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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask anyone from Manchester...

154 replies

totaketheplunge · 30/12/2023 19:40

Hi all,

Please can I have some advice? If you were a solo, 26yo old woman wanting to move to Manchester. Where would you look at moving to? Some things to consider:

• I'm a teacher so needs to be decent schools around

• I don't necessarily need to be in the middle of Manchester

• I like somewhere with plenty going on but also not keen on mega busy roads with loads of traffic

• somewhere I will feel safe

Thanks so much!

OP posts:
TomWambsgansSwans · 31/12/2023 09:03

Having made the move from London to Manchester, the order needs to be:

Come and visit/decide on an area (what do you like doing? Country walks/pubs at weekends, or theatre/going out?)
Find a job
Go to the bank/speak to a mortgage broker
Sell your property
Move

If you're moving from a distance you won't be able to live in your old house so I'd suggest renting - house prices are unlikely to price you out within a few months. Then it just takes the pressure off you having to do everything by a certain date. You'll find it easier then to find a property as you are chain free.

Fedupandconfused0815 · 31/12/2023 09:06

Get the job first and then pick a flat. Rush hour traffic is horrendous in Manchester if you have to travel across the borough. I would start with the job.

Also South Manchester is overrated here. No idea what the Chorlton-Disbury obsession is about. Also, these areas are bloody expensive. There are a lot of decent and nice areas which are a lot cheaper.

Lastqueenofscotland2 · 31/12/2023 09:07

What’s your budget? Manchester is probably the most expensive place in the north west, and while public transport into the centre is good, the transport linking the other areas is bad, and traffic is dire. So that will be a factor in where to go.

peppermintcrisp · 31/12/2023 09:51

I have never understood the Chorton/Didsbury obsession. I don't think it is that nice.

peppermintcrisp · 31/12/2023 09:53

Intrigued by people describing Whalley Range as a nice area. I lived there as a student 40 years ago and nice is not how I would have described it. I guess places change over time.

Yes I agree.

peppermintcrisp · 31/12/2023 09:56

Prestwich, which is very nice and way more affordable than Chorlton or Didsbury, was recently named by the Sunday Times as one of the 10 best places in the UK to buy a first home, is in North Manchester. It’s leafy, has a good centre with plenty of nice bars and restaurants, a busy arts scene and fantastic parks. Also tram links straight to the city centre.

I agree and Whitefield. Heaton Park is a gem.

Lastqueenofscotland2 · 31/12/2023 10:08

I lived in whalley range for about 5 years in the mid 2010s. Not the smartest place in the planet, but I liked it, Alex park was nice, easy access to chorlton on foot and a good bus service to town, far cheaper than chorlton too.

x2boys · 31/12/2023 10:14

Fionafaorta · 30/12/2023 19:52

South Manchester definitely.

I've lived in Chorlton, Withington, Burnage and Whalley Range. All decent areas.

I would avoid North Manchester

Why exactly?
Having lived in North Manchester my entire life these threads always infuriate me
There are some rough areas all.over Manchester and some very nice areas
I was born and brought up.in Greenmount ,you couldn't hope to find a nicer area.

RedToothBrush · 31/12/2023 10:39

peppermintcrisp · 31/12/2023 09:51

I have never understood the Chorton/Didsbury obsession. I don't think it is that nice.

Me neither.

Overpriced, pretentious and just wants to be London - mainly cos it's just Londoners there.

Neither would be on my list of places to live in Manchester.

The Heatons are far better in my opinion. Much better vibe. Less wanky. More affordable. More Manchester.

SumthingAndNuthing · 31/12/2023 10:42

I used to live in Salford (Worsley & Swinton) and wouldn’t recommend it. There are nice areas but they tend to neighbour rougher areas with high crime rates. I would look at Prestwich and Whitefield. I don’t get the love for South Manchester either.

Do you know Greater Manchester at all? Do you have family or friends in this part of the country? I’m a northerner and moved back here from London in the early 00’s and have regretted it ever since, unfortunately I can’t afford London/South and family ties are keeping me here for now.

I’m sure you will find it easy to get a teaching position in the North though. Are you looking specifically at Schools or could you move into HE? There are lots of Universities and the new Manchester College which may give further options for you? All are easy enough to travel to from north and south of GM.

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 10:48

As so many others have said, just avoid north Manchester, and east of the city is generally grim too. The ‘mumsnetty’ suburbs in Trafford are really beige, so maybe look at Whalley Range and Levenshulme, which, for south Manchester, are comparatively cheap areas.

But if avoiding mega busy roads is so important then I wouldn’t bother moving to the city - some towns and villages near in between Manchester and Blackpool are nice.

x2boys · 31/12/2023 10:50

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 10:48

As so many others have said, just avoid north Manchester, and east of the city is generally grim too. The ‘mumsnetty’ suburbs in Trafford are really beige, so maybe look at Whalley Range and Levenshulme, which, for south Manchester, are comparatively cheap areas.

But if avoiding mega busy roads is so important then I wouldn’t bother moving to the city - some towns and villages near in between Manchester and Blackpool are nice.

There are some great areas in North Manchester 🙄

peppermintcrisp · 31/12/2023 10:51

Do not avoid North Manchester!

