Where to live in south-ish Manchester?!

[Polkadot8]

My husband and l are contemplating a move back to Manchester after a long time away. We ideally want a 4 bedroom and can afford around £300k. I am thinking maybe Sale, Urmston or Romiley. I know both types of areas are quite different! My head thinks Sale / Urmston as it would be easier getting to central Manchester where my husband is likely to be working. I am not sure where l would be working, possibly north Manchester. Then again Romiley is a bit rural and is pretty -we live in a semi-rural area where we are now and have a taste for it....

I grew up in Romiley and it was just lovely. Great place for the reasons you say - it was relatively rural and bits are very pretty. It's also plenty close enough to Manchester by bus or train. 20 minutes in the other direction and you're out Buxton way. It was a good place to be a child, and to be a teenager.

I would live back there in a heartbeat, if my circumstances allowed.

That is nice to know kuriusoranj.The only think that makes me nervous is the traffic -l know it is notoriously bad. I would need to get to the M60 which could be time consuming! Not so bad for my husband as he would probably get the train to central Manchester.

Where do you live these days if you don't mind me asking?

I think that is a risk, yes - but that's the main downside and it wouldn't sway me for Sale or Urmston, to be honest!

These days I live about 8,000 miles away .

Do you have children OP, are you looking at schools? I grew up in Urmston and would say you can't really go wrong with Sale and Urmston as they fall within Trafford which has an abundance of outstanding schools at both primary and secondary level.

Commute into town is very easy from both, particularly Sale as it is on the tram line. Both just suburbs of Manchester though, some green spaces but not semi-rural.

You should be able to get a 4 bed for £300k.

I don't know Romiley at all.

We don't have children at the moment but that might change in the future. I have heard good things about the schools in Trafford so it's a consideration

I live on the main road that people use to get through Romiley, into Bredbury and onto the motorway. Some mornings it has taken me around 30 minutes to get from my house and onto the M60 - that's the worst it has been though. Depends what time you plan on setting off to work, I leave around 7am and it's generally ok. It's also not so bad getting home, the traffic seems to be a bit more free-flowing. I do love being 20 minutes train ride from town and 20 minutes drive from the hills though, it is very well placed. Lots of nice walks close by. No idea about schools though, I suspect they're all very different to when I went!