Where to live in Birmingham?

[Taskmasterlover]

Only post on here to get some responses. Looking to possibly move to Birmingham sometime next year - want to be within a 30-40 minute public transport commute ideally. Budget is £450k for a 4 bedroom house, want a nice family friendly area, happy with new builds.

Any suggestions of areas? Thanks

Look at Tamworth, it comes under Staffordshire but you can get a train directly to Birmingham city centre which I think is slightly under 30 mins

Tamworth is fine, but it’s like Milton Keynes is to London, in my opinion! My aunt & uncle live there and whilst it’s perfectly nice enough, if you want arts, culture, sports etc. then it’s not a patch on Birmingham.

I grew up in the B47 area. Hollywood/Wythall/Earlswood. Not been back for years so unsure of house prices or what it’s like now but it was nice back then . There’s a station with trains into Birmingham.

@whiteroseredrose mentioned Knowle. It's a lovely place (I'm lucky enough to live very close) but it's really expensive!
Try looking at Coventry. Close enough to commute but a smaller city. Some beautiful parts, some not so nice.

Heath Road South, Bournville, Birmingham
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/79721373
Example of Bournville

Brandwood Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/93720236

Kings Heath

Windermere Road, Moseley, Birmingham
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/75620538

Moseley

Grasmere Avenue, Coventry, CV3
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/78551034

Browns Lane, Allesley, Coventry
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/78316218

Coventry

Honeybrook Lane, Kidderminster
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/90920686

Kidderminster

Solihull is the aspirational area for most living near Brum.

Sutton Coldfield has changed a lot recently and parts of its main centre are quite rundown.

Unfortunately Birmingham is quite a segregated city in many respects. Areas like Sparkhill and Small Heath have very high Asian population, whereas areas like Northfield have very high white population. All working class areas but not much mixing going on.

Moseley is a bit more mixed so a happy medium.

I agree look round hill hook/Blake street/mere green area

Family friendly area in Birmingham?

Why say this? There are good and bad parts of every city

In Brum here too -

Bournville
Selly Park
Parts of Kings Heath
Moseley
Hollywood
Wythall - really nice , just on outskirts - near beautiful countryside
20 mins drive outside Brum - Alvechurch - lovely large village, beautiful countryside and train station

@Wearethetwirl

I think it’s more nuanced than that. Sparkhill and Small Heath (also Alum Rock, Saltley) are majority Muslim areas, not simply (south) Asian. You won’t find many Indians there, for example, as they are not segregated from the rest of the population.

The segregation of these areas has come largely from themselves and B’ham City Council have done all sorts over the years to improve integration but it’s always been resisted by the residents of these areas. I’m not sure whether things have improved in recent years with the fall of Daesh etc.

Sutton Coldfield is overpriced and the town centre is dead IMO

Get more for your money and look at Tamworth. Transport links are great, it’s much easier to get to Birmingham from Tamworth than Sutton. They have Ventura retail park which is huge and the whole area is going through a regeneration process. You’d get a nice house for your budget and you’d likely get a better return on your investment (property prices in Tamworth have risen faster than average in recent times)
However, some areas in Tamworth are nicer than others. Plenty of new build estates if that’s what you’re in to. And (even better IMO) there are some gorgeous villages on the outskirts that are also close to the M42!

I agree that wythall is lovely. Cofton is also a lovely area, right by the lickey hills and and not too far from Wasely Hills. Barnt Green is also amazing.

I briefly lived in stirchley and whilst it looks a little rough...its not. I loved it there.

The thing is, it's very similar to other big cities. Shootings, poverty, rich expensive areas, run down areas, dangerous areas etc... I cant think of another big city that doesnt also face these problems so I'd say go for it.

Positives: Birmingham is very multi cultural, lovely buildings, plenty of places to shop (city centre, touchwood solihull, kingfisher centre in redditch, the fort ect) schools EVERYWHERE, parks EVERYWHERE and it doesnt take long to find open fields and farms ect if you have access to a car.

Oh and I absolutely love Birmingham. It’s a great city IMO.

I grew up in Knowle mentioned by a few people and onto sixth form in Solihull. It's a ludicrously snobby town, obsessed with the fact that it isn't Birmingham. It has the massive shopping centre that brings a lot of people in but little by the way of any other particular identity or atmosphere to recommend it.

If I were moving back (which was a vague possibility a few years ago) I'd much rather go into Birmingham proper and find somewhere nice there that gives you the benefits of city living. I'd happily live in Birmingham, I wouldn't live in Solihull ever.

I've lived in and around Birmingham for 15 years. Moved here after uni and started my family here. I like it a lot. Like all big cities there are areas with issues of poverty and crime, but overall I find it friendly, vibrant and I'm proud to live here.

