...to not have a clue where to live in Yorkshire

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We (me, DH, DS (14), DD (9) may be moving to Yorkshire in the next few months. DH's job will be to the east of Leeds. We have a budget of around £270-300,000 for a 4/5 bedroom house, which seems to be doable in the local area but... where in the lcoal area?

DH has put a pin in a map and suggested Selby. He doesn't want to live in Leeds (long story, but he doesn't love cities) and has found a few new developments around the town. I know nothing about Selby (we're currently in the Midlands). Please tell me about Selby! Anyone live there? Suitable for a teenager? For me?

Please help?

PavlovaFaith, thanks for your suggestions. I'm Googling all those places as you're writing.!
What about things/clubs for the kids? Selby High seems very highly rated. Where are the good primaries?
(And thanks everyone else - this would all take me a million years on Right Move to find!)

Crossgates, Colton, Garforth, Woodlesford, Oulton, Rothwell, Methley are all nice towns in East Leeds where you’d get a really good house within your budget. They all have shops, cafes, bars, parks etc. And some have train stations so you can easily get into Leeds.

Have a look at York then op. Convenience of living in a bigger town but not city like if you stick to the suburbs.

Selby sounds ok for what you want I think! Honestly one day people will realise it's handy for York and has a decent train into Leeds and it'll have a boom, it's got a pretty town centre around the abbey and could be really nice with a few decent shops - those that Pavlova mentioned sound new to me so that might already be happening.

Your budget will go much further than all the naice places been mentioned, harrogate, wetherby etc. I'd give selby a visit definitely.

I think you need to visit to make your own mind up OP. There are some very snobby people on here who will only live in the absolute prime areas and write off everywhere else as 'a dump' without actually knowing what a particular area is like.

Pavlova makes the Selby area sound really nice and I like the sound of the regular late night bus service to York. I live in a village west of Leeds and we have only one bus an hour to Leeds and the last bus is at 11 pm, and it makes it really limiting for a night out.

You might also want to look in the Tadcaster area too.

Personally I would look to the west of A1 if I was thinking of the kids - I'd aim closer to Leeds.
I think Garforth itself is a great choice or even Crossgates
Train stations (2 in Garforth). A decent high street in both for cafes/shops and you get a lot for your money. Big shopping precinct just opened close by in Colton where there is an odeon, Nando's and the like.
North of Leeds is more choice with the likes of horsforth, yeadon, guiseley but these are further from the city centre.

If we're talking about Pontecarlo and Casvegas, don't forget Doncatraz, (where the wrong uns of Yorkshire get sent).

TBF it's over 6 years ago since I was last in Selby, so PavlovaFaith review would definitely have me checking it out again.

Brayton Barf was on places for walks, picnics, tree climbing, and tall tree swings, and was good for sledding too.

When we lived in the area it seemed to be 10-15 years behind the times, with lots of locals(as in generations upon generations) not liking 'outsiders'. But it was changing even then.

I Think you and DH should still visit Selby and not write it off until you've seen it and got a vibe for the place.

The areas around Pontefract and Selby have changed massively in the past 10 years. Lots of new housing (cheap for wider area) had led to a change in the demographic. Good transport option generally- especially of driving. Botton end of Leeds/Wakefield border Carlton, Rothwell,Outlton etc have also all improved.

Selby used to be called the scrotum of the county (look on a map of North Yorkshire)

Our family is a bit young to help you there OP. I have my DD in a pre-school in Riccall but we don't live there so I'm keeping my fingers crossed to get her into the school. Our catchment high school is Barlby. If you want outstanding though the primary school is Escrick and then everyone wants Fulford for secondary (york). You need Escrick address for that but £300k won't buy you a lot. Riccall has an excellent park with skate ramps for teens and gym equipment. If your teen DC goes into selby on the bus there's Summit in selby which is a huge hit for teens. There's abseiling, huge indoor skate park, bowling alley and aerial trekking (whatever it's called). Next door is the selby gym and there are football pitches behind with pay and play leagues.

