York or Leeds?

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We are contemplating moving from London to Yorkshire with our 3 year old son. I have always liked York but Leeds could be an option too.

Can anyone recommend nice areas with good schools in either city? Are schools generally good in both places? What are the pros and cons of each city?

It totally depends on why you are wanting to move and what your jobs are etc?

York and Leeds are both good for trains to London etc. However, York doesn't have the economy that Leeds does. It is surrounded by nice villages but transport isn't great. What you will get absolutely sick of is the transport infrastructure. It is constant gridlock and the only effective way to get around anywhere near rush hour is on a bike. Also the tourists will eventually grind you down.

What is popular is what's known as the Golden Triangle of which York is part but means the area North of Leeds to harrogate and York. Harrogate is delightful with excellent communication links by bus and rail. Wetherby and surrounding villages as well. I wouldn't head towards Leeds itself if you were considering York but Leeds is great to travel to from these areas. However it is expensive compared with surrounding areas but relatively low crime and affluent.

Be aware that Leeds is introducing a climate charge/levy. It looks like there will be London like congestion charges for driving in, plus parking can be very expensive for a day (£20)

York would get my vote every time, it’s a stunning city with so much to do. I’ve lived in Leeds and it is edgier.. fab city but definitely a bigger mix of people. Doesn’t this depend on your jobs though?

York is pretty but as said above you will get sick of the traffic and tourists.

Depends where employment takes you, Leeds is much better for travel and work. North Leeds has some areas to live too.

As pp said Harrogate is lovely too, also not great for employment but on a direct train line to either York or Leeds.

It is a rammed train though at peak times.

All expensive BTW.

Me? It would be North Leeds or Harrogate.

They're very different places OP, and will feel very different to live in. Suggest you take a long weekend in Leeds to see if it's what you like.

Personally, I wouldn't live in either, i'd pick one of the many lovely towns / villages nearby, but that probably won't suit a city dweller

Depends on which part of London you're moving from, but assuming it's one of the "nice" areas, and you don't want to change your lifestyle/social group too much apart from the weather, then the order to consider them in, probably, would be:

Harrogate (I know that's not on your list but it is very pretty although very, very expensive)
York
Leeds

I've heard both Harrogate and York referred to as "southern towns in the north". (Yes, I know York's a city.) But it really does depend on what you want. Leeds, as someone else said, is a very "edgy" city. Not dissimilar to Bristol but without the same hippy vibe; closer to Manchester with (very) slightly less rain. Whichever one of the three you choose, be prepared for endless conversations about how Yorkshire folk are God's chosen people though and the county is God's chosen back yard. And don't expect some things to be much cheaper than London, though again, it depends on where you're moving from.

As someone else said, it depends very much what your jobs are too and what you want longer term for your kids. And you will find that just because it looks close on the map doesn't mean it's easy to get to...in many ways getting around in London is easier than trying to commute into/out of anyone of those three (Harrogate slightly less so but not much as it's the smallest of the three), especially if you don't drive. And of the three, if you're not keen on tourists ALL YEAR ROUND (think Bath), then maybe York might not be as utterly picturesque as it seems on the surface. Leeds and York both have good universities though and Leeds has good colleges, from what I recall.

Oh. Just been published today that York city centre will be going car free totally within three years so factor that in as well

It practically is now

Both places are nice imo, so I wouldn't necessarily agonise over it too much. A lot does depend on what sort of lifestyle you would like - inner city excitement, middle class suburbia, quaint village etc.

I'm in Leeds and generally speaking the north is considered nicer, but there are areas that aren't so great too. The "nice", good school areas are Roundhay, Alwoodley, Horsforth. If schools are important then you do have to be careful about where you go, as in some of the areas it can be quite a contrast - e.g. the catchment for Roundhay schools. There can also be a significant change in area within quite a short distance, so for example Chapel Allerton is a good area, but next to Chapeltown which is not so much...

If you like getting out into the countryside then both cities are good, but a bit different - around York itself it is pretty flat, though not too far to go to the Howardian hills, and it's easier to get to the coast too (just be aware that come summer the traffic on the A64 can be horrendous). Leeds is closer to the Dales which has some great walking.

Thanks everyone. We both have flexible jobs and could find work in either location.

We currently live in central London so are used to traffic but also used to amazing public transport.

