily

We are relocating to England to live permantely at the end of 2014, and are now starting to look at places to live.
Please tell us where is the best place to live and why and what is there.
This is about us married layed back couple with 4 kids who will be then 17 DS, 7 DS, 5 DD, 15DD (and yes all want to move also). We love living in country towns but close to big centres, love driving, gardening, entertaining at home.
Also need to consider unis and tafe's as DS 17 wants to be a chef and DD 15 wants to be a doctor but both would like to try and work for at least a year first when we get there to get some money behind them. Schooling for the little ones also.
DH has three trades, air conditioning, auto mechanical and auto electrician and as been involved in a lot of rail maintance work so would like work in this field also, I would like work anywhere doing anything not fussed always been a SAHM.
Throw your ideas at us please.

PasturesNew

What's wrong with where you started out from? Your home towns? Where were they and why are they not suitable to move to?

Radiantsoul

No idea. It is like asking who is the perfect woman, everyone will have a different opinion.

windermerefamily

We are Australians and have always lived in Australia but it has always been our dream to live in England, been there on many holidays and absolutly love it.

We know that every one will have different options and that is what we want, we would like to hear from locals who live in different areas of why they think there place/area is special and why someone would like to move there to live.

We are now able to make the move and can't wait to do so but would like to find out as much information on different areas as we can we do like down towards the south of england and wales areas.

This would also give us an insiders feel for the different areas good and bad, and we are visiting there each year until we move over as a family and once a year myself and my husband with out the children to have a good look around and having some inside information will also give us places to check out as we will have limited time over there while on holidays.

Kittenonthekeys

Perhaps a starting point for your research could be in and around the places you've visited on holiday that helped you decide to make England your home?

How about the West Country, i.e. Devon or Dorset? It's especially beautiful around the coast and arguably this part of the UK has the best of our unpredictable weather!

But I would say that wherever you choose, please don't rush into buying at first; rent for a year or so to be absolutely certain it's right for you, so that if it isn't you can just move on and try somewhere else.

Good luck and welcome in advance!

C_Mababejive

Make sure you are not making a wrong move based on what you have seen through rose tinted holiday spectacles. IMHO England is a bleak and miserable country. It is fine if you are either very rich or very poor but if you are a member of the silent majority then its tough.

Have you had a look at our over priced slums on https://www.rightmove.co.uk

Also i guess you might already read http://britishexpats.com/forum/

There are loads of Brits who have the dream of going to live in Aus.

More space=better quality of life.

BitterAndTwisted

Here's hoping the economy still isn't in the sh1tter by 2014. I can't conceive of why a family from God's own country would want to move here. Perhaps a sensible plan would be concentrate on your husband's employment and concentrate on the regions he's most likely to find work most easily.

PasturesNew

Ah, I assumed you were moving back here from having been away.

Where do you normally go when you're on holiday?

What are the Top 10 reasons you think the UK is better than AUS?

Kittenonthekeys

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Make sure you are not making a wrong move based on what you have seen through rose tinted holiday spectacles. IMHO England is a bleak and miserable country. It is fine if you are either very rich or very poor but if you are a member of the silent majority then its tough.

Have you had a look at our over priced slums on www.rightmove.co.uk

Also i guess you might already read http://britishexpats.com/forum/

There are loads of Brits who have the dream of going to live in Aus.

More space=better quality of life.

OK, nowhere is perfect but as a member of this *silent majority* (i.e. neither rich nor poor) who spent a year living overseas, I can categorically state that I never appreciated how good life had been in England until I left.
There's no reason at all why OP can't make a go of it, as long as s/he does the research and goes into it with eyes wide open.
And using the internet, this research is a lot easier to carry out from the other side of the world than it once would have been.

C_Mababejive

I'm just worried that OP thinks the grass is greener here when i suspect the majority of us would say it isnt. Especially not for a family man who has a number of trades under his belt and can presumably earn a good living in Aus and buy a decent sized home for a fair price instead of living in an overpriced rabbit hutch in some damp patch of blighty.I fear living in this place would break their spirits and their children would never forgive them for it!

adj_2

Wow, some poeple are so negative!

I love living in this country. Yes, there is a lot wrong with it, but wherever you live there'd be downsides. Yes the country's in a mess economically and a lot of us are struggling but it doesn't make me want to jet off on a plane somewhere else.

In answer the original post, I personally love where I live - the Wirral, North West England. I grew up here and having lived in various other parts of the country have chosen to settle here and raise my family. Various reasons - small towns and villages, quiet but also within reach of cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Chester. Great schools, loads of history (like much of UK), right on the coast, woodland, large open spaces, countryside, safe community-type feel. I am biased, having spent many happy years during my childhood growing up here. There are loads of wonderful places in the UK. I am sure there will be a lot more positive posts and ideas to help you make your decision. In the meantime, I'd enjoy the holidays visiting and exploring the country yourselves.