Moving to Manchester

[Pancaker]

I have just accepted a new job in Manchester city centre. Now we need to find somewhere to live within a reasonable commuting distance. I commuted in to London for 18 years and would like to have a lot less than the 1 1/2 hours each way it used to take me. DH will be at home with the DC, eldest currently in Y1 and youngest still in nursery. We're looking for a family house, nice garden and near good schools. We have a generous budget, would rather not be exact. Any recommendations on nice places to live much appreciated!

You can easily live in Didsbury or Chorlton and commute via tram or bus. We live a little closer in and cycle, wouldn't swap my 20 minute door to door pootle for anything. A bit further out if you are happy to train in could also work for you if you prefer to live a bit more rural. The posh bits are out Bowdon way but i don't know that area.

You can easily live in Didsbury or Chorlton and commute via tram or bus. We live a little closer in and cycle, wouldn't swap my 20 minute door to door pootle for anything. A bit further out if you are happy to train in could also work for you if you prefer to live a bit more rural. The posh bits are out Bowdon way but i don't know that area.

The Heatons are also worth a look, particularly Heaton Moor, you can train from there.

Hale/Altrincham. Excellent schools and the team into central Manchester in half an hour.

Tram! Not team!!

If schools are your priority and you don't intend to go private then Trafford areas are your best bet - sale, altrincham, timperley, hale. If you want private schools then Stockport is a good place to look as it has several independent schools and isn't too far from MGS, WGS and MHSG when they get older.

MHSG (Manchester High School for Girls) takes girls from 3 I think, but MGS (Manchester Grammar School) only takes boys from 7 (and a small intake). Not sure on WGS (Withington Girls School).

Valid point about Trafford, schools generally better than Manchester. Manchester seems to struggle with good secondaries and lots of schools are very oversubscribed, the city council seems to be building schools all over the place at the moment in the closer-in southern suburbs or centre.

Note that Trafford Borough has grammar school system, regardless of what you think of that it does push up house prices.

I live in south Stockport at the very edge of greater manchester. Worth looking at Marple and Poynton if you prefer a more countryfied feel, though still very commutable to Manchester in less than an hour. School good, not amazing but good private options.

Trafford secondary schools are reputedly very good and competition is high. It is a grammar school area though, which brings its own set of worries and decisions. It has excellent state primaries (both faith and non-faith) and preps too if you prefer that route.
Living along the tram line will make your commute much easier, and if you live in Altrincham / Timperley, there is also a train into Manchester which offers a good alternative to the tram if they're having a wobble - always good to have a back up plan when commuting!!

You find a lot of London refugees in Chorlton these days.

Hazel grove/poynton area is good if you are within walking distance to the train station, takes me 5min walk to the station then 20mins on train into Manchester perfect! Also it's not far from lovely places like Alderley Edge, Knutsford etc and the Peak District. You could even make a trip to Lyme park after work! Hazel Grove is improving, lots of nice places to eat, a couple of bars and renovated pubs. I like it... can you tell haha. Best of luck with the new job, exciting times ahead for you :) x

Same handful of places recommend again! It depends what you are looking for. Why be coy about your budget? You can probably buy a huge place up here!

Also consider Worsley, Bramhall, Davenport, Cheadle, Disley, Poynton, Marple and the Derbyshire borders. Regular train services from the majority of those places making them good for commuting from. Driving into Manchester is a nightmare. Ramsbottom, Bury and Prestwich worth a look too.

PossibiliTEA

I'm in Hazel Grove too, it's all right (-ish) isn't it.
Am hoping the new bypass breathes more life in the a6 as there should be less traffic
Didn't previously mention it as I don't think it would immediately come across as nice to southerners.
But def more house for your money than Poynton/Bramhall which is why we ended up there. I also commute into town and find it easy. I bet you're on the same train as me

I live in Penwortham, a suburb of Preston. Very good rail link to Manchester. My house is a 4 bedroom detached with a big garden, in a nice cul de sac. Area has good schools. We're planning to sell and downsize very soon as DC grown up. PM me if interested, can send photos etc.

Yes Frazzled I think so! The A6 can be a nightmare so the relief road will be, well, a relief! But the trains seem to be good at all times of the day for me at least. I bet we will have crossed paths. Frazzled- I've got to admit I do love the fact Aldi and m&s food are right next to each other too haha another bonus of hazel grove!

We moved from Didsbury to Marple for more green space. Both places have pros and cons.

Didsbury has better shops and more pubs/chain restaurants. But it is expensive (may not seem so to you). Not all schools are great - you need to be careful with catchment areas. Secondary options are pretty poor unless you go private.

Marple is much cheaper, on the edge of the Peak District with lots of open countryside on your doorstep. Some really nice cafes and independent restaurants, pubs ok. Schools are good but the secondary is massive - but I have friends whose kids love it there. Trains into Manchester are like something from the dark ages, but are frequent, reliable and you get a seat. It has an independent cinema, which is fab.

We also considered wilmslow (too expensive for us, but that was the only negative) and Poynton (train service not good enough for me to get into city).

The same places get suggested for families with small children for good reason! Trafford is renowned for outstanding schools both at primary and secondary level. Certainly in Altrincham/Hale/Bowdon I think all the state primary schools except one or two are outstanding. The local grammar schools are some of the best in the country, the girls' grammar school was recently set out as the best school nationally. The alternatives are also very good.

Because it attracts lots of families, there are masses of baby / toddler classes, every extra curricular activity you could think of and due to a large proportion of people not being from the area originally, lots of social activities for grown ups too (book groups / sports / most schools have very active PTA & social scenes).

Great commuting into the City Centre via tram, handy for motorway network, airport etc. Green spaces all around but masses of investment in Altrincham town centre at the moment, Hale has lovely village centre with lots of cafes, bars, restaurants, independent shops. Very community oriented.

Downside is its very expensive compared to other parts of Manchester although your money will go further probably than you're used to in London.

Most people moving uo from London with a generous budget live in Hale.

All very well namechanged but there are lots of other lovely places which get overlooked.

All very well namechanged but there are lots of other lovely places which get overlooked.

I wasn't saying wow that those areas are the only areas the OP should consider (although I don't think anywhere else in Manchester can compete with the choice and quality of education on offer in and around Altrincham) but the OP was asking for recommendations and those are mine .

You summed Altrincham area up very well namechange. We moved here from down South too.

Not sure of OP's budget but although expensive for Manchester it's cheap compared to London.

A four bed semi - 3 beds and loft conversion - in my street (15 mins walk into Hale village) just went for £550k. The same the other side of the main road would be £650k. A terrace right in the village is £350k. With a London budget of £1m + you could get a lovely 4-5 bed Victorian terrace or semi. Altrincham itself or Timperley are a bit cheaper.

What kind of area do you want? Macclesfield is often overlooked. Regular 24 min train to Piccadilly, mainline straight to London and countryside on your doorstep. The town itself has an indie feel but as with everywhere has its grubby bits, nice selections of bars, restaurants and kid friendly museums. No s.mcr hype either.