@TheRebelAlliance haha. I prefer to see it as the stem of the mushroom!

@MoobaaMoobaa I come back to this point every time. The people of Selby don't see it as being a good place to live. They've been indoctrinated with that attitude since birth. I always argue that I chose it as my local town from living somewhere where £500k would buy you a shoebox.

It's the people that make a place. Hopefully as all the Yorkies continue their invasion, the nay-sayers will be wiped out!

Tadcaster is nice enough too, the Grammar School there is decent too. Two of my cousins went there. Having said that, Garforth Community College gets great Ofsted reports, a couple of my cousins children go there and love it.

Garforth itself is nice too, and ideal for M1, A1, M62 and of course has 2x train stations on the main line from Leeds-York/Hull.

PavlovaFaith I not from there either. DH and moved near by. It was a shock to the system back then, As it was not like the town's we knew and live in previously, it was very very run down at the time.

But if it's been dragged kicking and screaming into this century, then it's all good

Selby's fine. I grew up there and survived!! It's a bit rough and ready in places but I imagine that east garforth is too. Have a look at Hambleton and Brayton they're all nice villages the right side for your commute. Also Google Selby Abbey wedding. ...a huge Taiwanese pop star got married there a few years back, it was gorgeous and there are still a steady stream of visitors coming to check it out

I work in Leeds and we commute from Ripon. It is a lovely city (it is not like a city at all you can walk across the whole of it in 20 mins!!). Commute to central Leeds takes 50 mins and to York about 45 ish depending where you go. It has 2 high schools and is generally a bloody lovely place to live. I moved here from york because we couldnt afford to buy there. But I have loved every moment of being there. Don't go to harrogate if you can't abide traffic. It is horrific to get anywhere haha

Another one saying don't move west of Leeds. There's some nice villages to the south of Leeds, Mirfield, Holmfirth etc but I agree that Ilkley is nice as is Crosshills, Cowling, it depends how far you're willing to commute.

Weirdly, we have just done the opposite move - from Yorkshire down to the Midlands!

We lived in South Cave, which is a lovely little village close to Hull with very good access to motorways, but still very rural.

Depends how long a commute you are willing to entertain though; I'm guessing it would be around an hour from South Cave to Leeds.

OP if you hated not being able to do much as a teen and dont want that. Dont move to selby.

It's not as bad as it was. But there is very little for teens to do. My Sil lives that way with her 15 year old. Yes the train to leeds is, fairly, good. But the buses arent not and lots of things like bowling or cinema can be a trek with parents driving you. Even getting into selby from the close by village can be a pain.

I second methley, rothwell, gatforth. Plenty in very close proximity to do and easy access by bus or train to Leeds or wakefield or Sheffield. Great for non driving teens.

Loads for teens to do.

I'd look at Colton, whitkirk ls15 sort of area to be close to oh work and get something nice for your budget or stick to Garforth? It's classed as very nice area to live in with lots of great schools.

QuestionableMouse I don't think a £250-300,000 budget will get OP a four or five bedroom house anywhere near York or the suburbs. Not a decent, livable house anyway (my DD's is valued at £250,000. It's a two bed terrace on Fishergate).

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71779363.html

There are a few like that on Rightmove.

Are people seriously suggesting Ilkley and skipton?

The commute would probably be quicker from the midlands!!

New development in Hambledon / Thorpe Willerby and a new development in Sherburn.
Personally I think I would go for Sherburn as the school is rated much higher than Selby High. Sherburn’s had a relatively new head in and I hear good things have happened over the last 5 years. Selby High is hard to get into (bizarrely given its reputation!).
And to the list of good things about Selby I would add Le Raj, a very good curry!!

@MoobaaMoobaa yes there's definitely run down areas still. But it's a work in progress.