Moving to Manchester, need help please on deciding on an area.

[Nixxy2401]

Hi everyone. I currently live in South Africa and will be moving to the UK in December. My husband and i have absolutely no idea to live. We know we do not want to live in London. So we were thinking the next best city would be Manchester for Jobs. I have two kids who are 1 and 4, and we are looking for a family friendly area. We will not have a car when first arriving so somewhere commutable. Also my hubby loves nature and the outdoors. Loves hiking and fishing etc. So this place would need to be greenish and easy to get to a park or something. Also i do not want it to remote where we would have to travel a distance just to by groceries etc. I am hoping you lovely moms can give me some insight as i have googled to death and thinking maybe i could get real help on this forum. Our budget for rental would be a max of £900pm. We will both be looking for Jobs, i will be looking for something Half Day, in order to spend time with the kids. Thank you.

There’s a great SA community in the North West that we were part of - have a look at South Africans socialising in NorthWest on Facebook. They are really good at giving advice/tips on relocation too.

Did I see a “living in Manchester “ guide on here recently?
Can’t remember which section it was in, maybe someone else can

@casestudyresearch if you could send me the link that would be great 😊 cant seem to find the page on Facebook.
Does anyone have thoughts on Glossop?

@Nixxy2401 not looked into childminders, just defaulted to nursery! There are fb groups for local areas that often ask about childminders and there's a government page I think with registered ones!
The guide to living in Manchester was on the main website on the sidebar

@hoppinggreen found the doc 😊 and have taken a read. Gosh seems there are a few areas 😊 they speak about Trafford a bit. Is that a nice area 😁

Trafford is a huge huge part of Manchester. Bits of it are lovely and other bits not so much...

Trafford has grammar schools. You'd think it was the only place to live in Manchester from the way some people go on about it. Some very, very flashy and expensive areas alongside more normal. Still pricey though in the better ones.

As you might have guessed we live in withington and it's lovely, particularly area around fog lane park, parsonage road, etc. It's quiet and only a ten min walk from Didsbury or west didsbury. Burnage has some nice houses too, and is cheaper but in close links of transport and close to Dids for your burgeois shopping needs :) You could also try the Heatons - Heaton Mersey and Heaton Moor particularly nice x

We moved to Manchester from overseas a few years ago.

We found the rental market quite cut throat at the time. Decent houses were expensive, and agents were a bit hopeless. Sorry, that sounds very glum.

We ended uo renting in Urmston, which was super. Lots going on for kids, great commuting into the city (10minutes on the train), some nice parks, motorway was on the doorstep, rental prices were in your budget...

If your DH is going to need access to motorways (if work requires travel) consider south of Warrington, Lymm, Stockton Heath, Bowden, Knutsford. You might struggle with the budget but all are lovely villages with access to countryside nearby and easy access to motorways. 20 mins east of Manchester.

Hi OP, my H is a South African and despite being here for 15+ years, he still moans about the weather !

We live near Altrincham - it's within Trafford and is sought after because it has some of the best schools in the country. As a result, it's a bit of a hotspot for families so buckets of things to do for children, very social / community feel, lots of restaurants & bars. It's on the metrolink which makes it very handy for the city centre and close to the airport. You also have a couple of National Trust properties on your doorstep for beautiful countryside. Lots of people settle here without previous friends / family so it's great for making friends. It does get recommended quite a lot on mumsnet but with good reason i may be biased

As others have said, there are some upmarket areas (the Cheshire surrounds) so there a quite a few high end kitchen stores so it might also be good for your H's job.

The only fly in the ointment is your budget - £900 won't go as far as other parts of Manchester but it's definitely worth looking.

My friend lives in a 'village' (it's more built up now) around 13 miles out of Manchester near Worsley but its on direct bus routes and near a guided bus way.
The primary and secondary schools all have decent results and most people seem happy there.
Rental is very cheap compared to the city centre. There's a house near them for £395 a month and their flat is £300 a month!

