family friendly areas in the midlands

[hmaners]

my husband has recently been offered a job in the midlands and being that neither of us are from the UK (I am American, he is Greek, we are currently living in Greece) I am wondering if anyone can help recommend some good areas to live for our growing family.

My husband will need to be traveling around the midlands often. He will be given a company car but needs to be relatively close to the commuter belt. I however am not sure when i will be getting a car for myself (need to familiarize myself with driving on the other side of the road first) so living in an area that is easily accessible is a must.

We have an 18 month old daughter and I am a very active mom as sitting in the house daily with her drives me nuts. So looking for areas that are family friendly, with other young families for playgroups and outings is important.

Safety is a concern. When Ive googled The Midlands Ive heard some horror stories of "syringes and condoms found daily in the garden" and "red light districts". Dont mean to sound snobbish, but want to avoid those.

This position will most likely have us living in England for a few years, so good nurseries and public schools are important.

We are looking for a 2 bedroom flat. My husband will have a decent salary, but we are still a young family just starting out so probably cant afford the really pricey areas.

Ideally I would love to live in a safe, quite neighborhood that is walking distance from shops and a grocery store and a short drive away from a nice night out. public libraries, nice parks, and great activities for kids is a must. i personally dream of living in a lovely town that is a short drive away from somewhere more happening, but my husband fears that we will be bored and outcast living somewhere that isnt diverse and urban.

Right now living in Greece is bearable for us, but becoming more and more financially straining. However I dont want to move and regret that decision.

Can you help us? Thank you!

[CMOTDibbler]

When you say the midlands, where would your dh be based ? Its a huge area encompassing everything from very rural areas to a huge city.

I live in a very small town (which still has lots of facilities), but dh works in Birmingham and is there in 30 minutes, but we can be walking in open countryside in 5 minutes of leaving our house

[missymoomoomee]

I moved to Rugby from Scotland just over a year ago now and I absolutely love it. I don't drive at all and have never had an issue with not being able to get somewhere. The area I live in is quiet but central to everything and I can't recommend it highly enough. I don't know the rest of the midlands well or if Rugby is too far away from the area you are looking at but it is lovely.

[QueefLatina]

If you're looking in the East Midlands then West Bridgford near Nottingham may be worth a look

[hmaners]

thank you for these replies, they really help!

my husbands position is field based and all we know as of now is that he will be "servicing the midlands area". i realize that is rather broad but we just dont have any more details. however he usually is centered around healthcare areas as his job involves visiting medical doctors and hospitals. im just guessing, but i would imagine being close to Birmingham is where we want to be. But its okay if he has a reasonable commute to getting there, as I dont want to live directly in the city unless someone can recommend a nice area as so far what Im seeing online isnt the best.

[QueefLatina]

Can't help with Birmingham I'm afraid but my friend lives in Cheltenham which is beautiful, and commutes to Birmingham. Might be a bit out of the way if your DH is travelling around the midlands.

[missymoomoomee]

I don't now Birmingham either. I have only been to Cadbury World there so my view is limited to chocolate related matters

DH sometimes works over in Birmingham and the commute there is fine, it takes about 40 minutes I believe. Sorry I can't be any more help.

I know the local boards on here are just getting up and running, maybe post over there too.

[StrawberrytallCAKE]

Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Warwick are lovely and very close to motorways and transport links. You can get much more for your money in Rugby and even closer to the motorway but personally I prefer the first three. I live in Leamington now so if you would like any more info let me know!

There are lots of flats in leamington and Warwick which would be perfect for you as they are central and there are lots of young families and groups/classes to take your dd to. Have you had a look on primelocation.com or rightmove to see what you can get for your money?

[StrawberrytallCAKE]

Oh and it takes around 30 mins to get to Birmingham from Leamington/Warwick and 20-25 from Kenilworth.

[iseenodust]

DB lives in Dorridge which is next to Solihull. Brilliant for motorway links, plenty of small shops, swings, supermarkets, decent schools and close to Birmingham for other stuff eg theatre. They've been there at least 15 years having moved within the town because they wanted to stay there.

[femmeaufoyer]

I would also recommend Leamington and Warwick, but also consider Lichfield which is lovely.