We've lived in the centre (fun, less family oriented), Selly Oak (very studenty - nice enough but I was glad to move away), bournville/stirchley (great, Stirchley was a bit run down but is improving quickly at the moment and Bournville is really nice) and are now a bit further south in Alvechurch/Barnt Green (lovely, less urban but still good train links. Nice schools)

I've got friends with young families in Bearwood, Kings Heath, Selly Park, Bournville, Stirchley and out here in Barnt Green, all of whom are very happy. Houses in the area seen as 'nice' can be expensive - as in all towns - but I think with your budget you shouldn't be restricted. I hope you find somewhere you love and are very happy here.

We have an office in Brum as well as having a couple of friends that moved there for Uni and never left. Pre Covid I visited semi regularly stayed just out the back of Brindley Place in an apartment the company owns there. Brindley Place is lovely, but I wouldn't live in Jewelry Quarter despite it being a nice area. Personal preference.

There's huge inwards investment, the city centre is incredibly modern and looks lovely.

I don't know the area very well, but have visited a few places not mentioned on this list that I'd move to without a second thought

Five Ways
Olton
Hall Green
Shirley
Earlswood

What always surprises me is the amount of Green Space around Birmingham, how young the population seems to be and the rapidly changing sky line.

Obviously there are less desirable areas - the same in any city. I live in Manchester, I've lived here years. Its got areas that have reputations. I don't live in fear of the areas, I just choose not to go there as I have no need to visit. If you don't want to go Aston (no offence to any one in Aston) because of X, Y or Z just don't go there - unless you really want to watch Villa play or see Spaghetti Junction.

Brum is a really cool city with more than affordable housing. I'm sure you'll love it there.

Go south on the railway line...
Barnt Green
Alvechurch
Bromsgrove
Benefits of being close to town - but perched on edge of beautiful, rolling Worcestershire countryside.
And handy for motorway access, airport, Bham International.

I work in Stirchley, which in reality doesn't bear much relation to the one that everyone seems to rave about. We're moving offices soon, and all the staff are delighted. If it's up and coming, it certainly hasn't "got there" yet. Lots of dingy and unattractive shops on the High Street.

If you buy on the fringe of Kings Heath/Stirchley near Cartland Road, then you get the benefit of the amenities of KH, the lower prices of Stirchley AND the train station that will be along in 2023.

I personally would NOT recommend Kings Heath. You can get more for your money elsewhere. Four oaks in Sutton Coldfield is nice but expensive, Alvechurch/Barnt green are lovely.

The person that said the city is run down I wonder when they last went. The bull ring area and brindleyplace is lovely. They are doing a lot to the city by the new library. . I forgot about Boldmere. Lichfield is nice but the train takes forever as lots of stops. Think there is a fast train though. Quite shocked at the working class comment and all areas rough!! I am sure all city cities have rough areas. Yes Bournville, Harborne etc nice too but I dont know them as well.

The train on the sutton/lichfield line goes through new street to the university and other areas of Birmingham. Its called the cross city line. Runs often pre covid.

As pp have said, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Harborne/parts of Edgbaston are the nicest areas.

Harborne would get my vote as it has a nice high street and is easy to get to the city centre. Neighbouring Quinton is more affordable if you want more house for your money.

I grew up in Lichfield and it's a lovely city but very boring as a teenager/ young adult. The commute was 40 mins but there were often delays so I wouldn't recommend if you need to be in Birmingham most days.

I would be really surprised if the train stations being brought back in KH/Moseley are on time in 2023 tbh so I wouldn't buy a house thinking that's a nailed on date. Both areas are really expensive for what they are and the train stations will increase prices.

The problem of public transport in Birmingham is huge and requires a massive change in approach. The CAZ is a good start, but the problem really is that it is too reliant on buses and as a result a car is a much more attractive option - if you have to sit in traffic, you may as well do it in your own little space.

We need a lot more rail/light rail options. It will be interesting to me to see how the Sprint buses work for the Commonwealth Games - allegedly they will have their own lane so much more quick and efficient.

I love Birmingham but you have to have a realistic assessment of the issues and public transport is a massive one. So think carefully about your commute if you have one!

Birmingham has changed so much in the last 10 years. It certainly holds its own with the other large cities and is within easy reach of so many other places. I lived in London for 16 years and would choose Birmingham any time

I grew up on the south side of the city, Hollywood/Maypole, and have lived in Bournville and Kings Norton, but moved away for Uni and work. Like London, most suburbs have a very distinctive character and their own 'buzz', so it depends what you want, the public transport around the city is excellent, BUT traffic can be awful (like any city really). Bournville, Harbornne (and if you can't afford Harborne, Bearwood), Mosley, Kings Heath, Selly Park all have things to reccomend them as proper city suburbs. If you want slightly quieter, further out Barnt Green just across the border in Worcs. is on the main cross-city line that passes through New Street and on to Sutton Coldfield and isn't far from Bromsgrove and Droitwich, both old market towns which might be worth considering for schools. Alcester also used to be nice, but I don't know what the transport links are like these days.

As others have said, B'ham is actually a very green city - I used to work on the 8th floor at the University of Birmingham and all I could see was the tops of trees.