LIVING IN NORFOLK

If you start all your correspondence with capital letters. You are perfectly suited to Norfolk.

Norwich is an amazing city but I moved to rural Norfolk as a teenager and it was horrible. Racist, unwelcoming to outsiders, no public transport or opportunities for young people. Even the teachers at the local schools had no aspirations for their pupils - and this was one of the best schools in the county. Norwich is great but schools still terrible. Be careful with the rest of Norfolk. The beaches are beautiful and I love visiting but no way I would ever move back there and it is not somewhere I would want to raise children.

I suspect that Norfolk is probably a 'love it or hate it' county.

It's very beautiful and a bit 'far from the madding crowd' but I agree with other posters that living too close to the coast might expose you to coastal erosion which is why I , previously, suggested Swaffham as it's a town not too near the coast but big enough for some liveliness.

Best to go on a few visits.

Great Yarmouth is not perfect by any means- shopping is awful and most people go to Norwich

And yeah it’s not very multicultural. During all our holidays I’ve seen one black family holidaying there. Can’t say I’ve seen many more on or near the beaches. Quite A few Chinese though but they where also clearly tourists.

Don’t do it. If you’ve never even visited you’d be crazy. Just because someone else likes it doesn’t mean you would.

We holiday there at least once every year and love it we have found our spot but that’s an individual thing.

Yeah, take no notice, we're just making it all up

I thoroughly recommend permanently moving somewhere you have never visited. It adds to the frisson of life.

Great Yarmouth is perfect. It is on the coast, has some shops and almost certainly has a hospital near by

Take no notice? I shall inform my children and the school team who have been dealing with it then...

Weirdly we are going to see properties this weekend in Norfolk as a second home. Bloody love Norfolk. I could live there permanently, but dh wouldn’t with his work. Toe hum 🤷🏼‍♀️

Swaffham isn't that near the coast and it's not lovely! I was very glad to leave Norfolk!

Norwich is a fabulous city. Not too big , very historical, beautiful and fairly cosmopolitan.
UEA is a cosmopolitan university attracting many serious scholars , to PHD level from around the world.

As to racism, well I've lived in various places in the Midlands over many years and it's very ethnically diverse . I've also lived in the south east in various places, including London.

I can honestly say that the most racist of all of these places was Birmingham which is one of the most 'diverse' places in the UK.

So take no notice of the racism accusation of Norfolk.
Like many very rural communities, a suspicion of all outsiders is quite common... it's not just about other ethnicities.

Visit, then rent. Do not buy until you've spent a year there.

Hospitals is a great point, there's only 3 in Norfolk, Norfolk and Norwich in Norwich, one in King's Lynn and James Paget in Gorleston plus a minor injuries unit in Cromer. So something to keep in mind.

Moved there age 7 and never took to it - agree with the racism as PP mentioned. Scarpered for uni and never looked back!

I have mixed races children, I do find it racist here unfortunately.

OTOH, racism is horrendous,public transport is woeful and opportunities for children and young adults are appalling

We love the place, I'd LOVE a holiday house there but dear Lord all the reasons above are enough to put us off living there full time. It is beautiful there though.

Why on earth would anyone move somewhere they have never even visited ?!

We won't want you if you keep shouting 😁

I would never move to a popular Norfolk seaside town. Beautiful, lovely to visit and a regular for us, but so so busy and impossible to travel through easily at peak summer.

Norfolk village names are awesome, and often said completely differently from how they are spelled... check out the pronunciations beforehand!

We live near to king’s Lynn, around a 20 minute drive to the coast.
Property prices are reasonable and the quality of life is good.
OTOH, racism is horrendous,public transport is woeful and opportunities for children and young adults are appalling. Our hospital is failing and needs replacing.
Having Said that, I can’t imagine living anywhere else

Housing affordability in North Norfolk varies enormously. Norfolk coastal areas are extensive and range from the extremely expensive areas of Thornham/Burnham/Brancaster/Wells etc round to Caister/Yarmouth and loads of variably priced areas in between. Worth investigating the market in the area you’re interested in.

We fell in love with it during our holiday this summer. We stayed in Felmingham which was gorgeous. We visited Happisburgh, Sea Palling and Cromer, all lovely.