Kent coastal towns - where to live??

[gingercats]

Hi all, we are considering a move to the seaside and looking at Kent... We like the look of Hythe, though it could be a bit pricey for us, is it worth pushing our budget to live there? Deal also looks good and houses are cheaper as does Whitstable (or has t been over-hyped as suggested in some of the media?).
We have 1 LO and hope to have another in a couple of years, can anyone recommend a good place to raise our family?
Ideals would be: family friendly, seaside, pretty town with independent shops, cafes and decent pubs . An artsy, lefty feel would be bonus with 3 bedroom houses under £200K.
Thank you very much!

We have set our heart on a move to Broadstairs in a few years. It seems small enough with a community feel and has a lovely coastline and beach. Not too spendy either and a bit more down to earth than Whitstable.

It has a refreshing lack of chain coffee shops and seemingly enough butchers, greengrocers and bakers to make supermarket shops refreshingly few & far between.

That said, I have rose tinted glasses firmly on and have never lived there but the above, to me, is enough for us to make our decision.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tip Mamf74. I've just read up on Broadstairs and I think it's worth a visit too so we'll add that to our list when visiting. Good luck with your future move too!

Having lived in Dover and Deal years ago, and family links to Hythe area
go to visit in January for a couple of days....

Deal was pepped up by the little blue pills for several years but that is gone.
Dover used to have the docks and has a serious migrant transit problem (ones who arrive and then have not yet made their way on to friends elsewhere)
Hythe is sweet
Thanet can feel VERY isolated in Winter

and check up on the schools carefully : Kent has a FULL grammar / Secondary Modern system

Ok thanks. We will visit in the bleak mid winter to get a picture of what life is like out of season.
We're currently happily living in Herts but I really don't want to have to go back to work f/t and we can't afford to stay here if I don't. We have family in Kent and love the idea of living by the sea. A mini (more affordable) Brighton would be ideal!

....

We live in Canterbury and sometimes go out on a "day trip" basis to visit some on the coastal towns - Hythe OK - Folkestone - not sure ... Dover - thumbs down... Broadstairs and Deal still have a long way to go to be a "mini Brighton" in my opinion.... Sandwich is OK - but no employment... But that goes for most of the coastal towns around here..

Do you have employment set up and family within the area.... it can be pretty bleak during the winter...

I have a friend/colleague who moved his family to Broadstairs years ago and said it's great there, never looked back. Whitstable is way overpriced and trendy now. And crowded. My PILs lived in Ramsgate; I would stay clear of that one - lovely beach but pretty much every time we went on it there was some kind of fight, either parents hitting children or children throwing rocks at strangers or some such. I have heard Deal is nice but don't directly know much about it.

Deal is lovely. We lived there before moving abroad. Lots of nice quirky shops and pubs and restaurants. Broadstairs and Sandwich are also nice. I don't know what effect the closure of Pfizer has had on the local economy though....

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm a social worker so finding a job hopefully won't be a problem! DH would need to find a job though. We have lots of extended family in Kent & my parents want to move there too. As you've suggested we'll visit when its cold & dark to get a feel for places out of season. Xxx

I've been here in Whitstable for 18 months now and it's the best thing I have done. If you want arty things and independent shops , they are here in abundance. You should be able to find a 3 bed house within your budget and schools to suit your child/children too. Good luck Clare

That's brilliant, glad you have settled in well Clare. I'm looking forward to exploring! :-D

Just to add tankerton, up the road from whitstable is quieter and a short walk from whitstable. Herne bay is on the up too.

Cool, we'll check tankerton out too. Great help ladies!

Just be warned: Whitstable and Herne Bay put you in catchment for some very well-rated schools for secondary level; Deal and Dover has schools with less impressive results. This applies for both selective and non-selective. I think that Dover area also has a falling roll (??) and there have certainly been discussions in the past about amalgamating schools and suchlike. Margate/Ramsgate are I think in catchment for Roger Manwood (good) but I'm not sure. Am also not sure about Hythe schools

If you are happy with a creek rather than a beach, Faversham is worth a look. Much more bang for your buck (but only an option if you have clever kids because the non-selective is .....somewhat character-building)

Hi,
I am in the same situation! We live in St Albans and all our family are in or moving to Kent. We are considering Whitstable as I have lived there before and we want to be by the sea. I know it is quite expensive. Can anyone recommend a nice coastal place to live with a good commute to London. We have two kids. Cheers Sarah.

Kent woman here too. I'd be surprised if you could find a three bed for 200,000 tbh. Have you considered Birchington? I've recently visited a friend who's moved there and she said the house prices were cheaper than many other coastal areas ( except for the obvious cheap places in Thanet.) I'm usually not a great fan of our coastal towns but it had a nice feel and not as noisy and busy as places like Whitstable ( btw prices there are now comparable to Canterbury and you most definitely won't get a three bed for 200)
And I'd agree with Still that Faversham is underrated, it's a lovely town with quite spectacular countryside. It's much cheaper than Whitstable or Canterbury

The original OP looking for a property around £200k was in 2012 though.....

Im in Whitstable and would be priced out of the housing market if moving here now. It has changed so much in the last 20 years and generally for the better. I fear the bubble may be about to burst due to over development though. It is a fantastic place to live but be aware that the local secondary school is in special measures for good reason and it is a bus commute to better schools. Prinary schools are excellent.

Don't forget Thanet is the homeland of UKIP - seriously.