Relocating to Norwich for a young family (from London)

[JollyTeaScroller]

After looking at Cambridgeshire and finding the house prices quite expensive, we stumbled upon some very beautiful houses in Norwich which we could afford! In Cambridgeshire, we seemed to have settled for Ely, as a more affordable place. (Budget around 450k for a 3 bed house, which did not take us very far for Cambridge.)
I have been reading threads on mumsnet and reddit and a few people seem to compare Cambridge and Norwich, with Norwich coming up as more friendly and Cambridge a bit more 'snobbish'. Of course I am sure these are generalisations and exceptions will exist.
The most appealing facts I have read about Norwich was that it was walkable, doable without a car (I am currently learning to drive but do not love it) and that people are friendly and there is a sense of community.
Others said it was more 'sleepy', 'backward' and more like a retirement place. Again, I take these with a grain of salt. The other thing I read, is that it can feel quite isolating as everything is far away, with Cambridge being the closest, but if we have everything we need close to us, I am sure we will be okay.
We looked at some properties in NR2 and NR4 and the Golden Triangle, and we also saw some great sounding primary schools.
We are Danish and Greek, and we are used to the diversity of London but want something calmer for our young family. Do you know anything about any Danish or Greek community in Norwich? In Cambridge there is a Greek church and I believe they teach Greek on Saturdays.
Ideally we would like to be close to a nursery and a good primary and a good secondary, so we don't have to consider moving again down the line.
We both cycle and like it.
We like pubs, coffee shops and love food, so it would be great to be near some nice restaurants.
Any recommendations for a nice area, walking distance from a good primary, and in the catchment for a good secondary?
We will be going to stay in an AirBnb soon, so we can explore it.
Many thanks!

Know all the areas well.

Cambridge. Pretty. Full of twats thinking they are elite. They're not. You'll find more wealth and well read people in the surrounding villages. I get second hand embarrassment with the way they all strut about. There's also the eco brigade who genuinely think they're terribly edgy the first people to wear dungarees and ride bikes with wicker baskets. Oh, and fuck all the cyclists. Many are dangerous. Good restaurants. Close to London. Most people there are quite competent but everything is expensive for no reason. Very very diverse.

Norwich. Less pretty but still some pretty parts. No sophistication but virtually no crime. Far better place for raising children. Cheap houses. Cheaper living in general. Good restaurants. Better shopping. The surrounding areas can be frustratingly slow. We had to use a car dealership just North of Norwich last year, and it honestly felt like we were being pranked, we left an hour later bemused and no further forward than when we arrived.

Ely is pants. Hence the affordability.

Have you looked at St Ives in Cambs? Very pretty with the guided bus connection into Cambridge. Norwich is great and would probably tick a lot of boxes of what you are looking for, also have you considered Bedford?

Give me Norwich over Cambridge any day! Norwich is great, with plenty of character and as pp said there are a lot of twats in Cambridge. Both have decent hospitals and a mix of schools

I love Norwich, very pretty, good schools, close to the beach. Easy to walk to the city centre from the golden triangle. You will probably need a car to get anywhere else though.

Ely is lovely too but much smaller. Good trains but countryside around isn’t as nice. Certainly not pants!

I would suggest Bury St Edmunds as a nice place to live. Smaller than Norwich/Cambridge but bigger than Ely. Good schools.

Wouldn’t live in St Ives because the Ivo is a bad school and no hope of getting into out of catchment schools.

I think you would prefer Cambridge to Norwich. It's more diverse and has much more to offer. Norwich and the surrounding areas are lovely (I know them very well), but people are insular. Cambridge will suit you better.

We moved to a South Norfolk town from London 15 years ago. We visit Norwich most weekends. We love Norwich. But what I will say is yes, if you live in central Norwich you can probably manage without a car but you’ll enjoy Norfolk a lot more with a car. Most things outside of Norwich are a good drive away, and if you have young children a lot of the popular days out / country walks / nice places to visit require a car and outside of central Norwich public transport is awful. The town we moved to is on the direct London - Norwich line and when we first moved I had high hopes of perhaps commuting to London a couple of days a week (and people do do this) but the trains are SO unreliable it makes it very difficult.

We go to Cambridge sometimes for day trips but it’s not as friendly and peaceful as Norwich.

I know both very well (grew up in one, now live in the other). I think they’re both great, for different reasons. Norwich NR2 ‘Golden Triangle’ area around Unthank Road is probably best suited to an international family moving out of London. You can have a good quality of life in Norwich on a relatively small budget, and it’s very friendly with a strong sense of community.
Cambridge, however, is an international city that is outward looking, and has excellent schools and professional opportunities - especially since its striking distance from London. However it is a bit uptight / alpha, more transient (people moving in and out for just a couple of years) and very expensive.

