Bradford

[Lisanoonan]

What is Bradford like? I'm starting a new job in Leeds next month. I'll be renting in Leeds for a while.

But I was looking at property prices, to buy in the future.

I see that there are some nice and affordable apartments in Bradford. Which is not far from Leeds

Does anyone know much about the place? What's it like? Thanks!

Selby is an odd place, nothing feels cosy or welcoming

There's not a huge problem with street gangs though which Leeds and Huddersfield have issues with.

Lived here over 20 years and never come across "street gangs"

Huddersfield is really friendly every time I've been there, and some of the properties are awesome , really beautiful on the road into town ( not sure of the street name) and when I left my phone at till when paying in a shop, someone chased after me to return it

I think it is true that threads about Bradford brings out the worst in some people who have never lived in the City. Hands-up I was born in Bradford and now live elsewhere - work took me elsewhere. It makes me cross when people talk about 'gangs", suggest the place is 'shit'..drop in comments about 'the crisp factory' to make a reasonable suburb sound much worse.. don't buy a house in Bradford, not because it is a bad place to live but because of the commute to Leeds.

Oh come on, that's not fair. I've been to Bradford and I couldn't remember the name of Seabrooks. And I only mentioned it because someone asked where my ex lived.
It might well have been good to you, but even people I know who lived there didn't like it.

I grew up (beyond the age of 5) in a tiny little mill town in Lancashire. I'm Irish. I'm not going to name it, because I give quite a bit away under this username so I fudge a few things here and there. But I'd never recommend anyone went to live there. It was bleak - we moved to Shropshire when I was 11 and my God, my world was so much happier.

I'm working class as they come. It's not a case of being snooty or anything. I just don't reckon it's a nice place for someone; it's hugely a big drug culture and going out of a night isn't safe. When did you last live there?

Also, I didn't mean to offend you at all. I'm sorry if I have.

Maybe you don't live in the areas that they're based in as they do exist.

Definitely have a look round the centre. It's grim and lovely in equal measure. If you like good food Pizza Pieces and Falafel and Juice are excellent for lunch. Little Germany is beautiful.
If you want time outdoors, we are spoilt for choice. Baildon Moor, Shipley Glen, Heaton woods, Northcliffe, Hirst Wood etc. I live near Hirst Wood and it's the friendliest, most beautiful place I've ever lived. And I've been around.

Well first you would have to define "street gang" I suppose. Its a very dramatic term you use
I am sure there is organised crime here but it has never so much as inconvenienced me so for the vast majority of people its not a problem at all.
Its certainly not a reason to avoid living here

Yep that area is grim, and that's my point, you're saying all of bradford is awful when you are talking about one place in a bigger city.

I came to say pretty much this.

I still really like Birkenhead! It's a lovely place for a walk.

I think it's sad when a whole town gets designated as "good" and "bad".

It's a bit silly .

People are always moving in and out of towns . So the population doesn't stay the same anyway.

With good and bad areas, what stops me moving there is not that it's a bad area,

it's that people would pressure me and look down on me for living there. It's societal pressure!

Do you mean Birkenshaw? I’ve not heard of a Birkenhead in Bradford (but could be just me!)

No I mean Birkenhead, near Liverpool.

Me and another poster were talking about Birkenhead on here earlier, as an example of how a whole town can get a bad name

I used to live in Bradford city centre and I also worked there (ten years apart) and it was awful. Regular street harassment, I was sexually assaulted and a man exposed his penis to me. People openly take drugs and gangs of men hang around the centre. Avoid, avoid, avoid. I would not walk alone there as a woman, even in the daytime.

There is a reason the house prices are much cheaper in Bradford than Leeds.

North Leeds is very expensive, yet strangely not on a train line or have very good bus services (I live here and wish I stayed in west Leeds!) so the only real way to commute into the city is to drive (especially if you have children in school etc)

Ahh sorry! I thought you were telling us which area of Bradford you were looking at.

Just to give a balanced viewpoint to the realities of living in Bradford - this morning I walked (alone) from Lidget Green to the city centre for a meeting, I then walked back up to Great Horton, via Horton Park, probably around 3.5 miles, a walk I do several times a week. I've named locations as people who are familiar with Bradford will know that these areas are often labelled as not particularly nice places. However, I didn't experience or witness any anti-social or criminal behaviour, see any gangs or people taking drugs - just ordinary people going about their normal lives - people going to work, students going to the uni, parents taking children to school, people waiting for buses, going shopping. I didn't feel unsafe or in danger at any point.
There are some bad areas of Bradford (just as there are in any major UK city) where there are high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour but for the most part it's just a place where good people live and work and bring up their families.

I'm amazed more people haven't reported this comment . Wow utterly horrendous thing to say

I wouldn’t live in Bradford and commute to Leeds. Transport links are so good around Leeds you can live a way out and get in very quickly.

Look at Guiseley- only about 15 mins on the train to Leeds but cheaper than Ilkley.

Or Horsforth or Headingly.

I wouldn't live in Bradford. Here is a rail map to give you an idea of places you can live and rail links in to Leeds. Driving into Leeds is not the easiest and is obviously very expensive to park for the day.

https://www.wymetro.com/media/2244/wypte-rail-map-web.pdf

Bradford really doesn’t have much to offer. Leeds is buzzing and so much on offer. Plenty to do in the town centre, loads of really good restaurants, concerts, music etc etc
depends on your budget for housing, are you buying or renting long term? Perhaps that can help suggestions of wheee to live. Also, Manchester is not that far from Leeds (depending on which part of Leeds you could only be 5 mins from motorway) and plenty of trains running.

You're being silly to let "societal pressure" influence where you live. Live where you want and what works for you.

Easy to say . Its not just societal presure. They completley exclude people.

I saw people in Liverpool that refused to even speak to people, if they were from Birkenhead.

There is a huge amount of snobbishness in the UK.

That's a long standing joke, I will say. Scousers call them Wools, but they don't actually hate them. They make out they do, but it's a whole "thing". They do think it's scruffy over there, but there's no real actual hate (aside from a few nutjobs who actually care about bin colour!).

Anything is easy to say. Anyone who didn't want to talk to me because of where I lived would be no loss to me.

edited for typo