Can any local Hullensians offer advice on good areas vs bad to live in central Hull?

cashmonger

Tl;dr want central as possible but not rough ~400pm 1 bed.

I am just reading this thread and things seem to run alot differently to how they do in Manchester (where I am currently and eager to escape). Here everything in the city centre is new builds and very hipsterish (and expensive) so if you look at something within the motorway ringroad it's probably ok. The rough areas only start a couple miles out and seem to get worse and worse from there until your at the posh parts like didsbury and cheshire etc. The middleband here seems to be the no man's land.

From reading that thread I was quite alarmed to read it seems to be the exact opposite in Hull in that everyone is saying to avoid all central areas and it only gets better when you go out. That might explain why when looking at properties on rightmove close to the centre, thinking I had landed on some real gems many seem to have been reduced and not let probably due to bad areas?

Also I am reading that east central Hull is doubly bad so would these properties be real no gos?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-64110815.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-47069175.html

I read on ye' thread that west may be better so would this one be a better bet?

When I came to manchester I was insulated for the first few years by being in the student bubble while I studied. This gave me ample time to learn the lay of the land from a safe coccoon. I am gonna be diving into Hull with no prior experience except for dilligent study online and a couple of visits. I don't wanna be stuck in a crime ridden area for 6 months till my contract runs before I could be free of it. I would prefer pay more for a place in a better area.

I am dismayed though of this talk that everywhere in the centre is bad because I wanted to be central. Are there not young professional type of areas like manchester in Hull where it is only hipsters and gays etc so no fear of getting into a fray?

Ie are there not areas which are still central yet reasonably priced? Surely there is high demand for it. I am moving from manchester due to the massive prices for rent living centrally. I thought Hull initially seemed great for saving money at like half the price I pay but if the areas are total dross then that puts a spanner in that idea.

Are there any areas which are reasonably peaceful and quiet which are in walking distance of the main nightclubs and nightlife while not being too expensive (>400 but could go up a bit if it meant it would get me what I am looking for).

So could yall natives offer insight based on that criteria- walking distance from the centre being the main thing and not dangerous walking it at night since I like exploring the nightlife and don't wanna have to use public transport.

Btw I just read about how Hull has the last municipal (whatever that means) telephone company and no BT; with cream phone boxes. Lol what a strange a wonderful place.

glosoli

I would avoid the Beverley road and Anlaby road areas, they are both close to the city centre but i wouldn't advise living there, hull city centre is actually extremely nice especially the old town which has brilliant bars and old style pubs, there are quite a few gay bars but they are frequented by straight folk too.... look around the old town/marina area although 400 is a tad on the low side of the budget..

The problem with hull is that the city centre is so small that accommodation is harder to find than other cities.

kilby_007

Apologies for the very long response and if I've gone a bit overboard! If your tolerance of idiots/chavs/criminals is higher than mine (mine is very low) then take this post with a pinch of salt, but I'd agree with what you've read about the centre of Hull being dodgy and it getting better the further away you get from the centre but then you'd be outside of what I would consider walking distance (> 30 mins). If you must be within walking distance of the centre of Hull then you're really limiting yourself to a couple of areas, but that depends on how tolerant you are of idiots, chavs and criminals.

OUTSKIRTS OF HULL
If I was looking to move around the outskirts (around 30 mins walk) I would be looking at the Avenues (the nice tree lined avenues off Princes Ave) - there's some lovely period properties around there and the Avenues (Newland/Princes Ave) have a good nightlife and shopping scene. There's a fairly high population of migrant workers in this area but very much a community feel. Beware that just around the corner is Spring Bank where there's a lot of Eastern European gangs and it can be a dangerous place to walk at night. You'll also find the same with Beverley Road near to the town centre. Anlaby Road (from town centre all the way up to Boothferry Road) is fairly dodgy, and so is Holderness Rd/Hedon Rd, although less so.

Victoria Dock which is a 10-15 min walk from the centre is made up of new-build estates and is fairly pleasant. It's somewhere to consider and it's handy for the nightlife.

CITY CENTRE

The old town is nice around lowgate/scale lane/chapel lane areas but you'll be limited to flats. Also the fruit market is supposed to be "up and coming" as it is being gentrified, but the flats there are probably overpriced and it could just be a fad.

ALTERNATIVES (VIA TRAIN)
Hessle is a nice village to the West. We live here near to a lovely conservation area (Southfield) and there's a train station a few minutes walk away which is the next stop along the main line from Hull>Leeds which has a regular (hourly) service. If I get the timing right I can be within the centre of Hull within 5-10 minutes of leaving my house. The same goes for Cottingham, North Ferriby and Beverley although the journey time will be a little longer.

OTHER AREAS (DRIVING)
If you drive, then there's other areas to consider:-

EAST
Hedon, Preston and most other villages to the East of those are nice (I used to live around here).

Bilton and Longhill I would avoid, but other villages to the North of those are nice.

NORTH

Avoid Bransholme & Orchard Park.

