To ask if you live in Belfast, do you like it?

[BeagBoo]

I'm from there but haven't lived there since a teenager. I've lived in London for my entire adult life but we will never be able to buy here, and we're just surviving really. Me and DH have been thinking of moving home with our DS (1). But I can't imagine living there. I hated growing up there and worry about raising a kid there.

But all my family live there and that would be nice, to be near them. I just struggle to visualise myself there. If you live there and like it, why? Thanks in advance.

(And will reply more fully tomorrow with areas, our jobs-my job is very niche-and reservations)

I'm originally from England but have been living in NI for 8 years. 2 years in Belfast but since then in south down. I work in Belfast though. It took me a while to settle but now I love it.

I lived in south Belfast, just off the Lisburn road, which is great- all the cafes, parks and boutiques you could wish for. The countryside is beautiful and everywhere is in easy reach.

House prices are very affordable - we have a detached 4 bed house for just over a third of the price of my cousins flat in Brighton.

It's a slower pace of life here, it's great for bringing up kids and schools are generally very good.

Downsides - lower wages to match lower cost of living. Politics SO FRUSTRATING. Attitudes can be very conservative in some quarters. Jobs hard to come by- a lot of competition for anything decent. My husband had to take a significant pay cut when we moved.

I have never had any bother over my accent/being English in all the time I've lived here, and I'm a nurse so I meet a LOT of people

I'm NI born and bred, and lived in Belfast when I was at Queen's. Then I moved to London, and now I'm even further away and only go back to NI to visit the folks. NI is beautiful, and if I had to live there Belfast is the only place I'd consider. But to be honest, the sectarianism, the politics and the shit weather are still there, and even though Belfast is a hell of a lot nicer than it used to be, I personally wouldn't live there for all the tea in China.

I'm English. Belfast is my favourite place in the world (went to uni there but sadly left after). It breaks my heart to think I'll never live there again. If dh would (he won't I've asked enough times) I would be back there in an instant. Good luck and I'm

The politics depress me. When I was pregnant with DS, we had a scare that might have lead to a termination (didn't thankfully). I realised if I was NI I wouldn't have had a choice. I have loads of friends there who are all lefty sods like me and my family too, so I sometimes forget just how backwards the politics are. Then I go home and my sister gets her head kicked in and I remember.

I also have a very niche job (digital stuff- not development) which is London centric and Belfast is awful for jobs. I feel like I'd be torching my career moving. We could try a different UK city but we don't want to be lonely really.

I'm from the South, but have lived in NI for twenty years. I live in East Belfast near Stormont.
I have seen 1 case of sectarianism in twenty years. My DH is from London, he has been here longer than me and loves it.
Our area is lovely. People are lovely. We have the best neighbours on the world! Everything is within easy reach. City centre 10 mins, beach 10 mins, airport 10 mins, M&S 10 mins walk. Loads for the kids to do. Good schools. The hospitals are good too.
Downsides are lack of 'big business', I know a few people who have relocated from London, but now have to commute as no big jobs here, too much religion, lack of really good quality restaurants/cafes, although the food is definitely improving.
Where abouts are your family from OP? What area would you think of moving too?

You are asking a question that is unreasonable! You know that DUP supporters are programmed to say 'no' to everything in honour of the late Ian Paisley. Except at their wedding!

A1, my family are from West Belfast (as am I!), but I wouldn't want to live there. Have been looking around the Ormeau and Lisburn Road.

I always find the food to be a highlight when I go home! Steakettes! And places like Bob Stewart's in Lambeg.

Lovely houses around lambeg/dunmurray. Finaghy rd south. Top of malone rd etc

Have you checked out jobs? There are some usa companies now established in town and constantly recruiting as they expand

Yep, have been looking for jobs and so far nothing!

BearBareBum, I'm from P ortavogie originally and my family is still there

I live in NI not far from Belfast and have never known anyone to be beaten up for their religion, that was extremely unfortunate for your sister I can't imagine how distressing that would be. Religion is an excuse for bad people to be...well, bad. Im pretty sure there are probably more people stabbed, beaten up, shot, murdered etc in one day in London than there is in a year over here, so if you are a neutral person living in a neutral part of Belfast or NI in general, then I reckon you'll be fine.

Any city in the world has risk, its what happens when a large part of the population live in close quarters.

Have you considered outside of the city? Newtownabbey, carrickfergus, mallusk etc are all pretty reasonable house price wise and close to the city by train or bus, plus as pp have said you're never too far from somewhere beautiful.

As for the weather, tbh I never understood why people go on about it, my aunt lives in the north of England and I think it rains more with her. Maybe I'm just accustomed to it but generally when it rains we put on raincoats and head out with the kids.

