Talk to me about Harrogate, Yorkshire - is it a nice place to live?

[LarkinSky]

We’re returning to the UK next July after 13 years living overseas - me, DH, and our two DDs (6 and 10).

We’re looking at Harrogate. We did a recce this summer and it looks gorgeous, even in the rain , schools and all. But I don’t know anybody from there and would love to hear honest views about it.

We both have portable careers and can remote work for the international organisations we’re employed by, so we can choose anywhere, pretty much. Our family are in the north-west and midlands.

We’re coming back to put down roots for our kids, who are British in name but never lived in the UK. DH and I both from the north although spent several years in London.

Any advice, thoughts, insight into Harrogate gratefully received!

I live in Ilkley have done for 20 odd years and am in my early 40s with 2 DCs at primary. We love it.

Lots to get involved with if you want to. Plenty for the kids to do.

There is crime, mainly cars being stolen and burglaries but I think that's the same for most places.

Honestly no. I moved here 15 years ago and wouldn't live here now.

Traffic
No real community
Actually very little to do unless you want to eat /drink/shop (but nothing you would want to buy). Has more bars/pubs/restaurants per head of the population than anywhere in the UK. They churn constantly as they can't make any money.
Vast amount of anti-social behaviour linked to binge drinking. Really as bad as York now. Hen dos, stags, groups up from South Yorkshire who start the Saturday in Harrogate and move to Leeds for nightclubs.
Lots of arrogant ex Londoners.
Housing is expensive. Lots of new houses being built in a town that really cant cope with any more.

Positives
Great transport links for North Yorkshire
There are lots of places to eat and drink!
Schools

To get into HGS you need to live in a very specific area (or rural passport). It is selection by postcode- upwards of £400,000 for a largish terrace without garden at a guess. The selection process was declared illegal a few years ago and so the catchment has widened in town - not sure exactly how far children got in from this year. Our road used to be the last always in the catchment and it is under a mile away- with a big park in between (ie not many houses) . Lots of new housing going in nearby which will change the catchment I think- so no guarantees.

so HGS admission was 1.24 (Town) & 2.69 (Town Sib) 5.98 (Rural) & 7.65 (Rural Sib) in 2018, which sounds massive 1.24 miles from the door but when you sketch it out it isn't.

Actually very little to do unless you want to eat /drink/shop (but nothing you would want to buy). I don’t really understand this. Surely there’s as much to do, and more, in Harrogate as any other large town. Cinema, theatre, art, music, horse riding, cycling, outdoor pursuits in general- it depends what you’re in to.

I don’t really understand this. Surely there’s as much to do, and more, in Harrogate as any other large town. Cinema, theatre, art, music, horse riding, cycling, outdoor pursuits in general- it depends what you’re in to.

2 cinemas- for years there was only 1 which was the most expensive odeon in the country and really awful. Now there is an Everyman- expensive but nice.

Theatre- yes and no. There are theatres, what is on is very variable

No museums, no art galleries, no real child activities (they open but close quickly). Many amenities have been closed so that the land can be built on.

It is a large town- I can honestly say in 15 years the only horse I have seen was a police horse- once -during an event.

It does have a lot of parks. You get the road closures for the race for life each year (and hour to get off your drive anyone?)

There are events but they are large national events- not local events.

Hard to describe if you have never lived in a place that does have a real community culture- Harrogate doesn't. There are few community events- we moved from a tiny village which really had more going on. Tends to revolve around schools (and churches- everyone with children in Harrogate is very very very religious- until Year 7)

that’s good to hear about the schools - one will be going into year 7, and we’re looking at Harrogate Grammar School

Be warned- it isn’t as simple as “choosing” a school.

When will you apply? If you aren’t in the UK for year 6 admissions process, places are allocated in april ish and if it’s oversubscribed you will not get a place.

Eta: i’ve just had a quick check of admissions policy and those living outside the harrogate area are at the bottom of the list. So you’d really need to be living in Harrogate at the time of application in year 6.

If there is no space and you don’t apply at the correct time the council will offer you any school with a free place. If you turn it down they have no further obligation to offer another school.

I think that the social aspect is so variable that it's pretty much impossible to really tell. If you have kids a lot of your social life inevitably ends up tied in with theirs. And especially so if you are moving to an area - the people you meet most at first are going to be other parents.

I live in a nice area of Leeds and think it has a community feel, but then I've read other posts on here saying that it is insular/cliquey.

Actually very little to do unless you want to eat /drink/shop (but nothing you would want to buy
I totally agree with this^

The traffic is a major issue too.

If your dh would prefer to be rural then Harrogate will not be for him. I grew up in the countryside and find Harrogate stifling.

