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?

Whereas I spent a week in Lancashire in early May and was pleasantly surprised at how warm the weather was. Sunny every day.

Maybe you should look at online community groups for your nearest cities and see what they're saying about crime and social problems. I think your DH is correct that most cities will be similar. It sounds as if this move would give you choices about being near a diverse and lively city, smaller towns or pretty villages. Depending where you are currently your DC may appreciate being more 'central'

Probably best that you stay where you are. Northerners are a friendly bunch and I don't think you'd fit in.

I live in oulton , Leeds. It’s lovely, doesn’t get the same rain or snow because of its position between Pennines and coast. Train station in village, close to motorways - it’s really quite perfect. Leeds for a night out is amazing, a real buzz. So many good restaurants too! Give it a chance…

Leeds is a diverse city and people are friendlier up north than the south imo.

As a "southerner", I completely agree.

I spend a lot of time for work in Yorkshire, particularly Leeds and love it. Leeds is great and yes, I find the people far friendlier.

We are giving it another 18 months where we are and will then hopefully be on the move up there.

She’s being amusing. Northerns have a very good sense of humour. You are very lucky for the opportunity to move to Leeds. It’s an amazing city, Leeds folk are brilliant and it will be fab.

This reminds me of that Catherine Tate sketch where the posh mummy gets a northern nanny 😂

I grew up in Leeds and now live there again after a few years in Paris, London and Glasgow.

The weather is worse than London and about the same as Glasgow although Leeds does tend to be drier as it's east of the Pennines.

There are some very posh bits of Leeds ans the city centre, whilst lively at night, has always felt very safe to me. I used to go out there in the 90s which was the. If clubbing era and it's definitely died down since then.

I currently live in what would be considered a rough bit (Hyde Park) but love the neighbourhood as it's very green, near town and there's lots going on.

You can get out to the dales, north york moors and Lake District within an hour or so.

This. Your DH needs to think about his commute and wider travelling requirements.

Does he know where these 'other places in Yorkshire' are that he'll need to visit and at what time of day?

It's just that north Leeds in particular is very congested during rush hour as the motorways for all directions including going north are on the south of the city so there's lots of people driving into the city and also towards the motorways so while places like Roundhay, Horsforth etc are great places to live, it's going to be an utterly miserable commute for him if he regularly needs to be in Sheffield at 9 am.

But then again if he's going to places like Harrogate or Ilkley or only making short trips between 10 and 3 it's less of an issue.

If you have a healthy budget you could look at the villages on the east side of Leeds, Thorner, Shadwell, Scarcroft, Barwick etc, or somewhere like Wetherby which is a nice market town. Also with nearly adult DC you might want to be a bit closer to the city, Garforth will be a good choice. Good train service to the city, although on the east (or south) side the Park and Ride is another good option for commuting.

The weather is significantly dryer in the east than the west, (I think 10 miles east of the city gets half the rain than it does 10 miles west) but I think you're catastrophising about this and also crime levels.

We do get plenty of good weather it's probably not a lot worse on average than the south west which can be quite stormy. Crime is probably no worse than any large city and the worst is concentrated in the inner city suburbs.

But if you've been looking at social media groups specifically for discussing crimes and social problems then of course that's what people are going to talk about.

Leeds is a great place to live, probably one of the best in the UK. There's big city amenities along with amazing countryside. You should consider yourself very fortunate not dreading the move.

Sorry for the typos. My phone hates me.

I also meant to say there is loads going on. Within walking distance I am in a choir, writing group and climbing club. I paddle board at weekends on the canal and swim at a 50 metre pool.

Yesterday I walked to my mum's house (half an hour through the woods) and had three chats on the way with people I knew and bumped into. It does have a villagey feel in parts (at least where I live) as people seem to walk a lot rather than drive.

YABVU OP. Leeds is a fabulous place, on The Times' list of best places to live in 2024.

I grew up in Alwoodley which is a great place to bring kids up.

Average rainfall SW - 900–1,000 mm. Average rainfall Leeds - 800-900mm.

From The Times - Best place to live in the north and northeast of England - Leeds.