I think you will prefer Norwich for a slower pace of life, but stick closely around the Unthank Road Nr2 area.

Centre of Cambridge is tourist hell. I really don't like it. Much more transient in terms of its population.

Norwich is more balanced somehow. Easy to get to the coast. Drawback is it is a bit out of the way if you want to travel between cities.

Norwich is a great city. I would be careful of schools though - secondaries aren’t great so keep a close eye on catchment areas. We’re London but come from Norwich, every time I go back I think I’d love to move up there and then I’m reminded of the schools (which i used to teach in) and am glad we’re in London now. There are a few good ones though so do your research.

Also - if you want to travel anywhere else round the country it’s a pain.

Cambridge actually isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's very much a tale of two cities. Yes, academic and pretty. But also a lot of under privileged, homeless, undertone of threat on the streets.

Norwich is very pretty. Very unpolluted. Near the coast. Near Ipswich, Lowestoft, Bury St. Edmunds. Lovely restaurants, café culture, bucolic countryside, beaches very nearby.

Travel from Norwich is easier now the A11 has been dual carriageway'd. Has an airport. Trains around the UK connecting via Peterborough.

@Picklechickenyou are near me! Since there’s only 1 station in south Norfolk that’s on the Norwich - London line. I agree that Norwich is a lovely city and good value for money.

thank you, we are in (east) london too but we like the idea of being close to the beach, and the vibe in Norwich sounds a lot friendlier than London or Cambridge.
Any idea of any good schools? do you teach primary or secondary? I found a couple of good primaries but would be keen to combine it with secondary so we don't have to move again
Also it seems like we can afford NR2 (as prices so much more reasonable there) but worried about transient people or student rentals, but we really do not want to go to a village, as visiting the villages around cambridge made us feel like it would be too much of a culture shock

you can definitely afford NR2 on your budget. Don’t let estate agents fob you off on the parameters of the ‘golden triangle’ as ideally you want the area between Earlham Road and Newmarket Road (Unthank Road down the middle), and Mile End/Colman Road the boundary. Most of the streets are Victorian terraces, but you can find pockets of later housing which can be good value if that type suits you. Some of the terraced streets are definitely studenty, but others far less so. Best to have wander around and see which areas you like. I can’t say much about schools except that Recreation Road school used to be well regarded and in demand.

Unless you enjoy a very parochial community where everyone has a comment to make about complete strangers’ clothes, hair, make up or general demeanour despite gaining nothing from it (usually from a passing car or a safe distance) I’d give Norwich a miss

thanks for this, made me laugh. cambridge does not seem very diverse to me, mainly white. But it is interesting what you say about the energy, I think I would prefer approachable than sophisticated. whereabouts have you chosen to live?

Cambridge is much, much, more diverse than Norwich when it comes to nationality, and it actually has one of the highest proportions of East Asian people for any town or city in the UK. It is mainly white, as you say, but international families like yours with one or both parents not from the UK and speaking English as an additional language are very typical in Cambridge.

haha seriously? I come from a place like this, I would certainly hope my children do not grow up in such a place! Why do you say that? Is Cambridge a lot better in this regard? Whereabout do you live?

I grew up in Norwich and moved to Harlow to escape it. Can’t walk down the street in any part of Norwich without encountering a group of women who will make a point of laughing loudly and peering at you to see if you react.

men in passing cars howling FATTY out of the window as you walk down a suburban street.

older women giving you the side eye while muttering “look at the state of that!” from the safety of distance.

just horrible people who can’t mind their own

I grew up in Norwich and moved to Harlow to escape it. Can’t walk down the street in any part of Norwich without encountering a group of women who will make a point of laughing loudly and peering at you to see if you react.

men in passing cars howling FATTY out of the window as you walk down a suburban street.

older women giving you the side eye while muttering “look at the state of that!” from the safety of distance.

just horrible people who can’t mind their own

I grew up in Norwich and moved to Harlow to escape it. Can’t walk down the street in any part of Norwich without encountering a group of women who will make a point of laughing loudly and peering at you to see if you react.

men in passing cars howling FATTY out of the window as you walk down a suburban street.

older women giving you the side eye while muttering “look at the state of that!” from the safety of distance.

just horrible people who can’t mind their own

I grew up in Norwich and moved to Harlow to escape it. Can’t walk down the street in any part of Norwich without encountering a group of women who will make a point of laughing loudly and peering at you to see if you react.

men in passing cars howling FATTY out of the window as you walk down a suburban street.

older women giving you the side eye while muttering “look at the state of that!” from the safety of distance.

just horrible people who can’t mind their own

Wow, I have NEVER experienced that. I live 5 miles from city centre and until recently worked in the city daily.

I moved from Cambridge to South Norfolk and would never go back. The people in Cambridge are horrible compared to in Norfolk. Everyone is so friendly. You won’t regret it.