Help me decide, this area or the other?!

[lifeparadox333]

We lived orig centre of big City, on a well regarded nice estate, close to a high school but that doesn't have a great rep, similar to most in the city. Walking distance to 4-5 fab parks, meaning more walking etc and walking distance to town with better shops I prefer. We moved 6 yrs ago more to DH request to a town 10 miles out of the city on the outskirts a town that's regarded as safer, less crime, high school isn't great but a bit better than inner city, middle and first schools much better but in my view I'm not sure whether that has much bearing. We could live where we are and be pretty much mortgage free as prices are a lot less! Have so many more parks to walk my children to, where we are here I have to drive out either to these parks or the ones in the town as they aren't in walking distance and they're crap. My DH is putting a lot of emphasis on this being a much better area, much better schools but I don't agree. I'm less worried about first and middle schools but high schools here isn't app that well regarded, the one in the old town is rough, I'm wondering if state comprehensive is even worth that much as I don't recall learning anything useful that has contributed to my working life except the GCSEs that helped me to gain my first job and since then I've gone off experience and job skill! So honestly I'm not to bothered about the schools. But the kids in the inner city have fights occ with another local school and read police had to keep the kids in longer the other day as other school kids outside with tools 🤦‍♀️ this was a thing when I went there many yrs ago but honestly most kids just stay away from it, it's only the stupid ones that would involve themselves. My mother just told me to be more cautious about who I chose as friends and tbh most of my year were a good bunch. The estate there is surrounded by some rougher run down area and that is what worries DH. A few of our old school pupils ended up on drugs or in a mess but they came from homes where their parents kicked them out all day, most of us had homes to go back to and didn't feel that amount of freedom, so I'm thinking it's not just school but how you're brought up too and guided!

I feel like I have no life here, the town is awful, it's got loads of restaurants we never go to as so busy with the kids but there are some nice places to eat here, many bars and places to drink but the inner city doesn't as it's so run down no one drinks there or goes out they come to towns like ours for drinks and food but we don't do this that often and haven't for 6 yrs as have small children and want another.

I miss just being able to step out the door & walk to all the parks as that's where I am a lot of the time & will be for the next 8 yrs or more, so instead I'm having to drive out to them the 9 miles or so. I have started to park us a little way if a walk out so we can still walk to them and really enjoy that but I feel like it's madness I'm going back there all the time but I'm still able to live here and manage to use what is offers just not how id prefer.

There are a couple of lovely streets there & our old estate is lovely, it has some wonderful views to across the city and reminds me of all the yrs I grew up there and brings back so many good memories, here is flat and there is no memories of anything.

I'm I just being nostalgic, or having rose tinted glasses and not being sensible. But I can't help but feel there we'd be mortgage free and have more disposable income which we don't here. He feels we'd squander spare cash but I don't see it like that! We could stay in that home until the end of our days potentially but here we can't as all our money would be locked in to it. There we'd have more to either save and some more to live and travel more which I want to do.

So we just want differnt things I don't know and I'm so confused! It's driving me mad as I just aren't happy and need to do something about it!

Thank you