Birmingham- advice on where to live?

[sumoweeble]

I will be a newly single parent. I have 3 kids- two older teens and a 5 year old.

We like:
city life (not villages or suburbs)
walking, good public transport, cycling (I don't drive and though intending to learn am cack handed and it will take years I expect)
the library of Birmingham
parks, museums, cafes, culture, shops
friendly people

We need:
a reasonable primary school and later a secondary school (not grammar or private)
a reasonable 6th form or college (not grammar or private)
cheap accommodation (the cheaper the better! Budget for buying is about £160,000 and I need 3 bedrooms)
Not too far to get to a train station that goes into London youngest child will need to have contact visits with her father there regularly.

Is there anywhere that fits the bill or do I need to think again?

If you're looking to live in Birmingham, I'd suggest looking at Stirchley. It's close to Bournville train station, the train to New St takes about ten minutes from there. There's a cycle route into and out of town, which is about 3 miles away. You can also walk along the Bham and Worcester canal that runs along the train line. Cannon Hill Park is a short walk away.

Hello from the other Birmingham thread. My neighbour just sold her end terrace house for £165k. We are ten min drive to Solihull (don't want to say more than that but happy to PM), 15 min commute to the city, suburbia really. About to buy my house which is a two bed terrace for 135k. My other neighbour just put the end terrace on the market too!

Or sutton coldfield nice town schools close train sutton park etc. - castle bromwich train station 10 mins to birmingham international by car - solihull - great shops town but pricey on houseing - look at sutton college

You'd be very lucky to buy in Sutton or Solihull for £160000 though?

ooo! Thank you all very much.:)

Stirchley sounds good and exciting, UncertainSmile. I do like a canal! I must come up and explore soon.

Your area sounds great too, BigPaws. Definitely in my price range.

Not so sure about Sutton Coldfield as think I'd prefer the city proper rather than a town (even a lovely one like SC sounds) and definitely definitely don't want to be reliant on a car in the first instance. Are the transport links there good enough not to have a car do you think?

Yes, US, Stirchley comes up on my right move searches as does Edgbaston and some bits of Kings Heath but not Solihull or Sutton Coldfield.

The main road that runs through Stirchley is a little run down, it borders Bournville though (you can sometimes smell Dairy Milk) which is a bit more expensive. There's Kings Norton too, one stop further on the train/twenty minutes walk along the canal.

I like run down/a little scuzzy round the edges, actually. I think Stirchley could suit us very well.:)

I also like the smell of dairy milk. And my teenagers like Five Guys and there is one in Birmingham!

Kings Heath is up and coming; the train station went in the 1950s, but the bus into town doesn't take long. Kings Heath borders Stirchley and Moseley. Moseley is achingly trendy, and apparently it's the best place to live in the country now?
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/moseley-village-named-best-place-8799563

What about the A435? Not too close to town - inner city is always a bit grim - but further out you get Moseley and Kings Heath. Lots of parks (Canon Hill, Kings Heath, Moseley bog). Lots of culture / cafe / pubs / music.
Not sure about schools, you'll have to research that.

I currently rent in la-de-da Harborne, but could never afford to buy here. If and when I buy again, It'll probably be in Stirchley.

Stirchley is certainly doable with your budget, the roads off and in between Mary Vale Road and Bournville Lane are nice. Avoid Edgbaston. Look at Cotteridge, which borders Bournville and Stirchley, for instance Midland Road, Rowheath Road, Park Avenue. Happy hunting, Birmingham's a great place.

Harborne state secondary schools are not so good because all the la-de-da go private.

There is an arts centre, called MAC, in Cannon Hill park.

Wow. Best place in the country eh? Stirchley will be better when we move there though! Kings Heath sounds good too.

Plock, that's exactly the bit of Stirchley I was thinking of, the area surrounding the station. The Monopoly streets (Regent, Oxford and Bond), Victoria and Charlotte Road, and the bigger villas on Mary Vale Road.

Thanks plockplock. That's helpful. I am v excited! Hoping that moving to Brum will be a much needed fresh start for us in due course. Complicated situation with partner means it could take some time to get there but that means I have time to research and plan and do little check out Birmingham trips.

ooo, my daughter could do a creative course at mac!

Has anybody told OP yet that there are no pubs in Bournville.

Look I could live on Bond Street for under £150,000!

But I can cycle into town along the canal and get to the non quaker bits where they have gin in jamjars, no?

There are pubs in Stirchley though!

Not too sure about the schools...

There's a pub a stones throw from Bond Street, the up and coming British Oak.

And you're very close to the station there. No parking though...

Aces to the up and coming British Oak! Well, apparently Stirchley Primary is rated good by ofsted...