Moving to South Yorkshire...recommendations needed!

[DilemmaADay]

Posted on another board but reposting here due to traffic

Due to job circumstances, I will be looking to move to South Yorkshire in the near future but dont know where to start!
I'm from Leicestershire originally which I find not a very friendly place (where I was anyway), and now based near Leeds. I love the North compared to the Midlands but I've lived near very grey cities in build up areas and just want to live somewhere with a more village type lifestyle with little independent shops etc.

My job will be based near Sheffield but I've been looking at Chesterfield, Barnsley, Wakefield and the surrounding areas too. Does anyone have any suggestions from their experience of South Yorkshire of where would be nice?

@DilemmaADay

Thank you so much everyone! To answer a few questions;

1. Me and partners combined budget is no more than 210k maximum mortgage
2. I will be working Sheffield city centre, partner also works Sheffield centre with the option to move to Wakefield/Barnsley centre for work
3. Schools fairly important as DC and DStepC are primary age

I have a friend living in Rotherham who advised me to steer clear of there (no offence meant to Barnsley residents)

depends where in rotherham. parkgate, eastwood, canklow, clifton and masborough yes deffo avoid. rawmarsh and swinton so good some bad areas, wath, west melton, brampton and wombwell generally not too bad, odd little estates of roughness but mostly ok yes i live in one of the not too bad areas....

North Yorkshire lol

I'm from sheffield.

If you're after a village type feel you have a few options with a reasonable commute

To the south east of the centre

Mosborough
Eckington
Kiveton
Wales
Beighton

To the west, which is much nice but also much more expensive (210k won't get you much, maybe a 2 bed terrace)

Crosspool
Lodge moor
Stannington
Grenoside (bit cheaper than the others)

Fantastic suggestions there, everyone! To answer a previous poster, I drive, so could happily do public transport or car got the commute.

Chesterfield is in Derbyshire, not Yorkshire I'm from there originally and you couldn't pay me to go back. My parents still live there and I just find it so so bleak when I go back. The Tudor history is interesting not it's definitely not cute and quirky with cool independent shops. (Did anyone use to go to the Green Room? )

Personally I'd stick nearer to Sheffield. It's not a patch on Leeds though.

@Teenytinyvoice Hoylandswaine is still nice, my DP has a house there - but OP would definitely need a higher mortgage to buy a house there.

Sheffield blows Leeds right out of the water. Trust me: republic of South Yorkshire all the way 🙂

I'm also from Chesterfield and my parents still live there. @sayanythingelse .... are you my sister? 🤔😂

Crookes or Walkley in Sheffield (from personal experience). Friendly, village atmosphere, really close to the centre of Sheffield, still relatively affordable, good schools. Crosspool if you have a bit more to spend.

Also forgot to say, lots of local shops in walkable distance on Crookes high street and lots of parks and green areas including the Bole Hills, lovely area for children. Good transport links though parking is a bit of a devil (terraced houses so no driveways for most people)

@DrManhattan

North Yorkshire lol

There is always one 🙄

For your budget a lot of the South West of Sheffield is out. But as a pp said, there is a lot of snobbery about this any way and there are plenty of other lovely areas. Stannington, Oughtibridge and Grenoside are all lovely. Sothall and Owlthorpe area is nice too if you like newer houses.

Out of Sheffield do not discount Rotherham and Barnsley as shit holes like @atomicblonde30 said. It's daft to count such a large area as one homogenous shithole when there are good and bad areas in each. I have lived in both and am not from the local area so think I am able to say this. In Rotherham, Whiston, Wickersley, Bramley, Thorpe Hesley and much of Swinton are lovely. Thorpe Hedley is actually a really good bet as it's beautiful with fantastic motorway links.

Barnsley - look towards the Wakefield border. Again some beautiful villages and lovely countryside

@NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace

Sheffield blows Leeds right out of the water. Trust me: republic of South Yorkshire all the way 🙂

Absolutely!!

