Northampton. The good, the bad, the ugly?

RedfordML

Morning, 
2021, our family is considering a relocation to Northampton. Family connections in Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford, but N seems slightly more affordable and give us our own independence. 
Any areas you would recommend? A newer area we like the look of is "The Grange" but really would consider any family friendly areas. We have a budget of £400k, ideally a 4 bed detached (but that could be a compromise) and would like good links to M1, shops and schools.(3 children). 
Any help, advice or areas to visit and view would be great? Alternatively, areas you may not consider yourself?
Thanks 

Jack_93

Hi i live in Northampton myself. If you're referring to shops as actually going out and buying clothes etc i'd almost half forget Northampton for this. Myself & my girlfriend will rarely if ever go into the town centre for shopping because it's far from the nicest place to shop & there also aren't many shops. So for shopping we either tend to use Rushden lakes which is about 15 mins down A45 from us, or Milton Keynes which is about 20-25 mins down M1. Although shopping isn't great here there is a good amount of restaurants around, bowling, cinemas, trampoline parks etc. As far as good areas go for families with good links & good schools nearby, i would have a look at area's such as Wootton, East Hunsbury, West Hunsbury, Grange Park. Colingtree is the stand out area over this side however houses in that area are on the pricier side.  If you prefer a village i'd look more along lines of Milton Malsor, Hardingstone & Collingtree Village (on this side of the town). 

We've chosen this side of the town as we have never had any issues here at all, lived down a couple really nice streets & it's pretty easy to get everywhere we want to. It's also only a 5 minute drive location to my work (Brackmills) & 15 mins to my girlfriends (Moulton  Park).

In terms of area's id avoid, off the top of my head i'd say in and around the town itself, Far Cotton, Kings Heath, Camp Hill & Briar Hill. However that is just personal preference

However there are also plenty of other areas in Northampton that are nice to live, i've just tried keeping it to the areas i know best

Hope this helps a bit

*edited as missed off part of question

demontfort

I moved to Northamptonshre last year but did look at a lot of houses in Northampton and go into the town regularly. I live nearby and it's a decent enough old town although a bit overpriced of late.

South 
 I didn't like the South Northampton area, it's too close to the M1 (you can hear the motorway in most places) and it just keeps sprawling into the countryside, so there's a fair chance any nearby fields or country lanes will be chewed up for housing. Plus Northampton has got pretty pricey so a a modern detached house in this area at t£400k will be boxy with a small garden. I'd  look in the Hardingstone area or places away from the M1 they looks the best of a bad bunch.

West 
Pretty nice on the whole, but still pricey. Upton is nice (beware of freehold estate charges through), also worth looking at Duston or Dallington, you can get some decent older houses at your budget. Easy to get to the M1 and lots of big shops nearby.

Central
Don't write off the centre, it's OK, decent range of shops, big market  and pretty and historic in places. As with all big towns there are lots of boarded up shops and down and outs though. I go into town quite a bit, Rushden Lakes is a waste of space.
Abington, Billing Road and parts of the town centre (Derngate) have some good quality properties, roads are pretty busy through and there's not many detacheds. There's plenty of well built, grand old houses  overlooking the Racecourse but the area is quiet edgy at times, Abington Park is better for families and has some quiet roads. I'd avoid St  James, Semilong and The Mounts. Far Cotton is ok but gets hit by floods from the Nene once in a while, Delapre is a safer bet as its on a hillside.

North and East
All pretty bland, Kingsthorpe, Boothville, Queens Park, Kingsley Park and Phippsville are decent in parts. Further East, Weston Favell and Old Billing are nicer but pricey. The big estates are ropey, you won't like Lumbertubs, Lings, Blackthorn or most places east of the A43.

Other Towns
Have a look at Wellingborough, Kettering or Rushden get more for your money and they are much quieter than Northampton plus have good transport links, East Midlands mainline plus the A45 and A14 get you to the M1 quickly or east to the A1. At £400k you would definitely find a nicer area and bigger house than in Northampton.

diggingdude

demontfort said:

I moved to Northamptonshre last year but did look at a lot of houses in Northampton and go into the town regularly. I live nearby and it's a decent enough old town although a bit overpriced of late.

South 
 I didn't like the South Northampton area, it's too close to the M1 (you can hear the motorway in most places) and it just keeps sprawling into the countryside, so there's a fair chance any nearby fields or country lanes will be chewed up for housing. Plus Northampton has got pretty pricey so a a modern detached house in this area at t£400k will be boxy with a small garden. I'd  look in the Hardingstone area or places away from the M1 they looks the best of a bad bunch.

West 
Pretty nice on the whole, but still pricey. Upton is nice (beware of freehold estate charges through), also worth looking at Duston or Dallington, you can get some decent older houses at your budget. Easy to get to the M1 and lots of big shops nearby.

Central
Don't write off the centre, it's OK, decent range of shops, big market  and pretty and historic in places. As with all big towns there are lots of boarded up shops and down and outs though. I go into town quite a bit, Rushden Lakes is a waste of space.
Abington, Billing Road and parts of the town centre (Derngate) have some good quality properties, roads are pretty busy through and there's not many detacheds. There's plenty of well built, grand old houses  overlooking the Racecourse but the area is quiet edgy at times, Abington Park is better for families and has some quiet roads. I'd avoid St  James, Semilong and The Mounts. Far Cotton is ok but gets hit by floods from the Nene once in a while, Delapre is a safer bet as its on a hillside.

North and East
All pretty bland, Kingsthorpe, Boothville, Queens Park, Kingsley Park and Phippsville are decent in parts. Further East, Weston Favell and Old Billing are nicer but pricey. The big estates are ropey, you won't like Lumbertubs, Lings, Blackthorn or most places east of the A43.

Other Towns
Have a look at Wellingborough, Kettering or Rushden get more for your money and they are much quieter than Northampton plus have good transport links, East Midlands mainline plus the A45 and A14 get you to the M1 quickly or east to the A1. At £400k you would definitely find a nicer area and bigger house than in Northampton.

One thing to remember with Rushden it doesn't have a train station. I lived there 2015-17 as it was cheaper and I got a good flat for next to nothing. I drove so didn't think I would mind but over time I found myself getting train to Bedford and London alot and it was a pain driving to Wellingborough. 

I always liked Weston Favell but it wasn't cheap

RedfordML

Thankyou all! Some really useful information and areas to look at.