Ah , the Odeon. I know that well. At least it has a cinema, now two of them. There are art galleries. I went to the Mercer last time I was there- 19th and 20th century art - small admittedly, but it’s a town not a city. Horse riding will be done at local stables. Kids will have lessons. There are theatres but also theatrical groups , where you can do your am dram, if that’s your thing - like any other large town. There’s stuff going on at Harlow Carr too. The religious thing for the secondary schools is a thing, though, for St Aidan’s and St John Fisher’s in Harrogate.

I grew up in Harrogate, from the age your old child will be through to leaving for uni. It was back in the 90s but it was an amazing place to be a teenager then. It’s a safe town so we had a lot of freedom to go out. Much much better to be in town than in a small village so your children have the independence to walk into town to meet friends, walk to school etc. I went to the Grammar and it was, and I’m sure still is, a good school. Good luck to you.

There are theatres but also theatrical groups , where you can do your am dram, if that’s your thing - like any other large town.

The 3 theatres are council run- they have a financial crisis to run them and so they have been massively scaled back in the past 12 years. They made 120 staff redundant in 1 go at 1 point. The offer is much weaker than it was. The Panto is good! The Royal Hall is losing money hand over fist and so they are putting more on there but it isn't a suitable venue for many of the things programmed.

Yes- of course there are country activities around. So if you want this live in the countryside where it is cheaper.

I was being sarcastic about the religion. It is a faith dominated school admission system.

If it helps, I went to King James’s -comprehensive - in Knaresborough, which was outstanding in my day.

It’s a safe town so we had a lot of freedom to go out.

Recent teenage stabbing/s
Lots of very drunk teens (well under 16) in town.
Open drug taking and people bombed on spice in the parks
Urination in the street (we play the the many penis's will we see when we walk the dog game)
3 women assaulted a couple of weeks ago.
Criminal damage to cars at least 4 times so far on our road this year.

Is it safer than lots of places- yes
Is it a very different place from 15 years ago- massively.

People have a very dated view. It has really declined in the past 3-5 years. I do wonder if it is linked to the police moving out.

When I grew up there it did have 2 cinemas the Odeon and the ABC which was opposite the main Post office.

Yes, quite right, Pannalash, there was the ABC as well.
Blooming, you may be right that it has declined over the past few years but so have lots of places. And Harrogate has its rough areas, like other places too. Personally, though, I would never want to live in a village with teens.

I think the whole of the uk is very different to 15 years ago and of course Harrogate is not immune. I wonder why you stay as you seem to hate it so much. I also wonder where you spend your time because I don’t recognise the town you describe.

A PP mentioned Skipton - grammar there too and the OP didn't want 11+ - two single sex selective schools.
The secondary academy is the only other secondary in Skipton and struggles.

There can be, subject to places, the option to travel out of Skipton - Upper Wharfedale is a fantastic recently outstanding, small (400 ish pupils) secondary school. Great ethos, supportive of MH and SEN, great head.

Think about the beautiful village of Ripley, just outside of Harrogate. It’s within the harrogate area, it has the main 36 bus route going through it (so buses every 20 minutes, sometimes more often), a lovely village school for younger child and the Bilton cycle way starts/ends there. It also has a castle and fabulous pub and butcher and some great walks right on your doorstep.

Harrogate is a very safe place to live, as with anywhere, it depends where you live and who you mix with. Traffic isn’t a problem if you’re working from home and if you do end up commuting just leave ten minutes earlier/later than rush hour. It really isn’t a problem.

Oh and don’t go for Ripon, too many sink holes and houses collapsing into them.

I wonder why you stay as you seem to hate it so much. I also wonder where you spend your time because I don’t recognise the town you describe.

I don't hate it.
I just wouldn't move here again with hindsight. £50,000 to move

People who don't live here have very rose tinted spectacles- they come for the weekend and think- oh this is a place outside London that I could live.

Do you live in town?

I know the areas around Leeds, Harrogate and York pretty well, and it sounds like Ilkley or Skipton would be closer to what you're after. Being on the edge of either of those would give your DH the countryside feel he's looking for.

Yes I’ve lived here for 30+ years, dh born here, both dc went to HGS, live well within it’s catchment. It went into decline in the 90s when ICI left, major employer but it recovered. The whole country is suffering right now. At least one stabbing was drugs related but person responsible was from Leeds I understand. The attacks on women happened between 2&4am, not in broad daylight. I’ve never seen a free range penis, the advantage of having cats not dogs maybe.

I think we are very protected here from the real world, it’s like living in a bubble. Where out dc went to university was definitely a shock to the system and not too far away.

Your children will thank you for living in a place with more amenities when they are teenagers. I would go somewhere easy distance from the east coast mainline. York, Durham and Newcastle all great.

But the OP doesn’t want a city, even a small one, so York, Durham and Newcastle are all out.