Can add my one tell me what kind of a place is Portsmouth?

[LuluuB]

Hi I’m considering relocating to Portsmouth but want to hear others thoughts on what it’s like to live there? Please share. . .

I like Portsmouth but like all places, it depends where exactly in the city you are thinking of living.....

I have lived very close, personally wouldn’t recommend due to my preferences. Very busy, especially in summer, difficult to park at certain times.

It’s not my cup of tea, but I’m not really the type of person that enjoys living in or close to a city so I appreciate my opinion might not be what you’re after.

Southsea is lovely. Buckland and Landport not so nice. I live nearby and love to visit Old Portsmouth ,but it's not a great place to commute in or out of due to being an island with only two roads in or out

Loved Pompey. Lived, studied and worked there for 15 years. The further south you are the better for living in IMO. Southsea, Eastney, Old Portsmouth. But more expensive.

You don't need a car if you live in those areas, but if you're commuting on and off the island each day, be prepared for the sheer volume of traffic.

I love Portsmouth. Went to Uni in the 90s there and don't live too away now. I'd love an apartment on the sea front when we retire (if we can't get one abroad 😄).
There's some great pubs and restaurants. There always something going on on the common in the summer, including Victorious festival. Gun Warf Quays is fab for shops and bars etc. Albert road has some great shops. The actual Commercial Rd shopping area is far from amazing, but Southampton can make up for that if you needed better options.
So thumbs up from me, but you don't say your age, situation etc so hard to be specific about what may or may not be good for you.

I know Portsmouth pretty well. I live close by and visit often for days out and going out for dinners etc. I also have work colleagues who live in various parts of the city.
It's a great place to live I think. The city is busy, it's a university city so lots of students. Obviously by the coast so some great walks and beaches at Southsea are fab. Old Portsmouth is very cool and has some great places to wander.
I think there is something for everyone. Cool bars and places for nights out, great walks, absolutely loads of history especially maritime. Gunwharf Quays is an amazing shopping complex. Port Solent in also super nice to visit. Some lovely smaller suburbs around Portsmouth too with some great schools.
There is so much in and around Portsmouth you'll certainly never be bored!
You'll always find some people who will have negative things to say about every city so I wouldn't dwell too much on negativity.
Spend a few days down there and see what you think yourself.

lol I’m from Southampton side so probably best not :)

Some bits are actually quite nice, and the bits between Southampton and Pompey are really lovely in places.

I grew up in the bit in between and it was lovely - Alverstoke is still one of my favourite places

what do you want - city/coast/village/town?

I think it's a nice relaxed city. It's got a reputation for being rough and it certainly does have that element but it's more gobby kids and poor people getting drunk and nicking stuff rather than armed gangs or moped thefts.
There are nice bits and not so nice bits but the beach and old town are great.
The traffic and parking are indeed crap. Also the surrounding area isn't great. It's a while before you get to nice villages unlike nearby Chichester or Fareham.

I’d move there if I worked there. Lots going on, mix of real life, heritage etc. decent hospitals. Rough around (lots of) the edges but definitely worse places to live.

I was in Alverstoke as well, well technically not, I lived near the immigration centre-if you know then you know. Now in Peterborough

I live in Portsmouth and have done for 18 years since relocating from Edinburgh. I have brought my children up here. Its really good now, become more cultural over the years, better restaurants, food, festivals etc. It's got a amazing seafront (just as good as Brighton) and a similar but perhaps more laid back vibe. Southsea is the place to be in my opinion, more pricey but worth it.

*an amazing

It depends on the area you choose. Southsea/Albert Road area has a cool, vibrant vibe. If you decide that you don’t want to live in Portsmouth itself, there are loads of beautiful rural villages in the nearby Meon Valley or quieter costal places like Emsworth. Chichester is also lovely.

As others have said, Portsmouth is a big place and the areas vary tremendously. I love it here, it is very friendly and sociable and lots of entertainment most nights.

If I was moving into the area id probably look at Milton or Portchester which is slightly north.

I was born, bred and live in Southampton and have relatives in Portsmouth.

It's like any city, has great and awful parts. Southsea is fabulous but parking is a nightmare!

Wonderful promenade along the seafront (hence the parking problem) and a great mix of old and new.

@Tinysarah1985 I do - it has changed a lot though I do miss the nightclubs on the harbour front many evenings spent there

love the fact it is an island thiugh which given I was born on it took me a shockingly long while to realise!

Gosport dweller here - don't kid yourself 😆

With what my memories or visiting friends or like a lot of the UK is isn’t what it was in the 90s

because it is still one of my favourite places

I live just outside (Fareham) but the only reason we didn't buy in the city was the nightmare of getting on and off the island at peak times. Having said that, both kids go to school there (by bus) and I do my hobby there so I've ended up driving into the city at least 3 times a week.

Areas I'd consider are Drayton, Farlington (both on the outskirts) and Southsea, Old Portsmouth in the city proper. Everywhere else tends to be terraced, narrow roads with nightmare parking. Southsea is awful too but a lot of roads are now resident only which probably helps.

It's a great city. Always something going on. The traffic on and off the island is a nightmare but the coast is beautiful. Or you can live on the edge of the southdowns and enjoy the beautiful countryside and be a taxi ride away from the nightlife and fun Pompey has to offer. Diverse, busy, fun.

It depends what you like. I remember it as a run down town with squaddies from the marines. Circa.1980s.
My dds bf went there to uni and very quickly dropped the course and went back to London. Circa 2013.

Or Gospit as I call it, it winds my mum up so much! I used to work at the
police station so have seen the shitty underbelly of the place.

It changed a lot in the 90's. For the better. A lot of investment. A heritage to be proud of now.

I’ve lived in central Portsmouth since I was 16, I’m 61 now so seen a lot of changes . I also work in a main central Supermarket as see it as it is .
Theres good and bad here, areas to avoid and areas that are nice.
Depends what you like and what lifestyle you aim for ?

Nice Bits:
The beach area which has recently been undergoing a complete facelift . Lovely to walk along any time of year .Its stones ,no sand but still nice for a bit of sunbathing , or a deckchair and book .
very much a summer place and the areas of grassy land just beyond the beach is nice for BBQs , get togethers etc .
Gunwharf Quays , nice if you like outlet shopping and loads of pubs and bars .Lots of visitors there in the summer so gets busy.
Great football club Play up Pompey, even if they aren’t doing so great at the moment .
Not so Nice bits :
Be very choosy as to where you live. If you are planning on buying or renting a house in Portsmouth , the central parts are terrible for parking . If we go out in the evening we always get taxis as there’s never any parking anywhere .
Best to look at properties with dropped curbs, garages or a designated space . It will drive you insane trying to park .
High crime rate here , again the central areas , North End /Fratton the worst . Lots of shoplifting .
HMOs going up everywhere , mostly for overseas hospital staff as we have one of the largest hospitals in the South here .
No dentist spaces unless like me your private , I had no choice .
Doctors not great either but I think that’s everywhere .
The main town shopping area . It’s awful , no nice shops, full of homeless people which is sad , very very run down, seems to me all the money is pumped into Gunwharf Quays . If I want to go clothes shopping I usually go out of town to Havant or Southampton .
Nice areas to live are Milton, parts of Copnor where you can park, and small pockets of Southsea but equally Southsea is full of student bedsits.
Just outside of Portsmouth is better to live as easy to travel in.
If you want to know anything specific just ask .