To wonder if we are priced out off all nice areas

[Part1]

Or are there any nice and affordable areas? I grew up in a leafy part of Hampshire but ended up in east anglia due to relationships and work. DH and I bought a house and had children. This was all good until the dcs started school. There are a lot of parents with low aspirations, they stand outside of school smoking, swearing and drinking energy drinks. I am worried that my DCs will have no prospects here. I would love to relocate to a better area but we could never afford to live where I grew up. Any recommendations for nice but affordable towns?

Basingstoke is in Hampshire, right?

i am from one of the towns mentioned on the first page..

i drink energy drinks.. some times on the school run... i find people are less judgy of that then when i take the vodka bottle.

ALL towns. have a "rough" area. and a nicey part.

Wisbech? Come on, give us a clue.

its raccey ;)

Our part of North Dorset is lovely, with affordable properties, good schools (both primary and secondary). But everywhere has its poorer, run down areas - you can't avoid them and it would be wrong to think that you could move away to a better place because there probably isn't one.

Minty- even Basingstoke has some nice areas!

Oh I know, I have a certain wonky old fondness for Basingstoke! Ddad (rip) lived near Basingstoke for many years, in a couple of beautiful villages.

So, come on op, what is your budget and where would you like to live? Mumsnet is great at finding places.

What about Shrewsbury? Cheap rents, cheap to buy, reasonable schools, quite pleasant. Not much work though but really pretty.

Yes, I know that there are some lovely places in E Anglia but they are also the expensive places (Cambridge, Ely). We have no need to stay in E Anglia so I am open to any recommendations. Houses on our street are worth £130000, we couldn't get anywhere near this sized property in a decent town for that money. Not that I know of anyway.....

Thanks blanksquit. I am going to make a shortlist and plan some shortbreaks to thoseno aces on the list next year.

Diss and banham are very nice areas as I said and houses are generally around the £130-140k mark. Plenty for children, zoos, parks, countryside etc. The most crime we ever get is a duck being run over.

Fairylea, agree they are nice, I have visited both but they are too small and don't really appeal. We are a mixed race family so don't want to be somewhere with very few Asian or black people or somewhere too far away from a big city.

Hurricanes hardly ever happen :)