Margate, Whistable, Hastings, Other?

[moumoute]

Which town would be good for a creative european couple with a kid? Not too far from London. Thanks for your input Aibu team!

I used to live in St. Leonard's (Hastings) and never felt so isolated in my life. Fuck all in terms of major roads. No idea about trains though. I only lasted 3 months .
Margate is in parts lovely, in parts terrible. I live near Whitstable, Emperor's new clothes as far as I'm concerned, fishing town so tiny cramped properties and narrow pavements , very arty, a bit of a Notting hill vibe but less to do, tiny terraces in heritage area cost more than my mum's detached one town along. Most people rave about it though.

Kent is pretty UKIPpy so may not be the most welcoming. Although arseholes are everywhere of course. My experience of Kent people is that when they are being arseholes, they really take it to another level.

Broadstairs is very isolated, though. It's a loooooong way from anywhere that isn't Kent.

@MrsBertBibby that's quite rude even by mn standards.

Faversham is lovely and close to Canterbury for more things to do. Lots of local events and festivals in town and on the creek.

Hastings is creative, alternative, amazing! So many great events all year round like Jack in the Green, Pirate Day, Old Town Week - fun for people of all ages. Great local art and music scene. Getting more and more popular because of this (lots of people moving into the town which is causing house prices to rise). There's really something special about Hastings that only people who are from or have lived there can really understand! A certain magic! Lovely beaches, beautiful countryside surrounding, close to Brighton, easy access to London - honestly my favourite place on earth. If I move back to the UK it would be there in a heartbeat. I've lived all over the world and never found anywhere quite like it! During summertime especially, it's the best place in the world! Sorry for the gushing post - as you can tell I'm a huge fan!

I've spent 20 years doing family law in Surrey, Sussex, and Kent.

Pretty much all the most eye-poppingly poor behaviour has been in Kent. Plenty of poor behaviour elsewhere, but the Kent factor just seems to add an extra layer of wow.

Of course, plenty of perfectly decent folk everywhere.

Kent is pretty UKIPpy so may not be the most welcoming. Although arseholes are everywhere of course. My experience of Kent people is that when they are being arseholes, they really take it to another level.

Maybe it's just you?

As for the person who said St Leonard's is isolated, (the main road out of the area used to get very busy) this has been solved by a bypass, so easy to drive and regular trains.

Also seen people commenting about politics of other places - Hastings is really a lefty town (unfortunately when it comes to voting, Hastings has been bunched in with all the very wealthy Conservative villages in the surrounding areas, much to the absolute horror of most of the population).

Please feel free to PM me if you want any info about anything to do with Hastings - I know it like the back of my hand and can tell you anything you need to know

I live close to Hastings, so of the towns you mention that's the one I know best. It's fairly mixed, there are really nice areas and really crap areas - like many places. It does get inundated with weekend visitors in summer, and August is hell, but you could say the same for all of the places you've mentioned. I'd certainly keep it on your list.

I've visited Margate, it's still run down but it's had some investment.

I have been to Whitstable several times for short breaks in the past few years. I would think it'd be far more expensive than the other places because there are so many (down from Londons) who hike up the property prices. I like it a lot but not sure I'd live there. It really is traffic hell in summer. I stayed in Broadstairs last October and it's nice, but pretty, quiet out of season, fantastic beaches. If you visit Whitstable, try Broadstairs too.

Never been to Folkestone.

Bear in mind if you visit any of these places on a sunny summer weekend you will get a very skewed idea of what they are like to actually live in. Visit in November!

St Leonard’s (next to Hastings) is the more arty

Whitstable is lovely but Folkestone has an amazing art scene, harbour arm and great restaurants

Like all things it depends on your budget. If you have a sizeable budget then all parts of a town have a "naice" areas with lovely old houses and trendy coffe shops and "twiddly" shops.

What are you looking for? (bedrooms, garden etc) and how much have you got? or if renting what is your budget. That is more a determinant of where to live I think.