Are the tourists in York really that bad?

What are the nicest areas of York to live in?

As well as tourists (lots) York is a hotspot for stag and hen parties.

My best friend has lived in York for years and said the town centre is getting unbearable with hen/stag dos. She won't even go into the centre now on a Saturday. A lot of fashion shops have closed up and I believe the council are refusing applications for more bars.

Personally if I was moving that way, I'd want to live in one of the nicer towns in the area. You could also look at places like Ripon, Knaresborough.

Nicest areas. A lot of the villages surrounding York are lovely. West and Ankrth west such as Rufforth, Benningbirough etc. York itself has some lovely houses but you would have to be mad to buy there unless you are happy with the transport gridlock..

I would second what @ritzbiscuits suggested and add in Wetherby. Wetherby is 30 mins to the centre of York but also 30 mins to Leeds (note Leeds are introducing pollution charging which will effective,y stop you driving in but the transport links to Leeds are better.

The pollution charge, at the moment at least, is only for taxis and commercial vehicles. It's also currently been delayed with no definite date for it coming in.

In terms of public transport links, then I would much prefer to be on a train line than rely on the bus, even with the shambles that is Northern Rail. So for example around Leeds I'd be looking at - Horsforth, Guiseley, Menston, Ilkley.

In terms of areas of York, again it depends what you want - period terrace near the centre, or semi/detached in the suburbs? Bishopthorpe Road, Fulford, Heworth, are the sort of areas that you might like. Or if going to the villages around the outskirts then there's quite a lot to choose from.

Hmm, lots of people advising against York. I wasn’t really expecting that. I totally get what everyone is saying about the nicer, smaller local towns and villages but we’re used to central London and we can walk everywhere and have everything on our doorstep. I’m not sure how well we would cope having to drive everywhere.

I’m a relocation agent
I would say North Leeds. As people say York has always been touristy but now it seems almost exclusively so and the stag/hen dos are a pain ( although I understand that the council is trying to address this).
Harrogate is very nice but expensive and parking is a problem , it’s also a bit stuck out on a limb .
Look at Chapel Allerton if you want to walk everywhere

Ilkley and Wetherby worth a look too

North Leeds.5 minutes from Wharfedale.

If you like that sort of lifestyle then York offers better central living imo. There is quite a lot of period housing walking distance to the centre. Bishopthorpe Road as I said above, Fulford (though the main village centre is a bit further out, and to get into the secondary school which is supposed to be brilliant you would probably need to closer to the village than the city centre), Holgate.

If you don't want to be that close to a city centre, but still want restaurants/shops etc within walking distance, then you can get that in Leeds too. Chapel Allerton, Headingley, Roundhay etc you can walk round, but tbh most people would use their car, particularly with having kids to cart around to places. I'm in Horsforth which has a decent enough centre, and is very popular with families because the schools are well regarded.

I lived in York for 16 years and was never really happy there. As PP have said, the traffic is bad and the tourists are horrendous - the council seem to prioritise tourists over residents, at times I felt like an unpaid extra in a historical theme park - "and if you look over there, you'll see some locals....!"

I moved over to a small Lancashire town three years ago and haven't regretted it for a minute. I'd say the only thing I miss is being very close to the main rail line, that was handy.

I previously lived in Harrogate, which is less touristy, but the traffic there is beyond ridiculous, there's no bypass so all through traffic goes by the same roads the locals are trying to use.

I'm in a village just outside of a york. Has a station. Lots of families, pub, good school, small number of shops, doctors etc etc. I commute north and my DH east. We love where we live. I regularly travel to Leeds for meetings etc and it's relatively easy. Harrogate is nice, but can be congested. York is bad up drive into and out of, but I think the bus services are actually not that bad, and if you get to be near a station that helps.

We have friends that live more in the west of Leeds (actually Bradford, but basically on the rail line to Ilkley) and also love it there.

Sorry that post is full of typos, but hopefully you get the gist!!!

We are Londoners living in Leeds. York is lovely, but we feel more at home in Leeds.

I agree with PP. York is a lovely place to visit, but not great to live in. I also found Leeds a hard place to get used to. If I could live anywhere around there I would choose Harrogate, Knaresborough or Wetherby. But I think you would find them a bit of a change from London.