[LtEveDallas]

Well how long would your DH consider an OK commute?

The West Midlands (Shropshire, Staffordshire) is very nice and 'green'. South Midlands could encompass Worcesershire and just about Gloucestershire / Cheltenham. Even the Forest of Dean, or Herefordshire isn't necessarily out of range.

[Rudolphstolemycarrots]

Warwick , Stratford Upon Avon, Leamington Spa. All lovely.

[Rudolphstolemycarrots]

All towns with good facilities.

[hmaners]

thank you so much for all of these replies! i have spent the day on rightmove and wikipedia, researching different areas and pricing options. ive been able to see a lot of great housing options for us in a few of those areas so i guess it will come down to where the majority of my husband's work will be. but its great to hear positive things about the midlands as what i was finding on google was just a lot of crap!

right now in greece we live about 30-45 minutes from the center of athens, tucked into a quiet and residential suburb. we love being close to the hussle of the city and what it has to offer, but away from it on a daily basis. so i would say a 30-45 minute commute is what we would consider reasonable upon moving. ive been discouraged by people telling me that will be near impossible to find in England, but all of you have given me some hope and actually filled my night with excitement about the possibility of relocating!

thank you again!

[fossil97]

We live in "the Midlands" and it is absolutely fine. We are just in Leicestershire, but still quite close to Birmingham. I commute 25 miles to work in 35 minutes on the motorway.

TBH if your child is not at school, I'd go for a town like Leamington or even a nicer suburb of Birmingham - help me out here - Bromsgrove? There will be more going on and you are never really far from countryside around the Midlands, it's not like London. Rent a property first and get to know the area and try out the travelling, then look for a place to settle down when you have a better idea re town/country. Solihull is a good call too (lovely shops ) and the Warwick/Stratford/Kenilworth/Leamington area.

We chose where we live because DH has to travel in all directions and it's well connected for all the major cities, it's a real advantage of this area.

You could also ask the future employer what they suggest and check where the head office is.

[BackforGood]

We live in Birmingham, and, like big cities the world over, the are parts that are lovely, and parts that you wouldn't want to live in.
I agree with fossil - you need to get your dh to get more information about where he needs to be, as that will make a huge difference.
When you say 30 - 45 min commute, are you talking about "train into town" or "driving into town in the rush hour" - because, again, they make a big difference.
Also it's going to depend on your finances a lot. Obviously the nicest parts tend also to be the most expensive parts.
I'd say Sutton Coldfield is probably the nicest part of the City as a whole, but there are lovely parts all around.... Harborne, Bournville, are both very nice, and then most of the suburbs have some nice roads and some not so nice. Edgbaston and Moseley are both like that - have some dodgy areas and also some £1million + homes.

[battherat]

Have a look at Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Dorridge, Rugby, Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Worcester. I know that this echoes what other posters have said but I think that all of these places will meet your expectations.

There are beautiful outlying areas such as Shropshire and Herefordshire but their access to transport infrastructure is not as strong. I have lived round and about in a few places in the Midlands nod there really are some fabulous schools and facilities.

[fossil97]

The Midlands is quite shaped by its history - the cities of Birmingham,Coventry, Leicester etc were and still are to some extent the main industrial centre of the UK (hence the term "the Black Country"), there are also former coal mining areas (until the 1980s). That makes it them a bit "gritty" and people tend to be very practical and down to earth - I like that! Cities might not look very attractive with factories and motorways around them, but they will all still have their attractive/interesting/historical areas. Some of the smaller ex-industrial towns have become a bit run down and not seen as attractive places to live, if the big employers have closed down, I'm sure there are similar in the USA.

There are also more historical cities like the places mentioned which are a bit more upmarket: Warwick, Lichfield etc. i.e. considered "Naice" by MN .

The countryside OTOH is intensively agricultural with lots of farms, villages, and some really nice market towns although people who live there mostly commute to cities or business parks now. So it is quite possible to live very close to say Birmingham or Coventry, but be completely in the countryside living in a village or market town. The area changes a lot in a short distance but is quite easy to get around.

[ohnoherewego]

Stourbridge or hagley; good schools and 30 minutes on the train into Birmingham city centre