I would like to live in Brighton and Hove

I have lived in Brighton for 16 years, moved here when pregnant with DC1. Your impression that Brighton is a friendly, positive, vibrant place is spot on! Yes, there is a seedy, tacky hen-do element but that is one small aspect of Brighton, most of us locals live in residential areas not on the seafront! We are in the North of the city, I walk my dog in the South Downs almost every day. Yes the beach gets crowded on a hot day but you can always find a quieter spot a little east or west of the centre, or meet friends for an early morning or after work swim. The schools are good, my teens love living here and, and I’ve never come across the achingly hip or snobby stereotype, all the people I know through school, work, community are laid back and yes, Brighton does attract left wing and progressive types, which I think is brilliant personally

I would go to Hastings in your shoes

I used to love Brighton just as much as you, OP. But when I lived there for a year for my MA at Sussex I was completely put off.
Those beautiful shops and cafes in the Lanes, the pavilion, the beachfront… it gets tired very quickly. After the honeymoon period was over, I saw Brighton for what it really was; a transient place full of lost souls. There weren’t that many good jobs, it felt isolated and weird. Overall, a depressing place.

I moved back to London and felt relieved.

If you live in the midlands, how about somewhere like Leamington Spa?

I would much rather live in Leeds or Sheffield- places with a good jobs market and close to the Peak District. Harrogate seems lovely too.

Brighton is horrible. Its full of homeless and drugs. You will get a studio flat for £250,000 if you are lucky. I lived in Seaford near Brighton for years but you wont get anything for that money there either. The whole south coast is old people and its not friendly.
You'd be far better going up north or the west country.
I come from Bedford, lived in the south east for years and now live in the west country which is lovely. I'm only half an hour from the jurrasic coast and you can get a three bed house for £250,000.

Folkestone? I hardly know it and I’ve only seen the centre but certainly the centre seems lovely. No idea about cost or houses there but I’m guessing they are cheaper than Brighton.

I have lived in Brighton for 16 years, moved here when pregnant with DC1. Your impression that Brighton is a friendly, positive, vibrant place is spot on! Yes, there is a seedy, tacky hen-do element but that is one small aspect of Brighton, most of us locals live in residential areas not on the seafront! We are in the North of the city, I walk my dog in the South Downs almost every day. Yes the beach gets crowded on a hot day but you can always find a quieter spot a little east or west of the centre, or meet friends for an early morning or after work swim. The schools are good, my teens love living here and, and I’ve never come across the achingly hip or snobby stereotype, all the people I know through school, work, community are laid back and yes, Brighton does attract left wing and progressive types, which I think is brilliant personally

I wouldn't want to live anywhere that attracted the type of people who thought 'old' was a pejorative. Especially if they piously burnished their pro-trans credentials at the same time.

Born in Brighton, have lived in central Brighton, Hove, Hassocks, Shoreham, Worthing and Kemp Town so have a pretty good perspective I think. OP, realistically I think you'll find it hard to find anywhere big enough for a small family that also includes outside space in any of those places other than some parts of Worthing.

Worthing however has really changed in the last 10 years - the town centre has definitely declined (like pretty much every other town centre in the UK) but it is currently getting a facelift. There's a lot of investment going on at the moment. But other shopping streets (like Warwick Street) are thriving, with lots of indie shops and cafes. There are two great cinemas, one right on the seafront, two theatres that actually have stuff on (including live music) that you'd actually want to see. Lots of arty stuff too. If you go slightly further west to Goring and Ferring there are fabulous open green spaces right on the beach. The beachfront just east of Worthing pier has been done up in the past few years and has some nice cafes and ice cream shops. There are a few really nice restaurants and bars, including Perch on the Pier which has fantastic views.

If you head north from Worthing you'll be in the South Downs National Park pretty quickly - ok, it's not on a par with the Peak District or the Lakes, but it's still lovely, there are loads of great walks and villages like Findon, Storrington, West Chiltington for great Sunday pub roasts etc. Bigger historic nearby towns that are 'lookers' include Horsham, Chichester, Arundel and Petworth, all of which are super expensive to live in but lovely to visit. It's honestly a great part of the country to live in. The main downside is the traffic.

Brighton has never been a wholesome place so I'm unsure why people judge it to be lacking on that. Historically, it has always had some criminality associated with the the place or with people that aren't conformist and are perhaps on the edges of society. Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock although fiction does portray the criminal landscape of the place with gangs like the Sabini gang ran protection rackets. It changed quite a bit late 90s early 00s when there were more DFLs buying up period properties as the culture of the place shifted and became gentrified in many pockets around the city. It is a bit like London in that respect village like areas around the city usually centred around schools so in North Brighton, Hove, seven dials etc. However, it has got one of the lowest number of births per 100000 now in the UK so many schools are closing as it is unaffordable for families and there are many more you g people in their 20s house sharing.