A lot of areas have been mentioned on this thread. I grew up in a Kent village near Folkestone/Hythe and have lived or worked in London, Hythe, Sandgate, Folkestone, Ashford, Whistable, Herne Bay and Deal. I now live in Canterbury since I need to be nearer to my mother, but I currently work in Folkestone and also rented there at one time. Disclaimer: I have not lived or worked in Broadstairs or Margate.
Take my views with a pinch of salt because everyone tends to say the town where they live is utterly fabulous and deny any issues, whilst apparently everywhere else is grim!
If you are interested in grammar schools, there is more pressure/competition for places the further west in the county you are. East Kent coastal towns (Deal, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Margate, Dover, Folkestone) are the most isolated towns in Kent, and get significantly less applications from people who do not get into the local grammar school in their own town.
Deal – Nice town, by the sea, pebble beach. Schools vary. I found the commute is too long for a daily London commute.
Whistable – Good cafes, teashops, independent shops. Can be bleak in winter. Pebble beach. Daily commute to London is a bit of a slog at 1 hour 15 minutes. Some good schools. Doesn’t have any grammar schools in the town, which is problematic when the grammars are oversubscribed and places get decided on proximity to the actual school.
Herne Bay – Pebble beach. Can be bleak in winter. Schools vary. Less going on than a lot of other places. More pressure on grammar schools places than Thanet, Deal, Dover and Folkestone.
Broadstairs – Great beaches. Parking is a nightmare on sunny days and in the summer. Good places to eat. Some say it’s twee, but I like it and Morelli’s ice cream is fab.
Ashford – Large range of shops. Schools vary. I always had to stand on the high speed train to London (all the seats get taken before Ashford). Close to nice countryside but quite a drive to the sea. More pressure on grammar schools places than Thanet, Deal, Dover and Folkestone.
Hythe – Pebble beach, pretty, not on high speed train route. High street has no proper clothing shops (I don’t count the elderly unsexy nightie place as decent clothing), but you can get everything online these days so it’s not as important. Nice haberdashery shop. Sorry to say that there is quite a bit of small-mindedness. Some good schools. Doesn’t have any grammar schools in the town, which is problematic when the grammars are oversubscribed and places get decided on proximity to the actual school. My friend’s daughter didn’t get into Folkestone Girls Grammar after passing the 11 plus because she was 4 miles away – staggering really.
Sandgate – Pebble beach, pretty, by the sea, easy to get to Folkestone Leas Coastal Park from some parts of Sandgate. Has no primary or secondary schools. Some years it can be in a black hole for primary schools - too far for Seabrook Primary (which has a tiny intake) and too far for Sandgate Primary (which is actually located in Folkestone West End). No train station and can be a bit far (and very steep) to walk from Sandgate to the high speed train station in Folkestone.
Folkestone – People move here for the sea/beaches/Leas cliff top promenade, a selection of good schools (but some are not as good so watch catchments) and the high speed train. It used to be more gritty, but has improved hugely since 2009 and local billionaire Roger De Haan started pouring money into the town. Has two grammar schools. The Folkestone Leas Coastal Park/children’s playground is fab. Creative Quarter. Old High Street has good eateries/stalls, as does the Harbour Arm, however the Arm closes down completely in winter.
Canterbury – Great high street with shops and eateries. Good high speed train link. It’s a city so has the usual antisocial problems. Hard to live away from uni students – they are everywhere. Traffic is terrible! Overrun with tourists in the summer who are really annoying. However it’s a pretty city to see sights, history, etc. More pressure on grammar schools places than Thanet, Deal, Dover and Folkestone.
Kent villages (won’t say the two I have lived in because it is too outing) –Usually pretty, calm and quiet locations. Hard to avoid people as you will see the same people at school, brownies/scouts, in the village park and at village events (this is problematic when your children are school age as there is always a queen bee/school bully/busybody mum). Some people are very close-minded and there are a lot of busybodies in my experience. Locals can be very cliquey and disinterested in getting to know incomers. Grammar schools are in the main towns, which is problematic when grammar schools are oversubscribed and places get decided on proximity. Children usually travel by (slow) buses for secondary level, which really eats into their time for homework.
Margate –Nice beaches and some nice houses. Schools vary. Turner Contemporary Gallery is good (turnercontemporary.org/). It hasn’t improved as much as people originally hoped, but has definitely improved.
All these seaside towns can be windy at times in winter, but you don’t notice it after the first few months! All of the towns and villages listed above have a mix of social groups and a few social problems. Yes, there are also rougher areas in Deal, Hythe, Broadstairs, Sandgate, Herne Bay and Folkestone - anyone who denies this is telling fibs.
