Possible relocate to Huddersfield - can you tell me anything?

[lunavix]

DH and I have wanted to relocate when he gets a new job, we were thinking maybe leeds but the possibility of a good position has come up in Huddersfield. Nothing definate of course, and subject to the usual interviews etc, but I know nothing about the area so was wondering if MNers could enlighten me!!!

How far away from other areas is it? Is it nice? Good schools? Cheap houses? Is there a Uni?

have you had a look at upmystreet? link here
just put huddersfield and you can look up the school stats, crime figures, house prices ect.

I went to uni in Huddersfield for my PGCE. It is a nice town, smaller than leeds and closer to the countryside. It is quite lively and has some excellent restaurants. Good rail links to Leeds and Manchester for shopping and really friendly.

bump

I live in Bradford which is about 10 miles from Hudds. There are some really pretty villages around Huddersfield. Most of the housing I've seen in Huddersfield itself is pretty basic &, like Bradford, there are lots of 'deprived' areas. like anywhere though, there are 'nice' bits & 'not so nice' bits.

If you are coming up from the South it can be a bit of a shock. Most West Yorks towns are more industrial (well ex-industrial) and can take a while to get used to. Having said that I wouldn't move back down south in a million years (I'm from Herts).

There is a Uni - used to be a Poly. There is a new shopping centre and an old style open market, some nice parks and good arts venues.

What sort of things are important to you ? (e.g. entertainment, housing, leisure, transport) - I can ask around as a few of my work colleagues come from Huddersfield area.

Check out Huddsonline for local info.

I want to live in a big city (stuff to do, places to go) we live in a tiny town at the moment and there is nothing to do. Which is why we were thinking Leeds. Would it be an easy commute if we moved to Leeds and dh commuted to Huddersfield?

Our other main motive for moving north is to buy a house, we don't earn anything near what we'd have to to buy a leaky cardboard box around here!

Any hints towards good areas/schools would be great!

I know what you mean about the culture shock of south - north, every time we tell someone about our possible relocate they seem to believe we're moving to the ghetto.

Villages near Huddersfield like Denby Dale are really nice. Great countryside - Emley Moor is lovely, for instance. Holmfirth, where Last of the Summer Wine was filmed (cr*p TV but lovely scenery)is somewhere I've always wanted to live. I lived in Denby Dale as a small child, had friends nearby in Holmfirth, Upper Denby, and surrounding areas. Later lived in Penistone - bit further away but still reachable from Huddersfield, nice market town.

My BIL is in Scisset which is v near to Denby Dale but is classed as Huddersfield. Thats a really nice area lots of local shops easy to get to local busier places like Wakefield, Leeds and even good ole Barnsley

If you did move to Leeds it is an easy commute but that all depends if you fancy battling with the rush our traffic on the M62??? Lot's of nice places there. I'm sure Yorkiegirl will fill you in on places there.

Ooh, I remember Scisset, lovely place!

Hi Lunavix....I used to live in Huddersfield. I lived in the village of Holmfirth. Lovely place, about 15 mins drive from Huddersfield town centre, nice schools with small class sizes. Really friendly and house prices are cheap as chips. I don't know much about other villages and towns in Huddersfield, but marsden is nice too, although further out. There is a uni in Huddesfield too.

pictures of holmfirth

My BIL lives in Denby dale its really nice and they bake the biggest pie in the UK every year!

I moved to a small town near Wakefield 18 months ago and although it took a while to settle, I love it now

You could commute Leeds to Hudds - at least most of the traffic would be going the other way. It's not far in distance but some pretty busy roads.

House prices in the good areas of Leeds are not as cheap as you might think - certainly lots more than Hudds.

Leeds is definately where the nightlife is though. (Can't comment on it cos not really my scene & can't remember the past time I was out past 10.30pm! )

I'll ask about schools at work tomorrow. I have a freind who lives in Raistrick who says the schools are good . It's Calderdale MBC not Kirklees but very close (by the way, if you are doing internet searches, try 'Kirklees' cos that's what the metropolitan district around Huddersfield is called).

Leeds is relatively expensive house wise. Moved up from 'down south' a couple of years ago and eventually decided to live outside Leeds, partly because of house prices and partly because mil lives near Wakefield.

If you can afford to live in Leeds, though, it's a very vibrant city and I don't think that commuting to Hudds would be too bad. Alternatively, live near Hudds and just head into Leeds when you feel the need for nightlife/culture (West Yorks Playhouse, Opera North...).

All the places that have already been mentioned are nice, though I've only lived here for a couple of years, so can't say I know the area that well. I don't really know Huddersfield at all, because I live near Wakefield and work in Leeds. There are some very good schools around. I have a feeling that one of the top 6th-form colleges is in (or near) Hudds (nephew just failed to get in to it...). Schools in the town where I live are fab - spoilt for choice. Definitely better than Leeds, I'd say.

edodgy... the biggest pie in the world... how could anyone resist????

Romany, where are you? I'm in Ossett.

Ellbell
I live in Hemsworth.
Lovely friendly town (NOT!!)

You'll get more for your money in Huddersfield than Leeds, definately. Huddersfield has really pulled itself up by its bootstraps recently and has a good cafe bar lifestyle from what I hear - don't know personally tho' although people I know live in villages on the outskirts with a good community atmosphere and good schools. Nice areas in Leeds tend to be to the north/east (Horsforth, Roundhay - but VERY expensive for Leeds) Kirkstall/Burley has improved, but so have the prices, plus the students have moved in. For an easy commute you would need to be in South (Holbeck, Beeston - not great) or West Leeds for easy access to the M62/A62. Or else there are in between villages such as Drighlington or Birstall. It really depends what you want and most importantly, how much you want to spend...... HTH and good luck with your choices.

I've been to the water park Romany, but that's about it.

How could I forget Denby Dale's chief claim to fame, the enormous pies? The village hall is called the Pie Hall. They've even got the grave of the one pie that went bad, in the local woods (this was back in the 19th century when they used an inferior, ie non-local butcher. A mistake that wasn't repeated. Can you imagine a pie containing 20 sheep, 10 cows and assorted other stuff going off? The smell must have been astonishing...).

Worth moving there for that alone, I'd have thought.

Ohh I don't want nightlife! Maybe a few restaurants and such but nothing clubby!

I'm sad - I want nice pre-schools, groups to take ds to (signing? I know there's a gymboree in Leeds I'm eyeing up) and good schools.

Two fab pub/restaurants between here and Huddersfield.

Kaye Arms at Grange Moor

3 Acres near Emley Moor

Sorry - forgot to ask about schools at work today. Actually the person I'm thinking of that lives over there is off this week - will try to remember next week.