Is Reading a nice place to live?

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If you live in Reading or know the area, would you recommend it as a place to live for a young couple who would eventually be looking to start a family in the more distant future?

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My dd was born there we lived there for three years. It was ok but the traffic was bad getting to work. I moved back up North when she was 4 and we now have a better quality of life. I enjoyed my time there it had alsorts of activities for the kids.

It's a brilliant place to live.

It’s like anywhere else, good bits and bad bits, but all in all a lovely place to live, a nice community feel but so close to London that everything you could ever need is on your doorstep. We moved here 8 years ago expecting to hate it, now can’t imagine leaving.

We have a 2 year old and I feel like there’s so many options for kids here, it’s a great place to bring up a family (obviously.. not in lockdown!)

We really love it. We are a young family with an 8 month old. We live about 3 miles out of the centre so get the perks of living close to a busy town but also get to enjoy the greenery

Lived there for 7 years, most boring place on the face of the earth. Traffic is a drag. No cultural life.

I’ve lived there. I quite liked the high street as it’s pedestrian friendly but overall it’s quite deprived and quite a lot of drug use and violence. The river is nice.

@joystir59

Lived there for 7 years, most boring place on the face of the earth. Traffic is a drag. No cultural life.

No cultural life? There’s a theatre, several museums, the Reading festival, several smaller festivals throughout the year, the Abbey ruins has been reopened, a twice weekly street food market which also holds special events, great restaurants including Michelin Star if that is your thing...

Yeah, no cultural life 🤦🏼‍♀️ What do you want, the royal ballet?

I wasn’t a fan. Found it quiet and dull with little character. But it’s not awful and it’s handy/affordable for london.

the city center is a bit generic.

Thank you all!

It depends what you’re comparing to I think.

@ThePricklySheep I didn’t have any other specific areas in mind other than Berkshire and Surrey in general. My main hopes are for an area that is safe, well connected (by train and car), has good schools and a good selection of amenities like shops. It would be nice to have something like a local park but if the place is within driving/train distance to somewhere green and open I’m not too fussed about this!

I was born in Reading and lived there for 42 years (although 10 years of that was living between two countries). I think it is a great town, 25 minutes to London Paddington and great shopping, good schools. Personally, I prefer the West side of Reading or Caversham as you much closer to the nice countryside that says Earley/Lower Earley etc.
We lived 5 minutes away from the Thames where there are beautiful walks with woodland on our doorsteps.

@joystir59

Lived there for 7 years, most boring place on the face of the earth. Traffic is a drag. No cultural life.

This is my impression. Caveat that I’ve never lived there, but work meant I spent a lot of time there for years. I found it incredibly depressing. The city centre, as someone else said, is incredibly generic, and there are all those long, grim traffic arteries heading out to the suburbs.

Agree it depends what you’re comparing it with.

Reading is ok, bit of a sixties built town centre, quite good shopping and transport links to London and the west. Traffic is horrific. Slightly further out, Caversham is quite nice and popular with young families. Have you looked at Wokingham?

I now find it a dull place to live, there some nice areas but lots of places I wouldn't live. House prices are ridiculous. Crime seems to be ever increasing especially knife crime. I am looking to move away from the area to some where with more buzz and atmosphere personally.

Although you're not far from the London the reality is its expansive and and pain to get to. The town itself doesn't offer too much aside from drinking locations or restaurants.

I've worked there and I think it's blah AF. But I'm a Londoner by both taste and inclination. Suburban, grey, and basic, and you don't really get any more in the Home Counties for your housing money than you do in proper London.

I don't think it matters that it has no culture of its own when it's only 25 mins on the fast train to central london

I haven't spent much time in the city but some of the rural areas just outside by the river are nice.

I lived in three mile cross. It was nice but needed a car to get anywhere as I always missed the bus. I also lived off the Oxfordb road ( not for long) and in the town centre near the Tesco. Caversham is a nice part.

If you never left the Oracle, Reading would look generic. And if you've ever got stuck on the IDR not knowing about the IDR then the traffic would be shit - for years there were policies about discouraging driving into town which is why the buses were plentiful and the fares were cheap, whereas parking is extortionate and, well, they built the IDR.

Caversham is nice but for me I'd want to go south of the river.

As for culture -
whatsonreading.com/
ediblereading.com/about/
www.readingmuseum.org.uk/

Also Wokingham district borders East Reading so you have the Waterside centre a short walk from Kennetside. You've got the Harris Gardens and the rest of the University to walk around. Dinton Pastures has a brilliant playground, loads of walks and you can hire boats and pedalos. Even Palmer Park has a velodrome! It's a bit short on swimming pools at the moment but there's a lido www.thameslido.com/ and everything. The museum, the abbey, the Forbury gardens, the rivers. And an Ikea.

Thank you so much for all the detailed information! Really useful I think for me any lack of culture would be okay as I’ve previously lived in very small average towns that are tiny in comparison and have just gone into the surrounding cities at weekends to visit museums etc, with Reading being connected well to London and Oxford I think I would just travel out if I needed to. I think my biggest concern is that the area is generally safe (although I did notice knife crime being mentioned ) and has access to the necessary amenities like clothes and food shops.

What about just outside reading? Theale, mortimer etc. Larger villages with train and bus links to Reading. Great schools and brilliant community vibe. Mortimer is my village and lots going on for kids. Pubs for adults. Plus music festivals etc.

Look at Sonning Common. It is on the border of Berks and South Oxfordshire but only 4 or so miles to reading. It has a large village feel with lots of amenities and schools. I don’t live there, but drive through it. It is a lovely family area.

You also have the chilterns in the edge of the village and all the lovely walks and pubs they offer, when lockdown ends.