Steer clear of Barnsley, Huddersfield, and Rotherham all absolute shitholes.

?? There are parts of everywhere that are bad. And parts that are lovely.

Penistone and surrounding villages - Oxspring, thurgoland, silkstone, thurlstone, hoylandswaine

Some nice areas in oughtibridge and deepcar bit closer to Sheffield

Barugh Green is nice bit nearer to Barnsley

Definitely discount both Barnsley and Rotherham despite @Witchofzog weirdly tagging me, I’ve lived in both and they are absolutely bleak, depressing shitholes, theres a reason property is so cheap there.

@constantlystartingadiet

You could also look at Stocksbridge, not sure what it's like to live there, as I am from Penistone, but have not lived there for 20 years (but a regular visitor, to see family), Stocksbridge has the newish shopping centre, Fox valley, which had a lovely feel to it,when I recently went.

Dear God anywhere but Stocksbridge.

@atomicblonde30. It's not weird tagging you. And I will say it again. You cannot label one huge area as a total shithole. As @bluesheep8 said too, there are some beautiful parts and some bad parts. There is no way you have lived in them all to be able judge them all as shit holes. I have also lived in both and that was not my experience at all and I am by no means well off either. My budget was and is a lot lower than that of the op.

Op if you read the thread there is some really good suggestions for all areas of South Yorkshire. I would visit potential areas both day and night. Visit the local shops and even the local pub. Get a feel for what you like and where you can envisage yourself living. There is also a forum called Sheffield Forum which is really good for all things Sheffield and there are also some private sales and lets advertised on there. Good luck!

The S20 area of Sheffield is lovely, lots of villages such as Mosborough, Waterthorpe, Beighton where you could get a good sized house for your budget, great schools and easy commute to the city centre

If schools are important to you then forget about Barnsley (town) and Rotherham. Look at the parts of Barnsley borough west of the M1 if you want rural, or Sheffield if you want a more urban feel. The S8 area is nice but also affordable on your budget but look at catchment areas carefully before you buy. Or, as mentioned above, the townships to the SE are worth a look.

Outwood academy in Barnsley is an excellent school with good Ofsted reports, as is Wickersley high in Rotherham.
As are other schools in those area's.
All towns and cities in the UK have good and bad area's along with good and bad schools.

I would definitely go for Sheffield, not any of the surrounding areas, there is a reason that they are generally much cheaper!
For a budget of 210k I would look at Crookes, Walkley, Meersbrook. Good schools, parks, independent shops, sense of community. Someone mentioned S20, the secondary school is not good at all for that area, not sure about primary. Not much of a village feel around there (apart from Mosborough but more expensive) it's all new build estates and not much in the way of independent shops, cafes etc.

It’s completely weird, almost as weird and arrogant as to think that just because you don’t agree with someone else’s opinion you can tip up and censor them on it.

There’s no way you’ve lived in every area of both Rotherham and Barnsley as to be able to not label them shitholes, or are you telling me you have? Because apparently that’s the bench mark standard of being able to form any opinion according to you @Witchofzog.

OP I lived in several areas in Barnsley for 3 years and both trained, worked then lived in various areas of Rotherham for 6 with a 1 year break in between. You couldn’t pay me to even visit them again, I’m free and I’m not going back I tell you . .

For a budget of 210k I would look at Crookes, Walkley, Meersbrook.

Spot on. Meersbrook is great: has a 'hippy' type feel to it and is great if you can knit a briefcase from lentils I'm a bit closer to the city – on the Muesli Mile. It's cheaper (property wise) – as you slip from S8 into S2 – but, as I've said on a previous post, it's completely amazing and I've never – not once – experienced any bad experiences in 27 years.

Sheffield's awesome. I'm so glad I'm here

Welcome, OP

One caveat: I can't speak for the schools as they weren't a factor in my decision making process back then.