NI may seem backwards politics wise but some old school things still exist here, like someone chatting to you at the bus stop, saying hello to people when you walk past them on the street, I once had a total stranger and fellow mum help feed my toddler and entertain her while I tried to breastfeed my 3 wk old screaming ds in the marksies café.
Old fashioned politics may be a bad thing, but old fashioned courtesy and way of life aren't necessarily a negative for our wee country.

BeagBoo have you checked out recruitment agencies? We have a couple of old school ones that i've had v positive experiences with (others to avoid lol). Check out kennedy as a starting point

Oh lots of people from Newtownabbey [waves] . I love Belfast , I spent 4 years away for university and was so glad to come back home. I love that nowhere is too far from the sea or somewhere green.

I think you have a risk of running into trouble in any city. It's a matter of knowing what areas, from both sides, to stay away from. There are still bigots, but, thankfully, my boys haven't let religion dictate what friends they have and this generation are more open minded regarding religion, politics, race, sexuality, etc.

Fucking hate the archaic abortion laws! Gareth the fact, the religious bigots use their god and beliefs to dictate women's lack off rights.

hate the fact...
I have no idea who Gareth is and why he's dictating the abortion laws!

We live in dunmurry area, bit of a culture shock for me was used to the bizy South Belfast cafe culture. But good bus route trains back into city centre, great schools , great arts scene (I work in the arts) and if more of us took the time to vote even the politics might change!? I'd say yes! Come on over! Hello to fellow posters in Dunmurry area! I'm the crazy dog lady with the White staffie 😀

Grew up in Belfast and am insanely jealous of how cool the place is now - good restaurants, things to do, cheap public transport, the gender vibe. But I could never go back - it's the most pass remarking place ever, everyone wants to know everyone's business and I found itt very much about conforming to the right set of things. Not to mention the politics and total lack of jobs for me.

I would like to say regarding politics, there will be subsections of Belfast or other towns that you know will most likely have certain views so you can avoid living there. Portadown/Craigavon for example I would avoid like the plague. Any small towns such as Bangor, Millisle, Portavogie etc I wouldn't live in either. I went to primary school in Bangor and was horrified to see FB posts of ex classmates; lots of sectarianism. Sending me to Belfast for secondary was the best move my parents made, I was able to spend time with classmates from all over the world as well as a catholic/protestant pupils. It was a tad disappointing to realize that catholics are normal people too, from my primary experience there were certainly "Proud to be a prod" undertones and catholics only existed in the Falls and were distinguishable by certain characteristics

I live in East (near Stormont) but if money was no object I would move to Malone or Stranmillis. I have been in my house for 5+ years and have barely exchanged more than pleasantries with the neighbours. We are a mixed ethnic minority family but I'm not sure if it is because of that, we are renters rather than H/O's or people just aren't overly neighbourly. However that doesn't bother me. as long as it is a safe, quiet area which it certainly is. I wouldn't even walk in the streets of most of North Belfast, and although the adults in the West are extremely friendly we have had quite a bit of bother from kids there (used to shop in Lidl/Kennedy Centre) so wouldn't want to live there either.

I have only come across 2 people in my life that have strong right wing political views. If you stick to mixed areas rather than polarized catholic/protestant ones then you will be fine.

In one of my pregnancies I had the opportunity to terminate if I wanted as there was a serious genetic syndrome. I know quite a few people who have had TFMR here in NI so it is possible for medical reasons (although on here posters have said it is not possible, so I really don't know how that works) I find the majority of people are pro choice and pro gay marriage. The same 5 or so people who picket the Marie Stopes clinic everyday were doing the same outside the Family planning Clinic that was in North Street for years I would safely assume that they are not representative of the majority of people from Belfast.

Health care wise we are very fortunate. I know quite a few people who have moved here from London and other major cities in UK who report that getting a GP appointment is much easier here, as is a hospital referral (in terms of time) They are all pleasantly surprised by how friendly people here are too.

i would rather live in literally every other city in the uk than belfast

if i had a job in belfast i would fly in everyday with ryanair or whoever to avoid living there

Northern Ireland as a whole is a gorgeous place to live, though.

Low cost of living.
Less pressure on many amenities.
Huge number of excellent schools.
Apart from sectarian areas, there is much, much less crime.
Conservative values - not for everyone but nice for some.
People are very friendly (outside Belfast).
Lower housing prices - your money goes a lot further.
Many areas of astounding natural beauty.

Lalaloopsyscaresme
"so if you are a neutral person living in a neutral part of Belfast or NI in general, then I reckon you'll be fine."

Define "neutral". Not having the "wrong" accent, the "wrong" religion or the "wrong" name?

Marching season's coming up soon, I've heard that's good fun.