RedToothBrush · 31/12/2023 11:49

There are good bits of north Manchester.

The issue is they are Manchestery and that doesn't suit the people moving up from London who want London 2.0.

I think it says a lot about the people who say 'avoid North Manchester'.

Quite frankly there's a lot of reasons to avoid Trafford - the nice schools are the draw but they also are the very thing that should put you off too.

The grammar school system is ultra competitive and getting a space in one is HARD ATM. A friend teaches yr6 in a nice bit of Trafford and the issue is the pressure it puts on the kids and how pushy the parents are as a result. Every year she has to deal with the mess and tears when a kid she's tried to expectation manage about getting a space doesn't and that 'ruins' their life and the parents won't accept it and go into meltdown over the school they've been allocated.

It's horrible for the kids, teachers and parents and by all accounts with Ukrainian refugees and a massive influx from Hong Kong to the area the pressure has never been higher.

There's a massive impact on the kids due to the ultra competitive nature of it and how competitive and pushy the parents are. And of course the competition has impacts on mental health. Those who were tutored through the 11+ and make it by the skin of their teeth can't maintain that level of work and crash and burn. In addition one or two schools have a reputation now for certain ethnic groups being particularly cliquey so there are more racial issues than many realise even in the 'good' schools. And there's a whole load of pros and cons to single sex schools which doesn't suit everyone.

And the kids that don't make those schools... Well that's a whole different conversation about whether the schools are nice or not in Trafford.

A friend does pastoral and sen support at one of these schools. She says the abuse from parents towards her is something else. And all the teachers deal with it daily.

It's far from the school utopia it's made out to be.

Some of the neighbouring counties are much more healthy in terms of schooling because they don't suffer from all of this drama in the same way.

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 12:21

Whitefield, Prestwich…two good areas in the whole of North Manchester. By contrast, there’s many more areas south of the city that are nice. Let’s not pretend otherwise because it doesn’t help the OP.

Mercurial123 · 31/12/2023 12:32

Prestwich has a good community and reasonable house prices.

x2boys · 31/12/2023 12:39

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 12:21

Whitefield, Prestwich…two good areas in the whole of North Manchester. By contrast, there’s many more areas south of the city that are nice. Let’s not pretend otherwise because it doesn’t help the OP.

There are far more nice area than just Prestwich and Whitefield In North Manchester I suggest you take your own advice and. Not pretend otherwise🙄

chipshopElvis · 31/12/2023 12:40

Op I'm in a South Manchester postcode that has a bad reputation but which I like and we live amongst professionals and retired folk. We boarder Trafford and my kids attend a Trafford school at which they're very happy (not a grammar).

I'm not very familiar with North Manchester, but Prestwich is nice. The Quays are OK in the immediate vicinity but I wouldn't feel safe in some of the surrounding areas or tram stops. Worsley is also Salford and is nice.

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 12:45

x2boys · 31/12/2023 12:39

There are far more nice area than just Prestwich and Whitefield In North Manchester I suggest you take your own advice and. Not pretend otherwise🙄

Show quote history

From my observations, no, there aren’t.

LoobyDop · 31/12/2023 12:49

Sometimes I wonder how many of the people who pop up on these threads saying DidsburyChorltonAltrinchamordontbother have actually been to any of them, or if they just know it’s the right answer.

It is the right answer if you can afford it and are happy to pay the Didsbury premium, but lots of people aren’t and have nice big houses in perfectly nice areas. Plus there are more bloody dogs than people in Didsbury now.

x2boys · 31/12/2023 12:51

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 12:45

From my observations, no, there aren’t.

Show quote history

Having lived in North Manchester my entire life yes there are I suggest you travel.around rather than writing off the whole of the North if the city
And we are going to off personal observatiions half of my extended family live south of the city and where they live ( in different locations ) doesn't look.all that to me

AmytheDancingBrick · 31/12/2023 12:57

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 12:21

Whitefield, Prestwich…two good areas in the whole of North Manchester. By contrast, there’s many more areas south of the city that are nice. Let’s not pretend otherwise because it doesn’t help the OP.

I think you need to travel a little further than your south Manchester bubble - it sounds like the only important thing to you is image.

baileybrosbuildingandloan · 31/12/2023 12:58

totaketheplunge · 30/12/2023 21:06

Thanks so much guys. No one has mentioned Salford which I looked at, and Salford Quays - what would you say about that area?

And I'm nervous to base the house I buy around the job, if that makes sense, because I'd rather ensure I love my home and then find the job that suits me I suppose. I'm not sure what the best way is to do it!

How does a teacher sell their property, hand their notice in, find a new job and buy a new property all in timing with school holidays etc!? I'm so overwhelmed by it.

I would say don't live where you work. Commute. You don't want to be bumping into a strapping 15 year old whose phone you've confiscated on your way to Aldi! ((Or the parent of the 7 year old that you've reprimanded)!

benfoldsfivefan · 31/12/2023 12:59

Look @x2boys , I live here, as do you, so I know what I’m talking about. It’s all subjective, anyway.

MadKittenWoman · 31/12/2023 13:01

Chorlton / Chorltonville, Didsbury, West Didsbury, Withington, Cheadle Hulme, Sale, Altrincham, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge.