Relocating to Scotland from USA. Looking for input on neighborhoods in Dundee, Stirling, and Inverness

[NovaSkycrest]

Hello everyone.
Our family is relocating to Scotland in the Summer of 2024 for my wife's work. I will be over there again in May 2023 to scout out neighborhoods in 3 towns we have kind of narrowed things down to for settling in when we arrive; Dundee, Stirling, and Inverness.

We are looking for local feedback for areas to consider for me to scout out during my upcoming visit. We are looking for a community that is family friendly, has good public schools, and has good public transit as we will not have a vehicle when we first arrive. I know "affordable housing" is subjective and markets shift back and forth, so we are watching all the local websites for home sales and renting.

My wife and I are over planners and have spreadsheets of information that help us prioritize our decision making in matters like this. But there is only so much numbers and data can tell us. Thus why I am coming to walk areas in May and get a feel for these towns and neighborhoods.

We have been to Inverness on vacation, but never really left the city center other than taking a cruise on Loch Ness. We do love the highlands, but we read that Dundee and Stirling are also good potential locations for us to settle as well.

Any information is greatly appreciated. We look forward to joining the Scottish community.

Not to nitpick but I think you mean state schools not public schools (which are private schools in UK) Or do you mean fee paying?

I apologize, we are still learning the vernacular. State schools. We are NOT looking to pay fees for schooling.

You might get more replies in the Scotsnet section.

I lived near Dundee and the public transport was decent enough.

No worries-just wanted to get your search going in the right direction!

Very exciting

I live in Stirling so if you have any specific questions, go for it!

ok thank you I will make a posting there as well.

Are there any areas/communities that you would consider more family friendly than others?

They are quite different so an interesting 3 to choose. Do you have no requirements re accessibility to any location/work etc?

id rate them as below:

1. Stirling
2. dundee
3. inverness

any insight into lifestyle/budget would be helpful to guide you though

Torbrex, King’s Park, Cambusbarron, Bridge of Allan are all pretty family friendly. But it's not a big city, mostly residential with a small city centre/touristy area. There are lots of nice villages near Stirling too - Gargunnock, Doune, Thornhill, Dollar. Really depends on your price range and how rural/suburban you want.

I think Aberdeen is a fairly affordable city to live in - was there a particular reason why you were put off Aberdeen?

Is your wife's job in a set location, those 3 areas are quite far apart and in winter some of the routes to the Highlands can be a bit of a nightmare.

those 3 dont make any sense geographically
where will she be working ?

Broughty Ferry is lovely, or across in north east fife, Tayport, Newport on Tay, Cupar?

Where will she be working? None of those cities are close to each other so it's a bit bizarre to have narrowed it down to those 3.

I grew up in Dundee - Broughty Ferry is lovely, an old seaside village that's now part of Dundee. The west end is also a good area. Harris Academy and Grove Academy are probably the "best" secondary schools. Look at the Education Scotland website, it may have inspection reports or grades for schools. (But might not - I've never looked). Public transport is decent enough, buses are pretty frequent.
There's also places just out of Dundee that are commutable - Tayport/Newport over the water, Monifeith/Carnoustie aren't too far out either. Forfar is about 14 miles north of Dundee, Arbroath is also not far and bus links to these towns are not bad.

Sorry, I can't get over going to Inverness on holiday and hardly leaving the "city center" which takes all of fifteen minutes to wander round! Not even taking the bus out to Culloden!

Anyway, of those three places, I'd pick Dundee.

Wife’s job is remote so no real requirements other than high speed internet.

Budget wise would be preferably keeping rent under £1400. Permanent housing we are probably looking for a max of £300,000.

We like being outdoors in our free time. I know there is lots to see throughout the country try so reasonable commute to a train station is a big plus.

Aberdeen was originally on the list, but for whatever reason my wife replaced it with Stirling. We were trying to narrow it down to 3 as my visit in May will be the last time we are there until we move the following summer and my time there will be limited.

If the job is remote will she not be on a work visa then?

Will you be on a visa allowing work, and if so do you want to, and in which field?

You might like the Black Isle for near Inverness. Fortrose has a High School.

Thank you for all the feedback so far.

My wife’s job is remote and she can work anywhere. Her company has offices in several locations through the UK and Ireland.

So what visas do you expect to be on? Or are you and the children all dual citIzens?

Which sort of visa is she coming here on? That will dictate whether or not you can also work which, in turn, could help drive your search.

Is there a column on your spreadsheet for "near a reliable spot to watch Britain's rarest breeding bird, the Slavonian Grebe?" If so, put a tick (check) for Inverness.

The Black Isle is lovely to visit; locals will be able to comment on transport in bad weather, which can be an issue in the Highlands.

We would all have to get visas until we can apply for citizenship.

I believe she would be there under a skilled worker visa or a Global Talent visa. We have not gotten that information from her employer yet.

You definitely need to clarify they will be able to get her a visa based on remote working.