Brighton is great, but does have some grotty areas, if you have young children then you don't really want to live right at the seafront near the Palace Pier as it is party central and noisy all the time better to live a bit further out. Fiveways is a great area but expensive. Hanover (Muesli mountain) is quite arty , good community centre, small houses and a mix of families and some students but nearer the sea.

I’m not too far from Folkestone. Art scene (triennial is a big deal), Harbour Arm is lovely, lots of regeneration, good schools, easy drives to Ashford (outlet) and Canterbury (better shopping), literally where the Eurotunnel is and it’s 55min to London on the high speed train.

I live in coastal Kent. Please heed the advice to visit at different times of the year. Try to find parking in Whitstable on a sunny Saturday in August, or find the joy of Margate's seafront as a NE wind blasts in January.

I live in an area where there is one sea-facing street famous locally for properties being put on the market in winter which are snapped up by Londoners in spring to be put back on the market again as the weather bites.

Margate is being pushed as the next artsy/boho coastal town but it is confined to a couple of streets near the Turner contemporary. The rest has huge social problems, poverty and crime. Lots of people are living in slum conditions with unscrupulous landlords taking advantage of refugees and the people that the London boroughs are shipping out. I cannot overstate how bad it has become. Even people living in neighbouring towns aren't always aware of the scale of the problem.

Other than that it's lovely living here (and not at all UKIPy/Brexity/arseholy on my patch!)

I moved to outskirts of Brighton by the sea. 10 minutes by bus to Pier. It's a great place - there is always something arty happening and the vibe is cool. I suggest - Rottingdean or Saltdean next door where there is a newly refurbished Lido. This area has a huge community spirit and you are just down road from central Brighton.

Get on a train and go to Wiltshire or Dorset 😊

Folkestone is fab. The old High Street and all down to the Harbour Arm is lovely, main high street a bit of a dump.

But the coastal parts and parks are fab, food scene is brilliant. On HS1 so quick into London.

But fucking hell the casual racism is awful. Moved from a lovely pocket of SE London where the local FB group called out the very rare instances of racism loudly and quickly. And when there was Daily Heil criticism of a local hotel for taking in asylum seekers and claiming the community was terrorised by them there was a rally round and a massive amount of donated clothes, toys sanitary products etc was given. Contrast that with the Folkestone group where any time there is mention of anything found abandoned on the beach, or last week a lost dinghy, or sightings of military ships and it's all "Probably another 20 of those immigrants coming over. Hope they fell off and drowned" and people liking it.

But at the same time one cafe a few weeks ago was giving free drinks to anyone who turned up in a tshirt with a positive message. Owner publicised it with one saying "Immigrants make Britain great". So it's not a uniform view!

@SapatSea I suspect we might be neighbours. 👋

Tell your friends to make a list.

Do they like,

Eating out at places that are not chains

Going to the cinema

Listening to live music

Quirky shops

Being able to buy good food

Nice pubs

Good community spirit

Decent rail links

Ask them if they have looked at Faversham?

Not sure what branch of the arts you are most into but points in Folkestone's favour also are it's proximity to the community at Dungeness, many of whom exhibit in their own homes (some still in converted rail carriages) on the Dungeness estate, and the open air performances held at both Chilham Castle and Smallhythe Place.

Rye!

Stroud in the Cotswolds only 1.5 hours direct train. Half my sons class are from London and most parents still work there because the commute is so easy! Houses are cheap compared to London. Countryside on the doorstep and a bustling town centre with an award winning farmers market. It's a really Arty alternative town.
I couldn't live anywhere else!

Whitstable is the least grotty

Cotswold but is that 1 and a half hours door to door? Because if you've got additional travel at either end that's a hell of a schlep and a lot of time not spent with your family.

The problem with Whitstable and Rue and Broadstairs is that they are cute but dull. Margate, Ramsgate and Folkestone are on the brink of going up or going down. Much more going on. If you’re a young family you’d, I’d guess, rather be a part of something new and growing than something static.
As I always say to people asking about moving to Kent- beware the 11+!