Thank you for the info ladies @Hopeandeggs @warpdrive @scotinoz @withington.
I think i might be able to increase the spend a little since we would be paying less for transport. But in saying that i have seen some places in the area for our budget... not many but a handful. We will be paying 6 months rent upfront as we wont have jobs when arriving so agencies get a bit sticky. So i am hoping that will be in our favour.
@namechangedtoday15 tell your hubby that atleast the weather is a small price to pay in regards to security. The state of SA is deteriorating and many are trying to leave. But thanj you for the insight. I am hoping to make friends with saffas as well as the locals 😊

We just moved back after 18 years in Atlanta and chose N Leeds. I’m originally from Bury so if you’re drawn to Manchester I’d look there and at the areas around Ramsbottom. I absolutely didn’t want to go back to somewhere I grew up so we chose Leeds. We considered Ilkley and Harrogate but we ultimately prefer city living. Lots of businesses are moving to Leeds and the job market is good - at least from looking at the types of jobs I’d be applying for. We chose N Leeds as it is made up of smaller town centers like Kirkstall, Headingley, Roundhay, Chapel Allerton and Oakwood- it also has plenty of parks and easy access to the Dales - I took the kids to Bolton Abbey yesterday. It has great rail links, several major hospitals, 2 universities and LOTS to do. We are thrilled with our decision and neither I or my husband had lived here before. We have our own business so we’re lucky we could stick a pin in the map. Oh and Leeds has least rainfall in England as it drops it all in Manchester and over the Pennines! Great schools too - I gave one in primary and one in high school and both started in June and love it and have adapted well. There is an over subscription crisis at many schools though but we seemed to land on our feet and found places for our two.

Urmston or Sale might be worth a look.

Just a warning but If neither yourself nor your husband has a credit history in the UK and neither have jobs you are likely to be asked for either 6 months rent up front or a guarantor for renting.

twobluefish good point, but we didn’t have recent credit history either and didn’t have to do this - we are renting privately though until we buy as it was the only way we could find a landlord who would take our dogs too! An agent may be different. Also you can’t apply for anything eg schools until you have proof of residence so getting that lease is key.

I recommend finding neighborhood Facebook groups- they have been super helpful for us in identifying where we want to buy.

@twobluefish 😊 yes i know about the 6 montha rent, we have been prewarned... which in turn takes a large chunk of our money we have saved.
@ToBeClear thank you so much for the info on Leeds. We will also consider it 😁 we just know of a SAFFAS in and around Manchester 😊

I moved to Trafford 8 years ago from London. It’s a great place for children - excellent schools (primary, high and grammer is that’s for you), the trams get you in an out of town easily. Lots going on in Manchester. Have a look at Urmston or Timperley. It’s close by to Hale/Bowden which may suit your DH’s line of work. Also Alderley Edge and Wilmslow as there’s a lot of money there! So somewhere near there might suit?

Nixxy2401 Manchester is only an hour a way - I drive back to Bury often, or get the train - I feel I have the best of both sides of the Pennines here. Like you we wanted a community but also be close to the countryside too. I think Leeds appealed to us more as we love proper city living - so we're in the heart of the city with parks, restaurants, shops and festivals on our doorstep. In Manchester there are very few, if any, areas that a family can live in the city center so you are always going to be in a suburb of Manchester - if that makes sense? It's all about priorities of course. I also absolutely did not want a traditional semi detached home - just too small after all our space in Atlanta - and we have 2 dogs. Being in Leeds within the ring road we've been able to find a great period property with a basement etc. My husband and children are city dwellers and would not have dealt well with a traditional commuter suburb.

For 900 a month the Didsbury places you are offered won't be in pleasant parts of Didsbury!
Withington more likely, though it can have a student feel, but good primary schools.

If looking in Trafford Urmston/ Stretford you are more likely to be central than Sale or Altrincham. It depends if you want ex- local authority or a flat which would both be cheaper than a "naice" house. Stretford is up and coming - Gary Neville is building a university or something! - and a house like this one in Moss Park is next to plenty of green space and good local schools

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-74299334.html

I have a Safa friend, lives in Sale. She has got used to the weather!

Thank you ladies!!!! Will be eriting down all the suggested areas and making notes
Does anyone know anything about Upper Mill Saddleworth? I see that is near Peak district and quick commute to Manchester. Any thoughts?

It’s a massive leap of faith. I didn’t know Manchester at all when I moved here. Absolutely love it, as do my DCs.

MN was a huge help, and I made some wonderful real life friends through it too.

Good luck with your move!

I was brought up in Manchester and have lived in various places including Didsbury which was great.
I've lived in the Trafford for the last ten years, in a part that's very over priced as it's walking distance to the grammars.
If I knew what I knew now I wouldn't live here. I would chose Lymm or Knutsford. Both gorgeous and while neither are cheap they both have good schools without any of the pressure you get in this area.
Another down side of this part of Trafford is that because there are so many kids in the area trying to get them into clubs can be tricky. The woman from brownies laughed when I enquirered about my 6 year old starting.
Also if you have any issues with school and want to move them it's practically impossible as schools are full to bursting.

Oh and for Trafford school applications you need a 12 month tenancy.