What is Newmarket like as a place to live?

[Avocadosmoothie]

Hello, I am relocating to Cambridge next year with my husband and we are wondering what Newmarket is like as a place to live? I am pregnant and we would be looking to raise our family there. Are houses easy to find? We have a budget of c £600 and would like something rural / semi rural so probably the outskirts of a town. Thanks!

have heard very bad things about Newmarket schools generally.
Not sure the town is especially nice from what I've seen either - unless you are v rich horsey type. For a village feel, I think you'd be better in a smaller village closer to Cambridge, or if you don't mind a small town, then Saffron Walden. Shelfords, Linton, Fulbourn, or villages out towards royston way, can always get to Trumpington P&R from there. Granchester would be lovely too. But for £600K, you'd be able to get something in Cambridge itself, which would make the commute and schools much much easier.

Newmarket is a dump! High Street is full of betting shops and discount stores. A few very upmarket shops (wine, fashion boutiques) for those in the racing business, and everything else is pretty downmarket.

Don't worry - it doesn't feel urban at all! Gets snarled up with traffic on big racing dates though.
Lots of nice villages in the area though, and with £600k should be able to buy something pretty decent.

However if your husband will be working at Addenbrookes, this side of Cambridge is not the best location. Yes, you can get to Addenbrookes in under half an hour when there's no traffic, but presumably he'll be mostly working daytime hours - in which case he'll be spending a lot of time sitting in a traffic queue morning and evening.
Better to buy in Cambridge or somewhere to the South of town.

Newmarket's a funny old town (I think). Like someone mentioned upthread, extremes of poverty and wealth. The centre of town is mainly boarded up shops and Poundland/Claire's Accessories types of things, and feels quite run-down and depressing. Puts me in mind of that song, "Ghost Town"?

You mention Saffron Walden, it has a very village-ey feel. V. nice. I'd live there. I live in Bury, which is lovely, but that's too far for you? There are so many charming villages around Cambridge though.

Newmarket doesn't have a middle class, its all owners and stable-lads so the old joke goes;!

Walden is very naice but house prices are much the same as Cambridge tis that railway station at Audley end sees to that, the car park is filled with very expensive metal.

Addy brookes is a PITA to get to the traffic around Cambridge is very bad but they do have the Addenbrookes relief road now to the M11 a railway station is planned too. I don't think there's a perfect place for your quest OP but if you have £600K to spend it does open the choice up the shelfords and whittlesford and Duxford are very pleasant, come up and have a look around sometime if you can.

The other village we love is fulbourn. Drive over the goggs to get to Addenbrookes. There will be traffic but not a huge problem

I live in Balsham, near Linton. Good schools and a true village, but with a great pub and a cafe!!

Actually Fulbourn and Balsham are a pretty straightforward run to Addenbrookes . Beware usuing Worts Causeway its got rising bollards in working hours.

i went to Newmarket last week, I don't know it very well but it has a Waitrose. But of a weird place, has lovely villages on the outskirts (if you come up for a visit stay and eat at the Packhorse in Moulton) but the place itself looks run down - lots of empty shops.

I'd go either a surrounding village like Borough Green or Brinkley or where we are if commuting into London isn't an issue, or somewhere closer to Saffron Walden,

A budget of 600k will/should get you a 4-5 bed around here, detached. Less in Cambridge.

Great Shelford, Stapleford are within cycling distance and feel fairly rural. Sawston not too far. Not sure why you would look at NM if you have no connection there and the job is based in Cambridge. Nightmare getting between the two in rush hour (which lasts about 3 hours around here!). Newmarket is a tale of two towns. cambridge south schools much better and more mixed demographics.

St Neots/ Huntingdon would be preferable as they are on guided bus. Waterbeach and Ely on train line then a short bike ride to Addenbrookes.

Saffron Walden is very nice with a bus to Cambridge.

btw do not base your decision on your DH driving to work. I would strongly advise working out a good public transport or cycling route. Honestly traffic is awful around here and only set to get worse.