Kingswood is OK but personally I hate the crammed in new builds and very busy retail park in the middle of it. A lot of people I know live there, and it's affectionately known as "North Bransholme" as a lot of people "upgrade" from Bransholme to here as it's just next door. The same goes for Wawne - an "upgrade" for older Bransholmers looking for a quieter location.

Skirlaugh & Long Riston are nice but quite rural and a long way out.

WEST

Cottingham is lovely with quite a few shops/restaurants and good schools but massively overpriced. The house prices in some areas have gone up 20-30% in a few years which is mostly down to the Ofsted rated "outstanding" schools there. Madness!

Swanland, North Ferriby, Kirk Ella are all quite upmarket villages (with price tags to match) but there's not a lot going on here. I do like these villages but I feel they're a bit overrated and can't stand the pompous-ness of some of those who live there. Some of the houses in Swanland are absolutely massive and it feels like there's a bit of a "keeping up with the Jones's" effect going on there with the millionaires competing with eachother for grandeur.

Willerby is a nice area with a few shops and handy for buses to Hull.

Beverley and the surrounding villages are all nice but will add 20% onto the house prices compared to the West Hull villages.

luvchocolate

City centre by the Marina is more expensive but across the road in old town..eg Grammar School Yard is really nice, also Merchants Wharehouse, Trinity Court.
City Centre is fine but go 2 miles out and its awful.

In short in Centre or miles out.

cashmonger

kilby_007 wrote: »

...

Thanks for the writeup, although all the talk of out of the city is not an option. I definately do want the centre or else there would be little point looking at Hull. I could just look for a small town anywhere.

glosoli wrote: »

I would avoid the Beverley road and Anlaby road areas, they are both close to the city centre but i wouldn't advise living there, hull city centre is actually extremely nice especially the old town which has brilliant bars and old style pubs, there are quite a few gay bars but they are frequented by straight folk too.... look around the old town/marina area although 400 is a tad on the low side of the budget..

The problem with hull is that the city centre is so small that accommodation is harder to find than other cities.

Hmm well I have managed to pay £575 only just for 6 years in manchester but it has always been a struggle. I would be looking for less than that because in hindsight my whole life for the past few years has just been consumed with coming up with the rent. £400 was my low estimate I could easily go to £500 if it meant I could find what I wanted but then above there I don't want to be paying much more than that really at this time since I would end up in the rat race again rather than being able to save any money.

What kind of prices would you estimate for the places you recommended in the centre?

Had a quick look and my cursory viewing seems like that might be ok with that amended budget.

luvchocolate wrote: »

City centre by the Marina is more expensive but across the road in old town..eg Grammar School Yard is really nice, also Merchants Wharehouse, Trinity Court.
City Centre is fine but go 2 miles out and its awful.

In short in Centre or miles out.

Ah good so there are some pockets then that might suit. I planned on going over on wednesday and booking some appointments beforehand. After reading that thread and people's comments on here I will be alot more selective about which places I look for now.

ReadingTim

Surely wherever you work or study should (partly at least) dictate where you live, rather than purely the cost of rent?

There's little point moving somewhere miles away (Hull, Hell or Halifax) to save money, then promptly spend most of it getting to and from work/studies - not to mention hours of your day...

n217970

cashmonger wrote: »

Btw I just read about how Hull has the last municipal (whatever that means) telephone company and no BT; with cream phone boxes. Lol what a strange a wonderful place.

You will soon change your mind after your first experience with KCOM.

On a seperate note why does everybody keep calling Kingston - "Hull"? We do not call Newcastle - "Tyne" or Stoke - "Trent", nor the other Kingston - "Thames"

agrinnall

n217970 wrote: »

On a seperate note why does everybody keep calling Kingston - "Hull"? We do not call Newcastle - "Tyne" or Stoke - "Trent", nor the other Kingston - "Thames"

Just a guess but I susppect it may be to do with Hull's role in the English Civil War, where the city was decidedly anti-Royalist, so may have decided that they did not want to be known as King's Town (Kingston). This article written by son of Hull Paul Heaton might be of interest.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/20/hull-royal-wedding-no-street-party

doodle-bug_2

To be fair, most people from Kingston upon Hull, or Hull as it is more generally known by outsiders, come from 'Ull'!

kilby_007

cashmonger wrote: »

Thanks for the writeup, although all the talk of out of the city is not an option. I definately do want the centre or else there would be little point looking at Hull. I could just look for a small town anywhere.

The areas I've suggested on the outskirts and city centre are closer than and much nicer than the Rightmove properties you posted a link to... you can disregard the rest.

In my opinion if you're looking for hipster areas as you put it, you want to be on princes/newland avenue. There's lots of nightlife around here. In general though hull city centre itself isn't the best in that regard.

luvchocolate

I rented a 2 bed apartment in Grammar School Yard for £450 a month with 2 parking spaces lived there for 8 years, right in the centre loved it!!
I am not a young person, never saw any trouble, I recently moved to be nearer family.
Feel free to P.M me for any help.