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!

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

Of course not all of Ripon as no one would be able to live there...no schools standing ...

With regards to drug taking, yes there is a problem as there is in every single town in the UK. But I really don't recognise the image of people on spice in parks. I've never ever seen that (but have often in Leeds, Manchester etc).

For a more factual picture there has been a recent survey of drug related crime showing that throughout the UK it has gone down in cities and large towns and increased in the rural areas and small villages thanks to county lines.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48343369

I'd pick York over Harrogate. Dead easy to get to London by train.

York and Durham are Cathedral Cities, so I wouldn't class them in the same pot as Newcastle!

Ilkley is nicer

Thank you for these latest posts - again, all valuable and helpful, including all the suggestions and directions, it does help guide and get closer to an objective POV. We did indeed have a great feeling for the place when we visited for a recce - several days we pounded the pavements, walked miles and talked to locals as much as possible.

We did visit Ilkley and while it’s a gorgeous valley setting it felt much quieter for teens.

Hard to be sure if it’s the perfect place for us to settle down, but it seems people stay there for quite a long time, and children who grew up there return later in life?

Durham is about as rural as a city can get. I don't think there's a single part of it more than 20 minutes walk from countryside.

Just moved here from Bristol for quality of life, DH got a good job in nearby town (big engineering firm).
So far I love how well kept it is (was a bit 'over' Bristol "street art" (the graffiti, not the actual art) and city living. Everyone has been extremely friendly.
People here do say, though, not to tell people from elsewhere how nice it is in case all move here and 'spoil it'.
Today it took us 20 mins to go to one of the many many family days out on our list. In Bristol it took us 45mins+ to get somewhere similar.
Also having lived there Harrogate traffic is nothing! (We don't travel 'with' the traffic in rush hour though).
I haven't met any snobs - but then I do make a distinction between people who like to look smart and value courtesy etc and those who think they are better than others based on money. The latter is what I would consider a snob.

I already knew the town before moving here and like it so much more now I live here. It seemed a bit shallow before.

Everywhere has drawbacks, so far for us it seems these might feature:
Can be a bit of a bubble; some people say everything is here wh leave?! We like nights out in Leeds, go to other towns and cities for work and enjoy days out with DC, so that's not us.
It is changing but a lot of that change is growth. So it will probably become more diverse and busier. This is a bit of a +/- like anything, but if you're wondering if it's too parochial this will likely change dramatically over the next 10 years

Anyway the long and short of it is 'yes, move here and you can be our friends, we are not backwards snobby yokels'!

Harrogate has always had a drugs problem, or at least it did 40 years ago. It didn't stop people living their normal lives. A couple of pubs to stay out of a night and a few roads not to go down after dark and all was fine.

I think I find it hard to compare it now as to what it used to be. We looked at moving back but the feel had, for me, gone and I'd rather keep the memories, even of the back then grotty bus station and the lower floor market place (good chips in the caf though!).

OP I hope you and your family enjoy living there. I went to the HGS, and the Art College (is that still there?) and lived both in town-ish (by the Stray) and in close-by villages. Good memories.

Was there yesterday. Gosh it’s hilly!
The queues for Betty’s are ridiculous
There’s loads of lovely tea rooms and restaurants
Still prefer york

LarkinSky...I know it's been a few years, but I wondered where you ended up settling, as we have very similar criteria and are moving back after 28 years in the US. Are you happy where you are?