Decent areas to live in Manchester.

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Hi

Which decent areas would you recommend in Manchester?

The south of Manchester (sale, Altricham etc) seems quite expensive, so what are the other areas that are decent enough to live in, where people are friendly, and there are low crime rates?

If possible, please share the postcodes.

I have been looking on rightmove, zoopla areas like stockport but which area within that are safer?
We are a young family looking to buy a flat/apartment with 2-3 bedrooms. And parks, schools and safe neighbourhood matters to make a decision.

thank you!

You'll really struggled with a 250k budget in south Manchester, I think you'd even struggle in Prestwich unless you get a reno project.

Middleton is about 20/30 mins from the city centre depending on traffic. There's a train station but it's way out of town, it does get to Victoria in ten mins though. Middleton in itself is run down and pretty grim, however Alkrington is lovely and has great schools and a lovely community feel if you're on the right side. Blackley, Harperhay, Moston, you will find cheap houses but the areas are awful. I'd be temped to look a little further out towards Todmorden, Littleborough, Hebden bridge. There are trains straight to Victoria and they are much nicer places to live. Levenshulme has been up and coming for a few years now and has a cool Shoreditch feel, you'd be looking at a 2 or at a push 3 bed terrace for £250k but you will probably gain equity quite quickly as it'd really becoming gentrified there.

I used to live in Stockport, Reddish to be precise - SK5 7

You want to avoid Gorton/Levenshulme/Brinnington in my opinion.

Be careful about looking at places with crappy public transport or / and are dull - Reddish, Burnage, Droylsden, Northenden - but are relatively cheap.

Forgot to mention the dreaded Longsight.

Reddish has a fab bus service into the town centre, and overland train. I don't know Droylsden but I would feel safe in Reddish or Northenden and most parts of Burnage too.

They are not the hippest of places but for 250k you won't be able to afford to buy in a "fashionable" place.

Yes, you can - in Levenshulme.

For your budget, north Manchester is probably best as you get more for your money out this way. Check out Worsley/Swinton/Pendlebury/Salford/Bury. Some lovely parts in all those places.

we don’t like going to pubs and restaurants that much
i meant to say.

Postcode M25 Prestwich . I believe you would get what you want within your budget. Heaton Park is massive but there's also St Mary's Park and lovely walks through the Clough.
Loads of buses and the tram into Manchester/Bury. You're also close to a motorway junction.
Schools have good reputation.
There are plenty of nice independent style places to eat out and I believe the shopping precinct is due a huge refurb. There's a big Tesco and M and S food hall.

Guys, if you can give me recommendations of the areas other than south of Manchester which we don’t intend to live that be great. All i read is “with this budget you won’t get this and that” . I never said that i need a HOUSE with GARDEN. Normal apartment with 2/3 bed i can see (on rightmove/zoopla) in lots of areas you have quoted which I wont get.

the problem with mentioning the budget is people just focus on one thing.

all i need to know the areas name which are friendly, safe and have good catchment areas.

I wouldn't recommend Urmston, M41, if you have children. It is a very good place to live with primary age dc but if they don't make it into one of the grammar schools (and there are A LOT of pupils trying to get those places, some travelling for an hour or more each way) then the choice of secondary schools for you is very limited, and if I'm honest, shit and unlikely to change.

I live in horwich, BL6 which is just North of Manchester (still in Greater Manchester), beautiful area for walking, good rail connections into Manchester centre (2 stations), reasonably priced property, good primary schools, secondary schools are great (although you will hear differing versions on this topic, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive). Small town feel, I really like living here.

Mine are all N. Manchester areas as that's all I know having grown up here and still living here.

Areas that are considered to be nice with good schools.

OL3 Delph /Diggle /Denshaw / Uppermil countryside , close to lots of walks , pubs, restaurants , good schools but a little further out. Train from Greenfield to Manchester.

OL14 Littleborough - quite a few apartments in the area. Train station to get into Manchester or Leeds. A local school is outstanding.

BL0 Ramsbottom - lovely little village , close to Bury to get into Manchester but indont know about schools. Very popular area for families though so I assume they must have!