With the best-paying jobs outside London, Leeds has established itself as the true northern powerhouse and the place to enjoy a good life on a good salary. Five universities provide youthful energy and it’s the only UK city outside London to have its own opera, ballet and theatre companies. The markets, Victorian arcades and Trinity Leeds megamall make it one of the country’s top shopping destinations and there’s a great choice of places to live, from semi-rural suburbs such as Alwoodley and Horsforth to the new eco homes in the city-centre Climate Innovation District.

Have a look at Kirklees - Kirkburton, Shelly, Highburton. Small village feel but close enough to commute.

I moved from down south to a village about 30 min from Leeds about 18 months ago.
It is slightly cooler and there is more snow but I don’t think it rains noticeably more (and I spend a lot of
time outside). The wind is worse but since I live on top of a moor, I think that has more to do with it than being up north.

I’ve never been happier. The people are very friendly and welcoming as a whole and the area is stunning.

Watch Yorkshire Vet and see how beautiful your surroundings will be!

Move to a small town/village up here. There are plenty. It's the type of place. I wouldn't move from a village to a city. I think the south west is probably the nicest part of our country though. You couldn't make me move to the south east though.

OP, they have tall people in the north too you know. Plus when did half Greek become 'mixed race'? Leeds is over a quarter non -white anyway so more 'diverse' than the UK average. It sounds like you don't want to move and are thinking up reasons. And it's not all lashing rain and bitter winds. The sun shines there too.

I dunno there are plenty of people who genuinely have this attitude.

The weather one is mind boggling, both weeks I've visited the SE this summer its been high twenties/low thirties and no one has wanted to do anything because its too hot. The grass is brown and there is a hosepipe ban so the whole street is out watering the garden at 4am.

There is much 'oh I couldn't bear the cold/rain/snow' from people who spend 30 seconds outside each day going from buildings to cars and back. While I can't drive and do the school run on foot everyday come rain or shine.

‘The north’ apparently one big mass of crime and bad weather according to southerners 😂

Never mind its full of various multicultural vibrant towns and cities, some of the most beautiful nature in England. Some of the nicest friendliest people too. Spread over hundreds of miles ….

I don’t know how us ‘northerners’ cope! I live in Manchester yeah it’s wet a lot but there’s a lot of positives that outweigh it. No where is perfect. You make the best of it.

@Itisjustmyopinion you need to have much more of an open mind when you visit or you won’t see the positives of the places you see.

Bloody hell, are people STILL banging on about the 'crime riddled north'.

We have small villages up here too you know 🙄

The weather is much worse than down South

I'm from 'up north' and have lived all over the north and Scotland and London is literally its own climate

I MOVED to London to get away from the weather. Everyone has moaned on and on about the summer everywhere apart from
London this summer - here we've been without the blistering heat (apart from about 6 days in total) and we've been able to walk around all summer in a t shirt.

There are people putting their heating on all over the country but not here.

This is August - much more dramatic in winter

In January average low of 2 degrees in Leeds in January, doesn't get lower than 8 degrees in London (same website)

I'm from N Yorkshire, fair bit further North than Leeds. It is slightly cooler but it's not as grim as people make out. I don't live there anymore but if we could get the jobs we have here up there, I'd go back in a heartbeat.

The way of life in Yorkshire, outside of the cities, is amazing.

Go visit before the winter hits. I promise it isn't much worse than, for example, the Midlands, and you'll acclimatise quickly.

You need a whippet and a flat cap, that wards off any criminals.

On the where to move to, have you ever been to Harrogate, it's the most middle class area ever. What's your housing budget.

It is not the temperature that would stop me ever living again in the north of England (I did for six years), but the earlier darkness in winter. May only be half an hour, though it does make a difference.

I live in Leeds. Moved here from the Lake District.
First thing the weather- the Pennines shield a good deal of the bad weather so it can be quite nice here and horrendous in Manchester for instance.

Secondly, crime is no worse here than many other places in the South. It's just got more people so reports more, especially on TikTok.

Another example of North South myths and stereotyping. We have rich people here too op!

I think the critical missing info is housing budget. The parts of Leeds or surrounding villages and towns I'd want to live in are not cheap.

That mixed race comment is ridiculous.

Thinking local community Facebook (or similar) accurately represent crime rates is also ridiculous.

Yes it's a few degrees cooler, but it will be drier than where you're moving.