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?

You'll be banned from Lancashire 🤣

Leeds is ace.

You probably won't like it as it's not London and you don't want to move. Your loss. It's a great place.

YABU
I love Leeds so much. I lived there for a long time and yes I did get mugged once abd also had my house broken into once.. but that's also happened to me in other cities. However Leeds is a fantastic place imo. Really beautiful. Great parks, loads of different areas with their own vibes, brilliant music scene, tonnes of cinemas and theatres, famous art school and several unis, incredible architecture, great for shopping, great for cafes. If I had enough money to live in the centre again with my family I 100% would
I also love Manchester and Liverpool.
But if you don't want the city there are tonnes of places commutable to Leeds that are lovely smaller places with a more countryside feel, Burley in Wharfedale, Knaresborough, Malton, Hebden Bridge, Saltaire, Ilkley, Skipton.. and just tonnes more.

Can we swap? I really want to move up north but it’s not practical for me as my ex husband would never move up there and it wouldn’t be fair to the kids to be going back and forth.

I moved from London to this area. It’s definitely not all violent crimes and robberies. The weather is not as good for sure. It’s also beautiful, leafy and green. I have younger children so can’t comment on what it’s like for older children. There is the north / south funding to consider (the infrastructure up here is nowhere near the south). It’s not better or worse, it’s different.

Roundhay maybe. Headingley and Kirkstall- definitely not (too studenty). I’d personally be looking further along the train routes for a family home…the stops to ilkley for example. Harrogate and Skipton are about 35/40 mins train so not too bed either.

my perception is that the crime and fear of attacks is far worse in London

I moved from the South to Yorkshire 25 years ago. Initially lived in West Yorkshire and worked in Leeds and then moved to South Yorkshire and worked in York for a while. DH still commutes to Leeds a few days a week though parking cost are extortionate there!

Love living up here. We live in the Pennines and it's a gorgeous part of the world. Lots of outdoor things if you like doing cycling, walking running etc.

Also, the weather in the east of Yorkshire (Leeds, York) is nothing like Manchester which is much much wetter

I travel all over the UK for work. Some places I look forward to visiting, others I don’t even leave the hotel for safety reasons.

Leeds is a city I actively look forward to visiting, and am very happy to go out and sample what it has to offer outside of working hours - even solo.

Oh god not the NORTH?! 😱

I don't know why you think crime and violence are worse in the North than the South.
Every area has good and less good areas
I live in a northern city, not far from Leeds and the suburb I live in is much nicer and safer than the ones i lived in in London and the South East

There are some fabulous villages within 30 minute commute of Leeds. Surely it’s possible to Google them and do some research….?

@Thecatisboss your story is so similar to mine, I had to double check that I hadn't posted it!

Leeds is a great, diverse city and there are some very nice towns and villages in North and West Yorkshire within commuting distance of the centre e.g direct trains from Skipton, Harrogate, Ilkley, Saltaire, Kirkstall, even York.

Not sure why you have the impression that crime is significantly worse up here, I would argue I hear more about violent crimes etc happening down South. There was a lot of coverage on the ‘Leeds riots’ but this was in a very isolated area of the city. I’ve never felt unsafe in Leeds, day or night.

Well if you do move north don’t expect to make any friends if you continue with that attitude. You are moving about 200/300 miles not to the Arctic circle

As pp said people are welcoming but not to people that turn their nose up and have a chip on their shoulder

And mine!

Me too 🤣

Are you saying that your kids are too good looking to live in Leeds?

I think a lot of your worries are groundless, but assuming your kids are teens, I don’t think now is a good time to move them. It’s not a good age to have to start afresh in a new place.

Given this, I'd look at traffic levels and ease of commuting. Of the places you mentioned, I'd say Garforth would be the easiest, with easy access to the M62 and the A1, and good rail links to Leeds and beyond.

What sort of a house budget would you be looking at? Are schools a consideration?

YABU

The winters here in Yorkshire are no worse than winters down South.

We also have a large population of strikingly good looking mixed raced people too. Your kids won’t look out of place.

@extraonions Moving from Bristol to Manchester I found the weather pretty different.

Also the crime was worse - and I'm from London!

I live in York and it's beautiful!