West Didsbury or Withington? Chorlton?!

[Shantotto]

Going to be moving from London to Manchester early next year. I'll have a 5/6 month old and a DP coming along too! I'm moving from a super gentrified bit of Hackney so as wanky as this probably sounds, I really want to keep that feel of independent shops, lovely cafes nice real ale pubs etc etc.

I used to live in West Didsbury over 10 years ago and loved it and it feels pretty much the same after a recent visit. However it is a little expensive to rent / buy a house and main reason for moving is the expense of London. So, I'm thinking Withington but close to West Didsbury? I don't know much about Withington though. It seems a good few hundred cheaper to rent and also seems to be more houses rather than flats. Am I being too precious about location?

Is West Dids / Withington all students and no families? When I went back recently not keen anymore on Didsbury as an option but maybe more families? It seems every chain heavy. See I do sound wanky! Heard good things about Chorlton but how's the public transport? Wasn't too keen on area outside the team stop near there.

Any thoughts on those areas much appreciated. Really don't think I want to go further out as DP will want to cycle to work and I may cycle around with DS and would like it if I'm a handy 20 mins on the tram to town centre. Thanks!

[Shantotto]

I should have made clearer that my heart is really set on West Didsbury and only grudgingly Withington!

[formerlyofLadysmith]

TBH I think all of those areas would be fine for different reasons, and have elements that would suit you. I would go for Withington personally.

[CheeseBadger]

Transport in Chorlton is fine. I'd say better than Didsbury, as the tram into town is quicker. The area around the Chorlton tram stop is a bit "edgy", but the St Werburgh's Road stop is completely fine (and closer to the independent thrills on Beech Road). If you're happy with the north side of Chorlton, you could consider Firswood, which also has a tram stop, is really close to the centre of Chorlton, and has significantly cheaper housing.

I didn't know until recently how gentrified the Burton Road area of west Didsbury has become, so I'm not well qualified to comment on that. I suspect it may be rather expensive to buy / rent there though. I think my opinion of Didsbury itself is similar to yours. I've had two ill considered nights out there in the last five years, and been staggered by the level of fake tan and botox on show. Chorlton seems a bit more laid back in comparison. Think people in wellies in the pub after a Saturday afternoon on the allotment.

Take all that with a pinch of salt. I live near St Werburgh's road so I'm hugely biased...

[thesaurusgirl]

More and more students are moving into the newbuild "executive" (ha ha) BTL flats in areas that were never quite as up and coming as the brochures promised - Ancoats, Salford etc. Massive oversupply of flats to let so the rents are low. Also the university has set up joint profitshare accommodation arrangements with companies such as Unite so students are living in halls for longer.

Students can't afford West Dids, Withington, Fallowfield etc any more so the area is predominantly young professionals, academics and medics now. They are a bit less naff, shall we say, than the residents of Didsbury, but Burton Road has some of the same lifestyle if that's your thing. Fallowfield has big houses in big gardens at remarkable value, but you have to choose your streets wisely.

[Shantotto]

Thanks a lot for your replies! Sorry to come back to the thread so late. Interesting about the students moving out of a West Dids, when I lived there just after uni it was student central.

I think will spend another couple of weekends up there and spend more time in Chorlton and Withington. Especially as it is so much more expensive in West Didsbury. Thanks again!

[sbanner827]

They are all great places to live to be honest. Disclaimer that I have lived in both Withington and West Didsbury, however I regularly go to Chorlton and find that although the bars and restaurants over there are not quite as good or upmarket, it definitely has other benefits such as it's size and it's quicker to town on the Met. They're all good though, just avoid the estates (Old Moat, Merseybank and Nell Lane) if I were you

[wowfudge]

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