West or East Midlands

[hmaners]

My husbands company has offered him a position servicing either the west or east midlands. we are not familiar with the midlands at all so im wondering which would you choose if you were a young family? we want to be near a town center which offers thing to do but in a residential, SAFE, neighborhood with great public services for little ones (library, swimming, etc). if we choose west midlands we most likely will be in the birmingham suburb which im not too sure about. advice very much appreciated!

[tiredemma]

Sutton Coldfield. Good rail and road links, good schools. Nice areas

[LynetteScavo]

Well, I live in the west Midlands, so I am biased.

Where would you live in the East Midlands.

Good rail links are important to me, which we have to London, but think of the accent. I live 30 miles from my DC growing up with a horrendous accent.

[Yorky]

Completely biassed here, but in favour of East Mids! We used to live nr Wolverhampton but DS1 was picking up the local accent and I was glad to move

[LadyMaryChristmas]

I moved from the West Midlands to the East.

[Flossiechops]

I would second Sutton Coldfield, 7 miles out of brum. Lots of outstanding schools, huge park on the door step, and a nice town centre :)

[StrawberryMojito]

Solihull in the West Midlands has all of what you wanted and, as someone who has lived in both places, it has a much nicer town centre than Sutton Coldfield.

[LadyMaryChristmas]

There's a Waitrose in Sutton Coldfield

[fossil97]

There's a John Lewis in Solihull!

I would slightly favour the East Midlands as it's less built up and motorway-ised - goes right out to Lincolnshire: plenty of nice suburbs of Leicester, Nottingham or smaller places. West Midlands you can't really go anywhere without having to go around or through Birmingham, but then it's a slightly smaller area with better roads.

Generally the West Midlands is a bit more urban and industrial, East Midlands more rural between the cities.

[LadyMaryChristmas]

I'd move to Newark. There's a Waitrose in Newark. We're only worthy of a tiny one in Nottingham (I'm rather annoyed at this, can you tell? )

[tiredemma]

Yes- Waitrose In Sutton Coldfield- Two in fact.

Im a total bore now and enjoy 'strolling up' to Waitrose on a Sunday afternoon and taking in the VMC ambiance.

[Flossiechops]

tiredemma you definitely live near to me we have friends in solihull and it is lovely but pretty ££ . There is a John lewis home in tamworth plus a new one coming to Brum. I disagree about having to travel through birmingham to get anywhere, the links to the m6 are easy from Sutton Coldfield.

[tiredemma]

ah really?? .

can you stroll to Waitrose FO too???!!

[nagynolonger]

East mids has lots of market towns if you want that rather than a city. As others have said east midlands is more rural.

[tiredemma]

There is a place in the East Mids that I LOVE.

Newton Solney. (and Southall)

beautiful.

anyone live there??

[wrinklybottom]

We moved to West Midlands knowing nothing about it and did a fair bit of research before picking an area to live. Am now on the edge of a market town in North Worcs. Only a 25 minute train journey to Brum but living in a village surrounded by countryside and canals with very good schools. Great motorway network close by so it doesn't take us too long to get back down South to see family. We don't regret moving here at all.

[Flossiechops]

tiredemma yep

[nagynolonger]

Lots of the east midland is beautiful but we tend to keep quite about it. The area around Rutland Water is nice but an expensive area to live.

[nagynolonger]

Re the swimming pools and libraries. Most larger villages in the east midlands still have libraries but not sure if they will all stay open. For swimming pools you would need to be near a city, or market town or somewhere near a secondary school.

[lljkk]

Having lived in E Mids & worked in W Mids I lean slightly towards W Mids. But am not a fan of either.

[fussychica]

Lived in NE Mids (Derbyshire) - loved it. Nearest Waitrose was miles away in Newark - most unsatisfactory! Now in Wiltshire and have one in walking distance

[MsElleTow]

I would say East Midlands too.

There are some areas of Oakham that aren't too expensive. Waitrose want to move into Oakham. The closer you are to Rutland Water the dearer it is. We don't even have a MaccyD's in Rutland!

[LadyMaryChristmas]

I live just outside Nottingham. There's a sports centre (local authority), a library and it's soooo cheap! There's no sodding Waitrose and the one in Nottingham is tiny. The bastards don't even deliver here, even though the large store is 20 miles away. JL is large though.

I may go and sulk in a minute.

[harrietspy]

I love Birmingham, but I'm not sure from your post if you're thinking about living in the city. If you are, it's worth looking at Kings Heath, Stirchley, Moseley, Bournville, Selly Oak... Lots of parks, supermarkets, libraries, swimming pools, museums, farmers' markets, community activities, etc, and only a short drive out to gorgeous countryside. I love love love it and never want to move away.

[Rudolphstolemycarrots]

Warwick?