Where to live in Blackpool

[Tjit]

Hi everyone

Hope that everyone has had a restful weekend Posting here for traffic.

We live in London but My DH has recently gotten a job in one of the hospitals in Blackpool so will be based there 3 days a week and needs a base which we can visit during holidays etc

Where do you suggest? We have 2 pre teen children of the same gender and are a family of ethnic minority so we want somewhere we can feel comfortable

We visited and liked poulton de fyre which was really posh, and were also in central Blackpool near the beach which obviously is very touristy and possibly out of our price range

As this will be a 2nd property, our max budget is £120,000, though not sure of where to settle, children's school will remain in London but want a place that we can spend all school holidays etc the property will be a bit of an investment so also need somewhere that will hold it's value etc

I have looked at Layton which seems more affordable but not sure of what the area will be like eg is it diverse, nice, quiet etc?

If anyone knows the area please advise

@Baconisdelicious I spent ten days in Blackpool a couple of years ago. The thing that struck me most was how friendly it was. The only people I saw that I found a bit scary were clearly visitors.
I was going through an exceptionally difficult time health-wise and the friendliness and kindness of the place was so appreciated. I know it's not what most people say about it but it's what I took from it.

Poor OP she's got feedback alright! I don't know Blackpool.. but could you not rent to see how your DH job goes and you can get to know the area?

@Baconisdelicious agree with you.

My kids absolutely love Blackpool (16,12,8) I'd imagine most do! Yes, the centre is really run down to how it used to be when I was a child but my kids barely notice, they are too busy having the time of their lives.

We come over from Ireland for a few days every Autumn and they enjoy it almost as much as their holiday abroad.

Tbf I probably wouldn't buy right in the centre but a holiday home in Lytham sounds lovely.

St.Anne's would be a good investment right now

You’ve summed up my feelings here! Such a shame what has happened to Blackpool, it was magical once!

Going on a night safari in the centre once in a while is a real eye-opener .WARNING pics not for the faint hearted !

http://www.dougiewallace.com/blackpool

Take no notice OP. Blackpool is no worse
than many other towns. There are e obviously places to avoid, ie: closer to the town centre, but South shore (near the airport) Starr Gate, right near the beach, Stanley Park area, parts of Bispham, Cleveleys, St Anne's is nice in parts.
Lytham is a bit up itself but not bad. Do your own research and don't allow others to put you off.
Good luck!!

My DH used to work at Blackpool Victoria Hospital - he commuted from North Leeds.

I'd honestly pay the hotel fees rather than buy a property. The Travelodge South Shore is about £50 a night.

Buying near Stanley Park is absolutely fine. It's a great park and the area isn't rough.

I can't believe some of the OTT responses on this thread. The most bonkers being Whitehaven 🤣 That can't have come from a Northerner.

You will regret Poulton purely because of the congestion. It's soul destroying.

Well it gave her the opportunity to add "racist" and "violent" to the intermittently bad weather.

The hyperbole on this thread is hilarious.

Don’t know why people are saying Layton is a shithole. My sister lives there and she bloody loves it. The people are so friendly and kind. She’d only been there three weeks when she went into labour unexpectedly and she knocked on her neighbour’s door. The wife went to the hospital with her and the daughter and husband looked after her eldest for 36 hours till her husband could get back (works overseas). Salt of the bloody earth.

Yeah, wherever you work in Northern England, you just need to live somewhere between Horsforth and Chapel A, it's the MN approved northern enclave.

Don’t think any of my family have bumped into any Albanian mafia recently but I’m sure the OP will bear that in mind.

Stanley Park is nice but don't go to the Model Village unless you want to spaff 8 quid on a trip down memory lane on something that wasn't even cutting edge in 1930. It's as if Legoland developed a crack habit and lost everything. BTW GCHQ is coming to the Warton area I believe and BAE is there and expanding so buying round there will probably hold its value.

Buying and hotels are not the only two options. Have you looked at renting? If he is only expecting to be based there for a couple of years I would rent over buying.

That’s assuming he’s only going to work midweek off season. Any other time it’s a lot more than £50.

@mollypuss1 Ohh, shut up you awkward harridan. 🤣

Would Garstang be too far out?

Lancaster is about an hour away but your budget would only get a 2 bed terrace

Avoid Layton, high levels of deprivation even compared to Blackpool

From what I remember it's predominantly a white area so racism might be an issue.

I'd seriously go and spend some time there over the summer holidays and rent/ b&b to get a feel for the place before buying and being stuck.

As pp said, many years ago it was the place to be, I went many times as a kid it was so much fun (although the beach was dirty and sea filthy back then too).
Now it's just gone downhill.
It's dirty, deprived, disrespected and nothing like it used to be. It has attracted the wrong crowd over the years.

Yes of course there are also lovely people there too but I'm talking overall.

You'd be better finding a nice area a bus journey away from dh's workplace and not have to face Blackpool behind the scenes every day.

Visiting for a 'holiday' is different to living there in the holidays.
If it's a beach you want, look at what's nearby.

Good luck.

Ma Kelly's is a good laugh and now has 3 Central, South and North - Central is the hard core place !

Probably - but if you are going Garstang which is lovely then I would include Scorton (my dad was born and is buried there) and Barton, Brougton and Goosnargh maybe Whittingham as well. I live down south and have done since 17 but I love the North folks are so friendly wherever you go and will happily talk to randoms.

I never said Whitehaven was just outside Blackpool! 😂 It was in the context of commuting! It's 2 hours which compared with some people's commute from London to France every day, it's do-able!

The M55 is a good road into Blackpool, and there us a good rail link from Preston. Central Blackpool is deprived, but look along the motorway and rail to Preston. Garstang is a bit out but v nice. And most of the countryside on the Fylde is pretty upmarket. One benefit is it does not suffer very bad winters. We have lived up here for 35 years, and have only had really bad snow once or twice. Inland from Blackpool you have the Trough of Bowland area if outstanding natural beauty. Don't worry, it is only central Blackpool, that is to be avoided.

The roads around Stanley Park are pretty nice and the park itself is lovely. Walking distance of the hospital too. Yes, Blackpool is deprived and has lousy areas but there are some nice spots.

You don't move oop North to do a 2 hour commute - you just don't and if you did Morecambe would be a much better option !