Aibu to not want to move up north

[time2changeCharlieBrown]

My dh has been offered a great job opportunity a high payrise
the catch is we have to relocate up north near Leeds
so my main concerns is the weather
I hate winter, rain and snow and up there seems to get more?
also I joined a few online community groups recently to get a feel for it and learn about the areas and what’s around
all I have mainly seen is awful things about robbery’s and car theft and violent crimes! It’s really putting me off!
we have a son who is not too far off an age to go clubbing and for nights out and even though he is 6 foot 5 he’s very striking looking mixed race (Greek) and I worry about him being a target and our eldest daughter too also very striking ,but both quite naive as we currently live in a small village and don’t often go into big cities and they are at small schools.
my dh is from a different town up north not too far from Leeds still has friends there and says it’s fine and all city’s are the same and the kids will be fine as not in any gangs and unlikely to be. I am a worrier so Aibu to not want to move?

I lived in Leeds for a while - Yeadon. It was lovely. Perhaps if you started a new thread entirely, removing the bit that you hate the idea but just saying you’re moving to Leeds and where’s nice to live, you might get helpful suggestions? As a southerner living up north I was very welcome but I wouldn’t have been if I moaned about it…

Op, why would your apparently, "striking ' child be a "target"? For what exactly?

Thank you
this is all really useful information

There are lovely bits of Leeds City Centre! Victoria Quarter and the bit that has John Lewis, Anthropologie, etc.

Just some of the things I’ve heard and been told by dh family up there
some horrible things

We’re in the NW. relocated from the SW 15 years ago. On average, weather has been better (more seasonal) than it was in Cornwall.

We’re off to the highlands of Scotland asap, though, where you really do get every season in a day!

I’m sure the weather will be fine in Leeds, try living here in the west of Ireland - absolutely horrendous.

I work in Leeds and live in a village in Leeds and have done all my life. Yes it rains and it's cold in winter but that's the same for anywhere in the country.
People in Leeds are very friendly but I agree with a pp that your attitude to Leeds as being the slums won't go down well with local people. Yes there's crime but again, there's crime all over the country.
Roundhay and garforth are nice areas and there's lots of villages around Leeds that are lovely.
I think you should lose the snobby attitude and see it for yourself

Pudsey is meant to be a very desirable up and coming area that’s commutable to Leeds. Leeds is very multicultural, the area in general has been for many decades now. I’m not sure why you think your ‘striking’ child would be a target. It’s the north, not a war zone, you’ll all be fine

I live “up north”

The weather is worse.

i wouldn’t live in Leeds. However I would bite your hand off to live in York which is very commutable (lived there at uni and it’s still my favourite city) but also very expensive or Harrogate or one the the multitude or gorgeous villages near Leeds / York.

There are some amazing places just do your research and avoid the city itself. Can’t help you with the weather though sadly

Such as?
I have not heard that Leeds is any worse for crime than most cities .

Our DS lives in Oulton, just to the SE if Leeds and his GF and he absolutely love it. There is so much to do and the area is lovely

Could you possibly be more vague? What sort of 'things' and 'horrible things' do you think are likely to happen to a teenager in the north that wouldn't happen in the south?

I'm sure plenty of 'horrible things' have happened to people in SW England as well. Do you think it's reasonable to write off an entire region because of it? To 'dread' visiting it even?

Just some of the things I’ve heard and been told by dh family up there
some horrible things.

Like what?
Why would the north be any worse than anywhere else in the UK?

I've owned a shop in the city for the past 13 years, 5 minutes walk from the Victoria Quarter, just a little further out of the city. There's been a marked increase in violent crimes and antisocial behaviour in the past few years, stabbings, robberies, etc, shoplifting is rife. We're reaching the point where we're considering installing an intercom system so people have to buzz to come in. It didn't used to be like this. I dread going into work as you never know what brand of inebriated wanker is going to come through the door and cause trouble. Especially hate the days where I have a late finish and have to walk through the city centre to get the train home.

What horror stories have you actually heard, Op? More detail is needed. I think your attitude is really offensive to Northerners. It's not a 3rd world country.
London and the South have a lot of problems and issues but we don't think all Southerners are lying in wait to attack our unsuspecting, naive, striking Northern teenagers.

Move to Harrogate and all your worries (minus weather) will vanish but Harrogate looks gorgeous in any weather. Nice schools, nice kids, nice shops, nice restaurants and generally very nice people in my experience. Also lots of nice villages if you want an even quieter life!

I would never move from the south west to somewhere like Leeds. The lifestyle change would be too vast and I need to be near the sea.

The amount of rainfall is double the amount of the south across much of the Pennines, and it is significantly colder. The UK has a maritime climate and a microclimate across the Isles. The terrain is hilly and varies across the county.

Leeds city itself is diverse and serves as a great hub for socializing for people of all age groups. The villages do however regress to more old-fashioned pursuits.
They are NOT more friendly.
However, transportation in Leeds is not as convenient as in London. If you use a car, the M62 is often gridlocked and can be a nightmare to navigate every day. While the train station is modern, journey times are significantly longer due to the geographical layout compared to the South.
The transport network in the North is a huge political hot potato with a clear lack of strategy although the WYCA have some ideas. For 2040.🙄

House prices in the nicer villages, especially for detached houses, are not much different compared to the south.

@x2boys I might be in that general vicinity later for the gravy wrestling World championships. No that isn't a wind up or joke at northerners expense. We've also had soap box racing in East Lancashire this weekend.

@time2changeCharlieBrown when you visit Harrogate make sure to visit Betty's tea room.

It rains a lot more in the west than the east. The coastal areas are much drier.

We have some friends who live in Otley. That's lovely.

Great. We don't want you!

DS lived in Leeds before moving to Manchester with his job, it was very nice but DS didn't have a car, he preferred it to Manchester though. The roads were a bit hellish though driving there and the M62 always seemed to be on the traffic news and not in a good way.

I grew up in Manchester, left at 28 and moved to East Sussex. There is no way on earth I would move back north.

It's so warm down here, compared to the north. Summers last till the end of October and we don't put the heating on until November.