OL16 Milnrow - good schools, close to the M62 and tram station

I would probably avoid- inner city areas of I like Newton Heath, Moston, Gorton. Parts of Oldham such as Derker, Glodwick, Westwood and freehold. Parts of Rochdale, Kirkholt , Balderstone.

I’m from Prestwich and currently live in Royton as I can’t afford property in Prestwich anymore. Manchester housing prices have skyrocketed. It’s also not that nice of a place as a whole. Lots of shitty scruffy areas. You just have to pick the best of a bad lot. For the idyllic lifestyle you’re after you’d need a much bigger budget. Middleton is fine. Not the best, but there are much worse areas. Royton is nice enough.

I'm in North Manchester op not too far from middleton. Alkrington is nice as is the far side of middleton towards Castleton (stakehill) there's also some nice parts of failsworth (not Newton heath side) but towards woodhouses is nice m35. There's also some nice parts of chadderton but also some not so nice parts. Royton and shaw are nice and affordable too. Of course Saddleworth way is nice but pricey!

Most of Littleborough is OL15. OL14 tends to be Todmorden and Walsden which you absolutely cannot describe as North Manchester as they are in Yorkshire and cost a lot more for train commuting.

There's two stations one at Littleborough and one at Smithy Bridge. The trains from Lboro are twice hourly with three an hour in rush hour. It's about 25 minutes to Victoria. All the primary schools are good or outstanding. However the only secondary school at the moment is Wardle which is very oversubscribed although it seems to be a pretty good school. The next schools are over the border in Todmorden which is also oversubscribed and awkward to get too as is Hollingsworth Academy. There's a planned new free school now scheduled for 2027 that as supposed to open last year but is on hold.

Littleborough is a lovely place but can feel quite parochial. For hill walking and views it's hard to beat and there's a real mix of housing stock. I grew up there and family still live there so I'm there often

@HobnobsChoice sorry yes I was referring to Littleborough and not the Walsden/Todd areas which are Yorkshire as you have pointed out.

I mean Littleborough/Smithy Bridge/ Milnrow/Newhey which all fall within Greater Manchester. OL16 and OL15 postcodes.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146722193

5 minutes walk from train station - about 45 minutes in to Manchester but parking is a pain in the bum.

Or this one is further from station but has parking.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141828242

Both SK13. Both on edge of Peak District national park.

But further out from Manchester than you wanted to be I think.

This.

Forget Didsbury. It's not an option. Not even for just an apartment.

You'll struggle to get much at all within Trafford on that budget tbh. Again even just an apartment. Most apartments have leasehold clauses - avoid like the plague. There's a few in Alty which looks good on paper but when friend looked into the details they ran a mile due to the small price and realised what had happened to their friends who have ended up properly stuck. I forget which ones it is but there's at least one block of apartments which look attractive but just don't shift because of this.

Seriously look at North Manchester options on this thread rather than South even if you are happy with an apartment.

There's no point in asking people from the area from advice and then saying they are saying the wrong thing because they are focused on budget. They are saying look to the north rather than the south for good reason.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146847230#/?channel=RES_BUY

I used to live very close to here, my friend still does. Solid area, not glamorous or terrible, Reddish Vale on your doorstep. Friend's son went to local schools and now training to be a doctor.

It's where I would look in your shoes.

Lovely house, Something we can imagine myself to be in but then I saw the nearest schools all requires improvement.

What is the postcode in future I have to see here?

Reddish is SK5

Ofsted reports are often gubbins. And "requires improvement" is what used to be "satisfactory' iirc until ofsted decided to use terrible psychology.
My kids went to an "outstanding" primary - well yes it was fine as long as you didn't have any kind of learning or behavioral need, in which case it was appalling. My autistic son went to a high school that at the time was "unsatisfactory" but which was immensely kind, nurturing and caring and which was "good" by the time he left.

I only know Broadstone Hall and St Marys and both are nice little schools.

Actually both those schools are "good" so which ofsted are you looking at?