Moving to Weymouth from Leicester??

[BenMiners500]

Hi everyone, I am looking for a bit of advice if possible please! I recently divorced and had lived in Leicester for 20 + years! I always liked Leicester because it was quite liberal where I lived, most people were open minded and it was multicultural which I liked. Some people who visit Leicester can speak negatively of it but I know living there it has lots of good people and never had any issues. I was fortunate to live in a good area which I suppose helps too. Anyway without boring you with my life story I moved away after a nasty divorce and have struggled in the various places I have lived as they have felt so culturally different especially in small villages as you would expect as it is quite a different environment. Anyway my son who lives with me full time has is heart set on moving to Weymouth in Dorset as he likes it and also has friends that way. I have visited in both the summer and winter and I do quite like it but I am concerned if it has much of the culture that I like ( Art, Music, diversity etc ). It does not strike me that it does and Bournemouth feels closer to the culture of Leicester but then I understand it has its problems nowadays like many cities unfortunately. Has anyone here moved to Weymouth from Leicester or come from the similar type of city and if so how have you found it? I know it has lovely beaches and scenery and all of that but what about the culture of the people who live there. I notice it is 98% white British in terms of demographics which concerned me a little. Please can anyone expand on this, I do like Brighton btw and know Weymouth is certainly not that diverse but what is it like generally? I know there will be all sorts living in Weymouth but don't want to move anywhere that is closed off. thanks for listening, Ben

My parents moved to Weymouth when I was early 20’s. It’s very white and not a particularly diverse place. It has become very run down over the years and there isn’t much opportunity. On the plus side, the sea and beach are lovely and the surrounding countryside is beautiful.

I'm incredibly familiar with Weymouth, family links to the town going back 40 years, even got married there. Nice but quiet except for 2-3 months in the summer is how I would describe it. Perhaps a little bit tired at the edges but unlike most UK seaside beach resorts surviving much better than most. When the Navy were baed in Portland, Saturday nights were pretty exciting but that's all gone. The town also use to be pretty lively in January when the Scottish trawler fleet and the Russian factory ships anchored in the bay but that's all history (for a couple of weeks every year the town was like a scene from the film Local Hero). Weymouth does New Years Eve in a really special way, have a look in google. Culture wise... there are events but it's all pretty small stuff. The Pavilion theatre is a venue for 80's bands that refuse to die, tribute acts and panto. Most people in Weymouth think they are diverse but that's only because they are comparing themselves to people from Portland. The town isn't diverse other than a few Turkish Barbers. It's lovely but Weymouth is the antithesis Brighton. There is more going on culture wise in Bournemouth being a university town (also BCP is just bigger) but I wouldn't live there, it's got some pretty difficult problems, all very sad.

thanks for this it helps a lot. I guess it still sounds like a nice place just perhaps not as diverse as Bournemouth or Brighton, but still a good place to live. People seem very friendly that way and maybe being by the sea has a positive affect on people even in the winter. Funny enough I did bump into someone today on a dog walk near me that said it was becoming more diverse as lots of people live in the area from other parts of the UK such as London, Essex, Kent and other areas outside of London. I agree it's much nicer than other seaside towns that can be quite bleak in the winter.

thanks for this, yes I imagine if you took the beach and sea away it would not be quite as desirable. I guess I am curious why certain areas are not so diverse compared to Bournemouth but I guess that's a city which often are more diverse.

As a naval base, it was one of the nicer places to live and the houses were quite cheap. Many of the residents were RN retired but not so much now since the 90's. Other big employers were the prison and borstal in Portland and the Weapons Research Establishment, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. This shaped the demographics for many years.

It's a long way from any big place. Long drive to Bournemouth. Check train fares they used to be expensive on that route to London or Southampton. You won't find anywhere like deMontfort Hall closer than an hour and half drive.