To want to move to Isle of Wight

[Jaboody]

Currently in IOW for holiday. So far everyone is super friendly and from what a lady in a shop has said, it's very safe for children.
Any residents of IOW on here? Please talk me down or give me pros and cons?
Cons is obviously on an island and I'm guessing you don't get same day Amazon deliveries and can't just go and see your family.

I come from Ryde and NO WAY would I ever permanently return home.

• Education is poor (I went to Medina which, at the time, was one of the poorest performing in the country).
• Few employment prospects out of season.
• A real gap between the wealthy buying second homes and locals.
• Expensive, occasionally unreliable, ferries (I can, and do, travel abroad for cheaper than the Wightlink crossing)
• Medical care sometimes requires mainland travel (family have to go to St Barts for genetic surveillance whereas I just go down the road)
• Intolerant aspects (some racism, homophobia ...)

But ... you have stunning scenery, a slower pace of life, ostensibly better weather. I visit once in a great while but I was glad to escape!!!

We are here on the IOW at the moment, in Seaview. We’ve been here 5 times in the past 10 years, 3 times in Bembridge, once in Brighstone and now Seaview. Yes, it’s really nice in the summer, but you should experience it in the Winter to see if you still feel the same. In 2020 we had to put back our holiday, so we chose end of September and although we had good weather daytime, the dark mornings and dark evenings weren’t great. So many houses have nobody living in them.

I've lived here all my life, amazing for kids up until about 12/13 then there's naff all for them to do except hang around & even if they are well behaved they get moved on.
Roads are manic in the summer with all the tourists getting lost & trying to drive massive caravans down little lanes. Winters lovely & you can actually get from one side to the other in decent time although a lot of attractions shut down.
It was really safe growing up & I'm quite happy to let my 11 year old have his freedom. But we do have the same social problems as the mainland. Just a smaller scale.
Schools are really hit & miss, SEN provision isn't the best.
Only 1 hospital, does a little bit of all basic care but for anything major or requiring a specialist you do need to be prepared to travel to the mainland.
Ferry costs can be extortionate, deals can be had but it's the most expensive bit of water to cross so if you have family to visit or going away that's an extra cost to factor in.
We have a massive rental problem at the moment, so many families who have been born on the island unable to get housed & men being given tents to live in.
However it's also lovely & most people know someone you know so the community feels great.

The car ferry can cost £300 plus in the summer. Can be cheaper with planning but always £100 plus.
Most of the available work is seasonal or care / hospitality.
Once you’ve done the tourist stuff there’s nothing much to do. The beach is ok in small doses!
The locals might be nice to tourists but they HATE mainland people moving here, they are obsessed with their houses and jobs being taken.
Some of them think all mainlanders are criminals.
There’s a fair bit of crime for a small space.
Friends soon get bored with visiting because of the cost.
Schools are awful unless you go private.
Weed is everywhere, I’d say drug use is quite high.

Fairly racist.
It’s common to have to go to Southampton, Salisbury and London for medical care. Imagine having to get a ferry back home after chemo.

Sandown is very rundown. I never go there. My son lives in Ventnor and I used to live in Ryde. The schooling is not great and I opted to send my kids private (there's only two on the island).
The most negative thing is that it is a bit backward and provincial. I moved after my husband passed suddenly and it was great for my kids, but as PP says everyone pretty much leaves at 18 and return once they have a family. My son has stayed but doesn't have many friends his age (20). I left with my DD as she wanted an all girls sixth form.
I made some great friends there but few were from the island, most had moved there like me.

I've never lived there myself but pretty much all my family do. I love it for all the reasons everyone else does, its a very special place, but I won't live there for the reasons given here.

Re helicopter service - probably expensive & impractical. The hovercraft and fast cats are there for those who commute without a car go the mainland, but red funnel & wightlink operate a monopoly on travel between the island and the mainland. There have been a few serious attempts to introduce a 3rd option over the years and each time red funnel & wightlink have worked together to ensure they failed.

IMO better & affordable transport to the mainland would make a huge difference to the islands prospects. Add in improved NHS services there (including St marys) and improved schools and it could be transformative.