Preston Vs Edinburgh

[PrestonVsEdinburgh]

Hi NC as potentially outing. Looking for advice. I currently work in Edinburgh and absolutely love it here, trying to buy at the moment but the housing market is very active and it seems almost impossible to get anything without significant additional savings when flats are going for 20k over the home report I work in a job that I love but it is very stressful and i’m Struggling at the moment due to leadership/management problems.

I’ve been approached by another employer based in Preston and am considering a move there to improve my overall quality of life. Now I know nothing about Preston except that it rains a lot (hate wet weather). I’m going there to visit in a couple of weeks but would like your thoughts on Edinburgh vs Preston as a place to live. I have dogs so good walks/green space is important (brilliant in Edinburgh) I like beautiful architecture, big open skies, and easy access to countryside. Plus city comforts - bars, cinemas etc. I’m also quite active so a decent climbing wall, running club etc would be good.

so wise MNetters if you know Preston/Edinburgh at all can you tell me what you think? And which bits of Preston are nice?

Rock we’ve moved on a bit since Charles Dickens was last in town 😂

Saucery we live in very divisive times with the right wing rhetoric creeping in from all sides. That’s not a Preston thing, it’s a national thing.
Rest assured, Yaxley Lennon was up here a few weeks ago on his campaign trail. He slunk out of the election count with his tail between his legs and £5k lighter of pocket.

Have a look at area around Moor park for walks.

Better still go and visit: there are parts of Preston which are quite cityish and parts which feel more 'big small town'.

The architecture has nothing on Edinburgh (but only about 5 cities in the world can compare so you are always going to be stuck if that's a main criterion.

Positives: vibrant, university, cosmopolitan,
less expensive, a possible stepping stone and way to get out of current work situation (does not need to be permanent.

City House near 2 parks

Yes Saucery I’m very lucky. I’m lucky that my multi cultural family see racism when it’s present but don’t see racism where it isn’t. We don’t have a chip on our shoulders.

OK GenderFree genuinely pleased about that because it's quite horrible when it does happen so if it's not happening to you that's fab.

Yy to national problem. No worse than any other Northern city or large town, no doubt. OP did ask though, so that's my observation.

Maybe people minimising the problem by accusing others of having chips on their shoulders doesn't help, but again,a National occurrence and not limited to Preston.

I just took this on my lunch break. No, we’re not Edinburgh, but it’s rather lovely in places.

Oops, pic didn’t add. The Miller Arcade.

Oh dear Saucery I didn’t say it hasn’t happened to me or my family. It’s not a Preston thing or a northern thing though. Do you actually think there’s no racism or less racism outside the north west? Dear god my husband can remember being spit on on a Wales camping holidays as a foster child. His crime, being black. Do you think there’s no racism in London or Edinburgh? I was called a slag in London for having a black boyfriend. Told I needed raping .

That arcade is full of empty and/or closed shops!!

Yy @Saucery. It's there. Not being honest doesn't help. I had a thread last year on here about racism witnessed by me against my ndn. It was very very disturbing, but I challenged it and also called the police. Left me shaken.

Yaxley-Lennon had 600 supporters turn up in Ashton Park last month. That sickened me.

True Jessie, but Preston is truly grim. I used to pass through the station regularly and it is utterly depressing, completely grey and windswept, and even the business men wear anoraks over their suits. Yuk!

The report that said there were 600 supporters was wrong and the paper put out a correction. It was more like 150-200. A large number of them were protestors.
He had a rock thrown at his big screen - not cool, but not supporting either.
Yes, he was here and yes he had supporters. It sickened and saddened me too, but scratch beneath the surface.

Re the empty arcade - it’s beautiful architecture. Not sure why some posters are so determined to shit on Preston.

The university of central Lancashire located in Preston has won multiple awards. It had quite a lot of overseas students, both language and law students, but hey let’s run it down.

NC4 I'm not determined to shit on Preston. I just find it odd that pictures of a pretty but abandoned arcade and pizza express street are being used to sell it to the OP. It's misleading.

Her wish list sounds more like Lancaster and it's not right to make out that Preston is so lovely. It's not. That arcade backs out onto a rather scummy street. As you know

Saucery don’t be silly. I’m not minimising racism . I just get pissed off when people comment that you shouldn’t move to Preston due to racism. Quite frankly it’s a crap argument.

You literally can't post anything now on this thread without someone knocking it back
Yes, preston isn't the best city out there but compared to some others, there's nothing wrong with it
I can go for a walk in the park, eat at we don't give a fork, have a drink at the continental, go to the cat cafe...
Some of the town centre is run down but where isn't? It's close enough to the lakes, York, Chester, Trafford centre. I've been here since I was 17 (previously lived in oxford, Bolton, Torbay...) and I worked here as a carer for 18 months so I know the areas well
There is some stunning bits, and some shit bits but I don't think it's fair to call it a dump
The town centre isn't really a destination as such, I use it if I want a meal out or to shop and that's about it

There’s been quite a lot of racist attacks in Lancaster over the last few years. What’s this scummy street you’re going in about

Preston is on the up. It does look a bit tatty in parts but as a transport hub it's pretty good. I find it friendly and the shopping is nowhere near as dire as people are making out. In terms of architecture, bars and history Lancaster does fit the bill better. It is also a nice place to live and more walkable than Preston. You're also in wonderful countryside and have the coast easily accessible as well, for both really. Doorstep of the Lakes, easy access to airports and big cities. Don't knock it till you've seen it, lived it and compared it to other places which are not striving to regenerate.

I've not mentioned racism. Preston, Lancaster, Edinburgh, anywhere....disgusting but it happens. Not exactly sure why you've directed that at me.

Can't remember the name of the street but the one you are on when you come out of the arcade with the pizza shops, mobile shops and the soon to be derelict as well, Guild hall further down.

I came out of an event at around 11pm 3 weeks ago and there were people literally littering that street. Beggars, 2 clearly off their tits on Spice, and a huge group of lads just knocking around the kebab shop. It was a Wednesday night 🤷🏽‍♀️.

I know Edinburgh must have it's areas, as does Lancaster but I've yet to feel intimidated in either city centre. Preston seems to just have that edge. And it's directly behind the beautiful architecture used here to mislead the OP.

Should mention I've lived in both Lancaster and Preston

I have to laugh at the comment about raincoats over suits.

It's the NW it rains a fair amount relative to the SE -sure it does in Edinburgh too!

Lived in Preston for over 20 years. Lived in Edinburgh for 1 year. Half a dozen other towns North and South beyond that,

Not many places compare with Edinburgh in truth. Beautiful architecture, Arthur's Seat, a seat of government, good shopping, wide range bars/restaurants, decent cultural options, Glasgow a short train away to expand on those, a handy airport, being able to get out along the coast to Berwick etc, progressive politics....you could go on.

Let's be honest. Preston is a very average North Western town/city and hence vastly cheaper. It's not the worst place to live by any means - good for getting up to the Lakes, pleasant surrounding countryside (Bowland, going into West Yorks etc); ok shopping centre, decent mainline train with good Manchester, Liverpool and London links, M6 close by, Booths(!).

If you're looking for family friendly architecturally forgetful suburbia, with decent schools, safe parks, a few local pubs/bars/eateries then somewhere like Penwortham may float your boat. It is bland but that's not always a bad thing - it's safe, friendly and easy to settle in. Places like Clitheroe, Croston, Lytham etc all mentioned are all rather different areas with pros and cons. Personally I like Clitheroe.

I think you need to look for yourself. I can't think of anything that would cause me to move there again, but many other people love it - who knows which camp you'll fall in.

Biggest weaknesses? Shopping centre OK for day to day but not the biggest so you need to head to Liverpool, Manchester or the Trafford Centre for more.
Away from the university/union itself and part of Friargate it doesn't feel like a university town - a lot of students are local which no doubt plays a part.
Vastly less diverse from a popular culture perspective, so if you're into a wider range of live music, theatre, comedy, literature events then expect to be travelling to Manchester or elsewhere a lot. Unsurprisingly a much more stable population than bigger cities such as Edinburgh and London which can subjectively be seen as a bad thing (insular, never been outside the town) or positive (stable, more chance to settle in communities). Unlike some places I've lived, I wouldn't say that Preston is unfriendly to 'outsiders', although I didn't stay long enough to form a view on Edinburgh for that.

Climbing: bits of bouldering within reach and I believe a decent newish (4 years ago?) indoor centre which I haven't visited.
Everywhere has running clubs nowadays don't they? Preston has a vibrant Park Run in Avenham park.

Preston may have everything that you want and need, be vastly cheaper, and come with the wished-for job change. I'd try and visit for long enough to see the centre and some of the surrounding suburbs and villages.

Pentagon there’s no such thing as a pizza express street in Preston. If you said that to my adult kids they’d think you were really odd.

Yesqueen York so right. It remind me of friends of friends who moved for work to a Spanish resort. Made out the place was a toilet but it wasn’t , they just stayed within the tourist area and thought the locals were beneath them.

I live in Lancaster and love it here, wake up on a weekend and so many choices within an hour or so- shopping in Manchester, walking across moorland, pretty little villages like Cartmel or a trip to lovely Ulverston- and most of them accessible by train :-) Also like Preston, great parks, the town centre can indeed be a bit grim but some excellent places to eat and drink nearby and the Harris Museum is good too. Lots going on and more lovely countryside around too. However, Edinburgh is pretty amazing...