Huntingdon-what’s it like?

[goants]

We will need to downsize from the South East due to health reasons …

What is Huntingdon like as a place to live?
We like traditional looking towns with some traditional housing, with good amenities including a cinema and a safe friendly vibe.

We’d spend £500k tops for a 3 bed detached. Are we dreaming?

It's not very nice to be honest. We're about 15 minutes away and have to go into Huntingdon every so often.

It's got some pretty bits, but it's pretty grubby and run down.

I grew up about 20 mins away. You’d be better off trying to find a house in one of the surrounding villages or st ives. Huntingdon itself isn’t very nice

Oh what a shame! It looks pretty nice online!

hmm what about Peterborough or Grantham??

It depends what you’re looking for - do you need good primary or secondaries? Godmanchester and St Ives are both nice, with amenities and ‘traditional’ look, but you may struggle to find something nice on that budget.
Hinchingbrooke is a good secondary, but the one in St Ives has a less good rep.
There are some lovely villages around Huntingdon - the Hemingfords, the Offords, Kimbolton. Depends how far out you’re prepared to be. I’m 20 mins outsideHuntingdon in a lovely village, but there are no amenities or bus links!
I don’t know about Grantham but I’d avoid Peterborough - regularly voted the worst place to live in the UK….!
What about Stamford?

Huntingdon is ok, some nice historic buildings, ok amenities. I can think of worse places to live but also perhaps some nicer ones. Depends how 'naice' you want it.

The villages mentioned are all nice, although a drive for amenities.

St Neots has a cinema and other amenities and is worth considering. Good for travel to London or north.

St Ives benefits from good transport links to Cambridge but no trains.

Traffic in St Ives and Huntingdon can be gnarly at times.

Horrible run down place. I wouldn't move there.

St Ives is much nicer.

Peterborough is full of drug addicts, I wouldn't move there either. If you do avoid Orton, Hampton & Breton like the plague.

Have a look at Waterbeach and surrounding areas. Nice and close to Cambridge and a good train line

Schools won’t be required by the time we move…. Thank you for the insights. I’ll look at St Ives Waterbeach…

what about Grantham?

we aren’t really village people (ha!)

What it is like to live in, is very very dull. So if you like literally nothing you'll do fine.

My lovely, funny friend had a baby while living there. She found it miserable and difficult to make friends despite the ante-natal classes etc. They fled as soon as they could.

Huntingdon and Wisbech have both seen better days, lots of empty shops and very obvious homelessness problems. Parts of Peterborough are fine, I know people in St Ives and in March and they like them. And I hear Ely is still a nice place to be.

Nooooo Peterborough is much worse, it's really rough and full of junkies. I feel far less safe there at night than in London.

That's the problem with these more reasonably priced areas, they're horrible.

I don't know Grantham but both Huntingdon and Peterborough are really rough.

The only thing good I have to say about Huntingdon is that the Old Bridge pub used to do a great chocolate chip cookie.

I agree with those that say St Ives. Much better than Huntingdon. Easy to travel to Huntingdon to the cinema etc.

Huntingdon is rough. St Neots would be nicer. Ely posher.

oh then maybe not Peterborough then either!

Wellingborough? That’s about as far north as I could go I think…

Any other criteria you are looking for?
Why Huntington/Peterborough area in particular?

What about more Cambridge way - that's pretty. Several houses in your price range in surrounding villages.

Or towns further south like Bishops Stortford. Or you could look at places more north near Norwich way which is closer to the coast.

Huntingdon is pretty grotty. Godmanchester is much nicer, as is St Ives. There are also loads of villages nearby, where you'd be within easy access of the facilities Huntingdon has, but without having to live there.

@Butterfly44 the rough location means I’d be quite a bit nearer to family :) they’re spread all over.

Would need to move farther away from the south east to take advantage of house price differences.

Ely and St Ives are nicer, but will of course be more expensive.

Best way to decide would be to visit and see the area/people watch. There are all quite close so you could visit more than one. St Ives is nice as others have said.

I don't love Huntingdon. We live in Godmanchester and do love it. Village feel - close enough to Huntingdon to walk into town. St Ives is pretty but I always feel like the average age there is much old (not sure if that's true - its just what I notice when I go to st ives)
Huntingdon doesn't have many shops but does have the basics ie tk maxx, next, food m&s, peacocks, wilko, shoezone etc.
Also close to Cambridge and Peterborough and easy to get to London.
No issues finding sub 500k 3 bed. I wouldn't live in Peterborough either.

@goants Wellingborough is even rougher, if that’s possible! Def avoid.

Honestly, OP, Huntingdon isn’t AWFUL. It’s like many rural towns these days - run down high street, quite a bit of poverty and petty crime, but there’s a lot going for it. Cinemas, gyms, all the big shops and an M&S Food, a fast train to London, some decent pubs. Surrounded by nice countryside, access to Cambridge etc.

chi-chi it ain’t, but you’ll get the house you want at a good price.

You could easily stroll round Huntingdon, Godmanchester and St Ives in a day and see how you feel.

It's dull like a lot of towns. There are nice bits and crap bits.

All the nicest places are in the surrounding villages.