Is Worthing (and surrounding areas) a nice place to live?

I can comment well having lived all over London and Brighton too. Can confirm Worthing is a great place if you want:
-A lovely quiet beach-
Beautiful countryside and walking nearby-
Friendly community, quite diverse and queer friendly
-Very good cafes restaurants pubs and bars (both traditional and also natural wines bars and small plates etc, craft breweries for a bit of pizazz)
-Two great cinemas and theatres
-Good schools
-Leafy parks
-Decent town centre with walkable shops
-Three train stations(!) and an easy enough commute straight to Victoria/East Croydon/Clapham
-Decent parking (especially compared to Brighton)
-And affordable homes! I bought my three bedroom house in a good area for only 30k more than my one bedroom flat in Brighton-For us it's been a no brainer and we love it, we're in our 30s and lots of our friends are following suit.
-Best areas: Check it out in person. Personally we're near the station on a leafy nice street, Tarring (West) is also desirable. But the best way to ascertain is to go and walk around

Thank you all for your comments 😃

Look at Selsey, primary and secondary schools, right by the sea

@ELizCar Sorry I don't know which specific streets but I just meant the area around Durrington station in general.

But do go and look at Maybridge and the Quadrant- you won't know until you look!

I’ve lived in Worthing all my life and love it.

Thriving food and drink scene
Beach is lovely all year round.
South Downs provide mile upon mile of bridle ways and footpaths.
Town centre is rather run down but we’re close enough for shopping in Brighton or Chichester.
Good selection of schools. St Oscar Romero in Goring was ranked 30th in the country for GSCE results last year.

I would avoid Littlehampton, Lancing and East Worthing. Broadwater, Offington and Tarring are all nice, although not close to the beach. Goring is fabulous. Ferring also lovely but older population.

@ELizCar Durrington can be hit and miss. I’d avoid anywhere near the big Tesco Extra or around The Strand/ Palatine Road.

I grew up in Worthing, there are some nice places but some areas, like Durrington and Lancing, I’d avoid. I can’t think of any nicer parts of Worthing where you’d get a house for £280k though. Although possibly a flat.

@ELizCar I don’t know those specific areas well enough but looking on the map they look like they might be close enough to Goring to be a safer choice so fingers crossed for you.

Out of your areas I would choose Worthing.

@Waitingfordoggo sorry for keep asking, but would you main tell me which areas are the estates near Durrington? Just to have a bit more knowledge about the area. it would be my forever home so i would like to gather as much information as i can. i will do some viewings in Maybridge Square and the Quadrant. I have never been in the area so i don't know what to expect .Thank you in advance for helping me

I have friends who moved to Worthing and love it. I think it’s a town on the up. When visiting. Had some lovely walks along the coast, and been to nice restaurants.

Hi I have lived in Hove all my life and would definately look at Lewes,rather than Shoreham. Please feel free to DM!

Goring-by-sea is a wonderful place to live- I've been here for ten years and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. But the property prices are quite high (way higher than they were when I moved in!) and it is a quiet area (my Mum used to call it 'boring Goring' 😂) But if like me, you are happy with boring, then it is great. The beach on summer evenings is a hive of activity.

I would say that some of the estates near Durrington station might not be the nicest places to live- but perhaps I'm being snobby! There are plenty of lovely people living in that area but also a few feral kids who muck about on bikes in the middle of the road while traffic is trying to get by, and a group of kids who caused persistent problems in local shops and the leisure centre. I don't know if it is actually a high crime area but there is definitely a bit of low-level slightly anti social stuff.

However, my kids went to The Orchards (Primary school in that area) and then on to Durrington High School and they both had a great experience in both schools. Durrington High in particular was an excellent school for quite a while when Sue Marooney was the Head there. She has moved on now and I don't know if the school is as good now as it was 5 years ago- it may well be but my kids are no longer there so I don't know.

@ELizCar I would say avoid Durrington and the high school there. Goring is fine, nice by the sea.

Have friends who live in Bexhill, that seems nice but possibly out of budget.

Rustington is lovely, with a good range of shops. Lots of villages in the area, like Goring, East Preston, Barnham, Yapton.

I'm in the same situation here, are there any parts of Worthing should be avoid? what about near Durrington by Sea station? is safe?.... any comments? I would be very grateful for comments about Goring by Sea..

There are nice pubs in Shoreham The Welly for live music, The Bridge inn for cocktails by the river, The Tap House for food / drinks, The Ferry Inn for tapas and cocktails. The Red Lion for a pub roast / beer garden.
Into the Blue on shoreham Beach doesn't look much from the outside - but is a fab fab seafood restaurant

Sorry to hijack this thread but I posted on the home thread and didn’t get many answers. We are moving in the summer, we ideally want Hove but are considering further out to get more for our money. Shoreham is a top choice but what is the bar and restaurant scene like? We are a social couple and like going out for dinner/drinks. Are there nice pubs? Would like to be close to Brighton and also on the train to London - max budget 750k for a min 3 bed with garden. Thanks!

Worthing - a lot of people who are priced out of Brighton / Hove are settling in Worthing so there are a lot more independent / Brightony type shops these days. It's a big area though and a big mix of people, I think in general it's a great place for a family because it's got a lot there.

Ferring is a lovely village outside of Worthing, not near a train station though.

I'd argue Bognor has an underrated beach, because it has a lovely warm micro-climate, and it's peaceful, not overrun. Aldwick is beautiful but unfortunately the town is not good and getting rougher. You could live in Aldwick - go to Chichester town instead.

Arundel is very expensive.

Littlehampton has always had a bit of a rough reputation in the past but I'm not an expert, there are attractions and things for families.

Love Goring 🙌

Bognor Regis town centre isn't great. I used to live there but have now moved out to one of the surrounding villages, which is absolutely lovely. Look at Middleton on Sea, Aldwick and Felpham and you'll find something in budget that would work for you. Littlehampton is much the same, in there are areas to avoid. Happy to answer any questions if you want to DM me.

I used to travel to Worthing for work and it was ok but not much to do, I found it a bit boring.

A two bed house for £280,000? I think all of those places might be out of budget. We looked at Shoreham 12 years ago with a max budget of £250,000 and it was slim pickings. A quick look on Rightmove shows approx 5 in Littlehampton/Rustington - but all need work. There is one in Burgess Hill and a couple in Hassocks but are shared ownership - and not on the market yet. House prices are ridiculous!

Bognor is a bit more realistic.

@Tryingtokeepgoing I like Southsea very much 👍