Relocation to Shrewsbury/Sutton Coldfield/King's Heath

[Dogthatsdriving]

We currently live in lovely Truro with two young boy's. DS1 is 3.5 and we have secured delayed entry at CSA for him to start school in 2018 - which was a huge relief. Now hubby has put a spanner in the works by getting new job in Telford. The job is a promotion but not huge amounts more money - but in the long run it would probably financially beneficial. I currently don't work but have been looking for a job but Cornwall is not fantastic for well paying jobs - but childcare still costs a comparable amount (£50+ a day) - so the jobs are not plentiful. I did work in marketing and therefore a move up to the West Midlands/Shropshire could potentially be a better option. We have a house which we only brought last year and so to sell would probably mean we would loose money on fees etc but renting it out does seem quite a hassle.Anyway that was all just background (and writing it down was trying to get the options clear in my mind - I love it here and don't really want to go but short term pain long term gain etc). I was just wondering if anyway had any tips, hints on living in any of the above places - the commutes to Telford or Birmingham - which is where I would most likely work. Good nurseries (probably with long hours), good area - any help would be hugely appreciated.

[senua]

Kings Heath to Telford? Noooo! AA Routeplanner says 38 miles / 49 minutes (I think that's an underestimate). Sutton is similar, via the M6Toll (extra expense). You don't want your commute to involve the car park that is the M6.

I think that you could centre yourself on Telford and forget Birmingham. There are lots of jobs in the Telford area.
Live somewhere south of Telford, it has the most stunning countryside (Severn valley, Shropshire Hills AONB). Or Shrewsbury is nice: there's not much else round there so it's the buzzing metropolis of its neck of the woods.

[Dogthatsdriving]

Thank you - that is really helpful - it's sometimes hard to tell from a route planner how far things actually take.In Cornwall lots of things are quite far away but don't take long to get too as the traffic is not very heavy (unless you're stuck behind a tractor!)

[disappearingfish]

Shrewsbury is great to live but not great for jobs.

[senua]

Ah, I fondly remember the days of trying to get to Telford on the A5 and being stuck for miles and miles and miles behind big artics.
The M54 is a vast improvement.

I think that routeplanner gives different results depending on the time of day. Try checking the stats at peak rush hour.

[Dogthatsdriving]

Thank you everyone. Still undecided as to whether it is a good move or not but you've all given me excellent advice and lots of things to consider.

[senua]

I'm not overly keen on Telford. It is a typical New Town: soulless and full of warehouses & roundabouts but ... also full of jobs. However, the area around it is bursting with character and history - from Romans to medieval castles (you are on the Welsh marches) to the Civil War (Boscobel etc). It is the birthplace of bright ideas like the Industrial Revolution, the Theory of Evolution and the modern olympics. They have a strong musical tradition and Ludlow, a few miles south, is considered the No1 foodie hotspot in the country. Thomas Telford School is the No1 comprehensive in the country for GCSEs. When you are fed up with all this bounty, there is good access to the rest of the country esp the West Midlands conurbation and Manchester/Liverpool.
Go and have a weekend visit there to suss it out, it's lovely.

[onthewagonwheel]

My inlaws live in Shrewsbury and I've always loved visiting. Not the same as living there, but we have looked into house prices in the past and been pleasantly surprised. The area around is beautiful too, and easy to get into Wales for day trips/ weekends.

My SIL commutes from Shrewsbury to Telford by car and it's a doddle. I think she travels home in rush hour. The M54 makes it an easy run.

[disappearingfish]

I have lived in both Shropshire and Cornwall (and worked in Telford) so I have some advice.

Shrewsbury is the nicest town with a short commute to Telford. It's similar to Truro with olde streets and independent shops and a big market. It doesn't have the sea but the Severn River and Quarry park is lovely. It's a provincial town but you will be used to that in Truro.

The surrounding countryside is chocolate box pretty. Tiny, pretty villages. Telford is a shithole architecturally speaking, like Milton Keynes smaller, uglier sister.

You can commute to Birmingham on the train from Shrewsbury. Much less painful than driving.

I found it much easier to meet people and make friends in Cornwall, which I found very friendly. Shropshire is a bit more standoffish.

Career wise it's marginally better than Cornwall. The West Midlands aren't particularly vibrant economically speaking but Birmingham is obviously a big city on your doorstep.

Schools, family friendliness, safety and environment about the same as Cornwall.

Very far away from the sea though.