So where *is* the best place to bring up children?

[BananaSkin]

Following on from the thread on Parenting about bringing up children in London, where do you think would be a good place to bring them up? Is there anywhere that is safer, interesting, has cultural richness, good schools etc?

I live in a village in Warwickshire.

I'm a southener by birth and had lots of preconceived outdated views about the Midlands being a smoky urban sprawl, but it's fab.

Lovely small / medium sized towns like Stratford on Avon and Leamington Spa not far away, Birmingham for city stuff, and lots of peaceful countryside in between.

Right in the middle of the motorway network, so communications are good , only down side is it's a long way from the coast.

I live in Devon too and guessing from your name Dartmoormama quite near to you

I adore it here and feel my kids are very lucky,they seem to be having a real childhood. They can lead an outdoors life,fab schools, Exeter very near so can get a decent latte,quite near to Bristol and Bath for the culture thing if needs be. Cornwall is very near too if we want a change of scene.

I've lived in Bristol and Bath too,love Bristol but schools are an issue and agree with the points re Bath. Also we like the kids to be outdoors a lot and to be honest found Bath a bit restrictive at the weekend,great if you're into cafe culture but if you want the real outdoors there isn't a lot to do. To be honest we got bored at the weekends, Georgian parks don't cut it after a while and I find Somerset too flat.

Suprised that you don't find much to do DM we were all saying only this week there is sooooo much to do you can't cram it all in at the weekend. During the summer holidays there is masses on too. We only have 1 car as find there is plenty nearby so don't need to drive round much. I'm guessing if you're right in the middle of the moor it would be different though. Have you thought about moving to somewhere bigger nearby????

Personally I love Suffolk.

Was brought up in Ipswich, but we now live in Felixstowe, and for us it is ideal.

We live on a private estate where the kids all play out together (even at almost 3 and almost 4yrs old) its safe and quiet.

Admittedly the closest school itsnt great, hence I choose to drive further afield for a very good school in the local village.

I love living here, and I dont think I could go back to living in Ipswich now, its far too big and crowded.

I don't think the location actually matters - it's the feeling of security that's important. For some that will be inner city Manchester, for others it will be rural Wales.
With regards to the other thread it almost doesn't matter whether the stats about knife crime are true or not, what matters is that, as a family, you feel comfortable.
For me that meant not raising my kids in London and moving out.

We have lived in Manchester and Devon since having children. I don't actually think one is better than the other for bringing up children. DP and I prefer living in a little Devon village near the sea and the moors, but the dds don't really mind. They liked Manchester, and it took them a while to like Devon as much. Both have their pluses for children.

Actually we drive far less, and spend less time commuting, in a little Devon village than we did in Manchester. It's easy to assume that city life is less car-dependent but that was one of the reasons we moved, because in Manchester we did end up needing two cars for communting and childcare needs. And here we don't as it's all smaller scale and cyclable and walkable.

Cirencester is lovely.

I knew, like any City, Bath had a drug problem, but I didn't realise it was that bad.

I'm not so sure about Oxford, we looked into it as that's where my husband's new job is. The problem is it's a city of two halves. Either really posh and expensive or really run down (and still rather expensive). The schools aren't that great, I guess because all the academic's kids go to private school. That's why hubby is commuting to Ciren, only 40 mins in a car share along country lanes, still quicker than his London commute.

I didn't realise that about Oxford Lazza, it looks so lovely I guess I didn't go to the more run down parts. Chichester (and the boat) it is then

There is quite a drug problem in Oxford too same sort of thing as Bath. I grew up in Oxfordshire and came across more drugs there than when I was at uni in Bristol!!!!!!

It's not the rundown parts either,it's a very middle class thing there too private particularly and state schools too or at least it was when I was there,could have changed now.

All those posh university kids with their drug habits eh?

Was brought up in Suffolk.There are some lovely parts.Lived in Stratford On Avon which we liked but expensive.Now live in the Southeast of Ireland.Just settling in after 3 years!

I love Somerset, near to a good city, not too far from a beach and countryside.

PS There are drugs everywhere....

anywhere outside of a big city - but within access of a big city for when you want the bright lights etc.

yeah, I lived in Oxford for four years in both the posh bits and the rundown parts and there was drugs everywhere, lots of junkies and dealing going on. But it is a nice city with loads of parks and green spaces and things to do. Old Headington etc always seem a nice place to bring up children.

I think we will probably end up in Suffolk as that's where DH is from. I like the idea of the green space and being near the sea but think it will feel rather narrow-minded and insular compared with living i a city. I've always lived in large cities and love the convenience of walking everywhere etc. but like PPs have said, it's not an issue that everyone is ever going to agree on. For me, I'd rather die than live in the Home Countries but that's purely because of my inbuilt chip-on-the-shoulder northern inverted snobbery, plus hatred of driving. Many people would hate living in a city (esp. London where we are now)

I love the South, more tricky to be a southerner up north than the other way round, I think. Shhhh don't tell anyone!

God, I must go round with my eyes shut - not noticed a big drug problem in Bath. Not like when I lived in Hackney and was offered smack by a dealer as I wheeled DS1 along in his buggy...

I think you're right twelvelegs, I found it very hard being a southerner in Leeds.

I also think your "ideal" may change subject to your DC's age.

I think where you are happy I am a londoner and live in sw london and would find it very hard to live anywhere else
I would be miserable so everyone else would be too

My proviso for happiness would of course involve being near my family, so while the West of Ireland may be the most beautiful place on earth, I'd miss my mum and dad.... so we're back to Chichester

Totally agree with you headfairy. That's a major reason for us moving back to Northern Ireland. I miss my family dearly.

Me too! I went there to Uni, and even though I had two jobs I was still a snobby sountherner!!

I was on teaching practise Headfairy in some very rundown areas. I was talking about the city itself not the uni. Also I didn't tend to spend much time on campus so in 4 years spent an awful lot of time in all areas of the city living, working, teaching and socialising. I tended to live in some very run down areas as was broke. Was offered very little- Oxford and Oxfordshire however was a whole different ball game.