I haven’t seen a homeless person on the beach in Margate or any of these towns, although I often see campervans/motorhomes parked near the beaches. My children went to school with friends living in council/social housing – they were usually nice families on lower wages, e.g. supermarket workers, tradesmen, some not employed, even a trawler fisherman.
The only towns that are on the direct high speed train link and under an hour to London (if you need to commute) are Ashford, Folkestone and Canterbury (although latter is actually 1 hour 2 minutes if you are being pendantic). These towns are considered good investments due to the high speed train link bringing in a constant stream of London commuters relocating to Kent. The high speed trains get priority over the train tracks, so it is a very good and reliable service. Villages can stall with property prices if the sole village school falls in popularity – the Ofsted is not nearly as important as local knowledge.
You have asked specifically about Folkestone. The most affluent area is the West End – next to the seafront, walkable to the high speed train station (so can save on time, parking fees and hassles) and good schools. Much of the West End is/was owned by the Earl of Radnor Estate, but homes usually own their freehold, whilst having covenants to the Radnor Estate prohibiting houses being converted into businesses etc. A few apartment blocks in the West End have a private garden square, managed by the Earl of Radnor Estate.
Folkestone has some very good primary schools, although others are more average. There is also a boys grammar school and a girls grammar. However when the grammars are oversubscribed, places are allocated on distance, which is why people want to live as close to the grammars as possible. Some years are fine, but others years are much harder and I know children who unfortunately did not get a place even though they passed the test. The new secondary comprehensive is popular with parents. The west side of Folkestone is considered better than the East Cliff for schools.
Unlike some Kent coastal towns, Folkestone has plenty of jobs due to the Saga Group Headquarters (over 50s insurance and travel) and because it is home to Eurotunnel. The former Saga owner, billionaire Roger de Hann, has pumped a huge amount of money into Folkestone and continues to do so. The most significant thing to note that the regeneration is privately funded, and not dependent on the government.
Some people you meet would wear a ‘I Love Folkestone’ tshirt every day if they could, while others complain that its not as good as when it was in its heyday. Look up the ‘We Love Folkestone” facebook page (it has over 20,000 members, they can't all be wrong).
Sunny Sands is a sandy beach when the tide is out, the other beaches are pebble. Lots of properties on the roads off the Leas clifftop, where you can walk down to the beach via the Zig Zag Path, Metropole Steps, etc. Beach huts on the seafront too.
There is the Creative Quarter: www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/folkestone-creative-quarter/about/
Plus there are various arts and cultural events on all the time. The regular Folkestone Airshow is fab with the Red Arrows flying over – not many towns can claim such an event.
Folkestone has (by far) the biggest high street in the Folkestone/Hythe/New Romney area. Therefore people drive in from all the surrounding areas to use the high street, and so you will see a real mix of people there from all areas (not just Folkestoners).
Its a very basic high street – a very big Asda/George, Primark, Boots, WHS Smith/post office, TK Maxx, New Look, Superdrug, Sainsburys (but a second bigger one is elsewhere in Folkestone). Also Clarks Shoe Shop, Waterstones, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Wilkinson, The Works, Oxfam Book Store an independent butcher, an independent curtain place (which looks old fashioned but stocks the usual designer brands and makes beautiful curtains), Argos, Iceland, small Italian ice cream place, McDonalds, KFC, an Art shop and so on. Its useful, not posh. Lots of independents just around the corner on the Old High Street. Elsewhere in the town are retail parks and other supermarkets, including a small M&S Foodhall if you lust after Percy Pigs.
Someone said about homeless people in Folkestone. Well I estimate you will always see at least 3 homeless people around the high street, probably due to the homeless charity that is located there. Charities have to go somewhere and they do a sterling job.
East Cliff has some social issues, but it feels safe enough when I have walked around there. However it is not an area where you would need to go to for anything unless you live there. IMO it is still nicer than some areas of London. I know people who have moved to Folkestone from Islington, Clapham, Canary Wharf and Surrey. They all appear to love it. Have you seen the Location Location episode where the couple moved from a beautiful Marylebone apartment to a huge period house near to Folkestone high street? Most towns in England looks grey on a miserable day, however seaside towns are glorious when the sunshine appears.
My best friend is of an ethnic minority and has lived in Folkestone for 16 years. She says she has only once overheard a racist comment (it was not directed at her). There is a significant Nepalese community in the Cheriton area of Folkestone, due to the Gurkha army regiment based in the town. The Nepalese are lovely, gentle people and most people love them and their food! I think their presence has meant that old time Folkestoners have realised that not being white anglo-saxon is not the be all and end all when judging people. Folkestone is more open to other cultures than some other towns.
Wow, I have written an essay, but it has kept me occupied during lockdown! Everything I have said are generalisations and my views and I do not wish to offend anyone living in any of these areas. Hope you find some of it useful.