Progressive towns in the north

[Evasmum88]

Me, my husband and 2 kids are on the hunt for a place to move to from the south west, we have considered Hexham, Kirkby Lonsdale and other places and were going round in circles a bit until we both realised our main criteria was a town/village or even a small city that is progressive if possible, somewhere where that is known for being more focused on gender equality/diversity/LGBTQ equality issues etc than others. We really don’t want to move somewhere where there is a strong sense of having to fit into the norm, or where there are very old fashioned views as a norm.

Very open to any ideas. We would ideally love to be near some countryside or the town/city have green spaces. Basically we want to fit in and I want my two girls to be able to be who they want as they grow up. I lived in deepest darkest Somerset when I grew up and did not have the best experiences there for those reasons.

Many thanks

There used to be an event at Castle Hill I think BikeRunSki

👍 @Hoppinggreen

@Hoppinggreen

There used to be an event at Castle Hill I think BikeRunSki

To the locals Castle hill is known for dogging! there are a few forward thinking areas in Huddersfield, however overall Huddersfield isn’t very forward thinking.

@Hoppinggreen www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/notorious-dogging-spot-still-plagued-20496312.amp

@readytosell

Hebden Bridge? Lesbian capital of the UK. Lots of alternative stuff going on. Pretty town feel, lovely cafes, on the doorstep of nice walks and easy drive/train to Manchester and Leeds. But depending on which bit you live some major flooding issues.

As W Yorks born and bred, Hebden was exactly what I was going to say.

@Hoppinggreen, I am aware of the digging now, this is what I was thinking of.

*dogging

[quote Bythehairywartsonmywitchychin]@Hoppinggreen www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/notorious-dogging-spot-still-plagued-20496312.amp[/quote]
I am local and not aware of any dogging up there, mind you it wouldn’t surprise me.

[quote BikeRunSki]@Hoppinggreen, I am aware of the digging now, this is what I was thinking of.[/quote]
Yes, there used to be a Pink Picnic at Castle Hill too

Hebden Bridge is not the artists colony it used to be when properties were cheap- it's been taken over by people who like the 'vibe' but have more money. I am told that you need to make sure you have any surveyor there look hard for asbestos, but I can't vouch for that personally. Would be worth looking into. Also the flooding aspect. Houses with gardens of any size are rarer there, the place is on a massive slope.
You'd get more bangs for your buck elsewhere.
Todmorden seems to be going for a progressive approach, and your money would go a lot further there, but I find it depressing to be so low in such a narrow valley because I'm a 'light' freak.

Ah fab thanks all, that’s interesting about Hebden Bridge, maybe a place we should visit and see how we feel about it being in a valley.

BikeSkiRun thanks so much for the offer, I may well take you up on that once we have looked around 👍

The dogging part made me laugh! 😂🤯

Thanks again

Hi there.

We moved to York three years ago from London. One of our criteria for relocation was assurance of enough hand-wringing Guardian-reading lefties, so we did seek out places with Labour MPs and voting remain in the referendum. Not that I only want to speak to such people, just that we wouldn't feel out of place.

We have found many of 'our people', and a generally nice and tolerant vibe. Though it's very white, which I sometimes find jarring.

No dogging, AFAIK.

One of our criteria for relocation was assurance of enough hand-wringing Guardian-reading lefties, so we did seek out places with Labour MPs and voting remain in the
referendum

Try Sheffield Hallam where l live. Fully of very wealthy people (I’m not wealthy) who vote Labour. Massive mansions with ‘vote Labour’ signs outside.

Though it's very white, which I sometimes find jarring.

And what are you? This country is 86% white, considering how multicultural the large cities are is it all that surprising that when you moved to an affluent but left leaning area it was predominantly white.

@JaninaDuszejko

Though it's very white, which I sometimes find jarring.

And what are you? This country is 86% white, considering how multicultural the large cities are is it all that surprising that when you moved to an affluent but left leaning area it was predominantly white.

It would be a lot less surprising if it was a well-off area that voted tory or UKIP, that's the point, I think.

I mean that coming from London, which was left-leaning but also very multi-cultural, it is just very white! So a shock to the system. That's all.

@herbaceous Be grateful you could afford to live there tbh . I'd love to move back but don't have the advantage of coming up from London.

Oh I'm very grateful. We've done very well from the hideously unfair London property bubble, but it shouldn't be like that.

Recommend Durham City.(not outlying villages), Leeds or Newcastle (probably just Jesmond, Gosforth, Sourh Gosforth, Sandyford areas)

Live in York.... there’s no gay scene at all. We all go to Leeds for that. No one ever believes me but York has a great deal of social deprivation, very little cultural diversity and next to no inclusion for disabilities. It’s a very backward place and if I had my time again I wouldn’t live here.

I also vote Marsden is very progressive, friendly and you’ll have an easy commute into Manchester for food, theatre etc. I visit regularly and I’m still blown away by the beauty of the place and how great the people are. Another downside of York is all the tourists. I tried to walk through the city centre today and remembered why I don’t go in summer. Please don’t spend half a million pounds on living in a city you can’t walk through in summer.

York is indeed heaving at the moment, but I think that's partly a function of people holidaying in the UK this year. and the races starting again.

I try to reframe it as being glad to live somewhere so lovely people want to come and visit.