Manchester

Dan-Dan

chirp wrote: »

I am looking for the safest area where my family can live without getting burgled or mugged while walking on the roads. Along with some shops and transport nearby. Basically it should be suitable for a person who doesn't drive too.

Arent we all , what is your income etc , that will basically determine what you can get and where

vivster

If you're so terrified of the urban hell that is Manchester, it's quite possible to live outside the city and travel in. Some very nice towns in Lancashire, Cheshire, West Yorkshire and Derbyshire, all within easy striking distance of the city.

Not so good for non-drivers though, but even if you were to live in the city, Manchester doesn't have London's comprehensive public transport infrastructure, so a car would be useful.

ACG

All of the areas i mentioned have good transport links to town and i feel safe walking round those areas at night, i would even let my mrs walk round there without worrying - not so much Withington... for some reason i have never been a huge fan of it.

The only issue on that list is Urmston/Flixton dont have great links into Manchester city centre. 1 train an hour off memory and the buses are more geared up for the trafford centre so a bus journey would take forever and a day. But it is a nice area, good parks, shopping centre etc.

zagfles

chirp wrote: »

I am looking for the safest area where my family can live without getting burgled or mugged while walking on the roads. Along with some shops and transport nearby. Basically it should be suitable for a person who doesn't drive too.

Have a look at http://www.tfgm.com/Pages/default.aspx for public transport. The metrolink (tram) now runs to Withington and the network is expanding. Not as comprehensive as London but then it's not as crowded either.

Don't worry about crime - as above you're much less likely to be a victim of crime in Manchester than London. Personally I feel safer in Manchester than I used to in London.

If you're going to buy I'd suggest you rent for 6 months or so before buying anywhere so you can get to know the area, then you can buy somewhere you know you like. Bad/good areas can be very localised, for instance within a mile of me there's both a dodgy area and also a very posh area. Just like in London.

suestew

we moved from London to Glossop (which is not far from Manchester) earlier this year and do not regret it. It's a lovely place to live & Manchester is a great city and has lots to offer. Glossop is lovely and only half an hour on the train to the City, people do moan about the traffic jams around here though so maybe not so good if you have to drive to work but we try and do things on foot and by train if at all possible to cut this out. You should draw up a list of places and visit them and see what you think. Uppermill, Mossley & Greenfields are nice

Ambersuccubus

If you're working in Withington but don't drive, be aware that public transport AROUND the city edges is much worse than to/from the city edges to town. I live in Gorton, for example, right on a lovely train line to town, but to get to Withington need to train/bus or double bus (via either Manchester city centre or Stockport)- I can't get straight there. While biking may be an alternative, the roads here are shot and there are few useful cycle paths, thanks to the car drivers voting down the congestion charge a few years ago - there's been few infrastructure improvements since.... And bikes do get nicked a lot in Manchester...

drbraindead

witchy1066 wrote: »

Better towns to live in ?

no idea where you live drbraindead , and incase you really are ......
Manchester is not a town, its a city and no worse and a lot better than some other city's in this country. wherever you live you will always get good and bad areas

you can not compare London with Manchester they are different in many ways ,

OP if you like London you will love Manchester , and as others have said some of the outer towns with easy commute are very nice places to live, it depends what you are looking for, do you have a family ? are you a single ? are you a student ? all these have influence on where is the best place for you to live

all the best ,

I'm not trying to make out that I live in a high and mighty area.

I live on a council estate, I used to live in S!!!!horpe which also has some bad areas (the Westcliff est featured on Skint CH4)

As I said, this is my own perspective, we are here to share our thoughts.

To reiterate, I like Manchester, great culture, nightlife.

Places I would recommend up North from my own experience:

Lincoln, CIty
Derby, CIty
York, CIty
Ashbourne, Town
Beverley, Town
Bridlington, Town
Louth, Town

All places I have had experience with, there are probably others.

But as already said there are good and bad areas wherever you go, this is so true. Also, some places that may deter some from living in, may not deter others.

I Would never go to Doncaster even though I have never been.

Windsorcastle

I went to university in Manchester - it's a fantastic city on the whole, but the central areas are really only suited to students and young people, not a family. I wouldn't touch Longsight or surrounding areas with a bargepole - far too central, grim and high burglary rates.

Chorlton would get my vote - nice safe villagey feel, lovely family-friendly bars, cafes, etc, close enough to city to be convenient but far out enough to not feel too inner-city.