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.

We are already working with her HR and Global Talent team on that. They have said getting her a work visa under their UK offices would not be an issue.

I’d be looking at Stirling or maybe Dundee - Inverness, whilst having great countryside nearby, is quite remote.

Perth might be an option too?

Not sure why Scotland is your 1st choice?
The weather alone is a negative.

We have lived in the “tropical paradise” known as Florida and the frozen tundra of New York State in the US. We prefer the cooler climates for sure.

We have visited Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland. We enjoyed our time at all of them. But our visit to Scotland definitely had us thinking that we could definitely see ourselves there.

No such thing as bad weather in the North of Scotland, just the wrong clothes 😉

If you can be anywhere in Scotland, I'd consider places around Perth too.

It's beautiful, fairly central and wonderful for outdoor lovers.

If your wife can work anywhere but your heart is set on Scotland, I would HIGHLY recommend St Andrews if you wanted a small city or any of the villages in the East Neuk of Fife if you would consider something even smaller.

Ha! You’d definitely need need the right clothes for St Andrews.

So why not edinburg or glasgow?

So why not Edinburgh or Glasgow?

How old are your dc and how long are you planning to stay in the U.K.? Are you sure you don't want to move to the south east of England and into the English schooling system and close transport links to Europe? Is your planning being driven by your wife's salary and rent/cost of living etc? When you visit spend a bit of time speaking to people about the schooling system and healthcare system in Scotland currently.

Have you looked in to Linlithgow? It's in a great central location with excellent train links, lovely town centre, countryside on your doorstep and near the coast, and loads going on for families. Only problem might be getting a family home for £300k as property prices here are a bit crazy.

Aberdeen is the most expensive city in the UK outside of London.

it’s heavily focused on oil, and while it’s an attractive city with great areas, I found it a bit dull.

I’d go for Inverness for quality of life.

Stirling great as it’s very central in Scotland so you are half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh. beautiful countryside and lots of good schools in surrounding areas.

are you looking for a city? Or rural lifestyle?

where do you need to work?

I live in montrose (which is halfway between Dundee and Aberdeen) and I would say Dundee is pretty good now there has been a lot of investment.

St Andrews is lovely but expensive.
Dunfermline is nice!

The Black Isle is great but it’s difficult without a car and it’s not often rental properties for families become available.

In Inverness, I like Holm, maybe Lochardil or Ness side. Culloden is quite nice too.