Mixed couple looking for places to buy

[BridesmaidHelp]

Hello
We are a mixed couple (BW and WM).
Recently married and want children.
Need to get to work in Basingstoke and Worthing (part time; 3 days every other week) plus Egham for pHD.
We are looking for somewhere inclusive/some diversity to live but are not familiar with these areas. I like Guildford and London fringes at that side. Budget would likely be 500K. I would consider London and commuting but just to expensive. This is not necessarily our forever home as we anticipate wage increases in the future. Any suggestions?

Hi OP,

Do you mean the Worthing near Brighton? That's quite far from Basingstoke!

Petersfield is the obvious choice as it's between the two. It's lovely but quite expensive. I've only been a handful of times and it didn't seem particularly diverse, though it's a fairly big town with lots of relocates from London so I expect it would be ok. My DH is mixed and has lots of friends in Petersfield and would happily move there.

I'd say Guildford also fits into everything I've said above.

How about Woking? A bit cheaper.

Thanks Sarah

Yes Worthing indeed. DH has parents there so often stays with them whilst he works. Basingstoke is far but better than the Midlands where I was previously! Unfortunately we are NHS (myself a little niche) so can’t pick and choose areas as one would think. DH works part-time in blocks every other week for now and that may change in the future. As I’m full time for now would be better to be close to my place of work.

Reading was suggested on another thread, but I’m posting here for traffic. I personally like Hampshire/Surrey/Sussex borders but I’m concerned about diversity.

I'd stick closer to your work if you're doing the commute 5 days a week and he's only going to Worthing for a few days every other week, and has the option of staying over with parents once there. Reading always struck me as a fairly diverse area but I don't know it well enough to suggest which parts you might want to live in.

Are you looking for your 'forever' area, even if not your forever home? Or do you expect to move areas again in future?

My DH is from Hampshire (Winchester) and it's not at all diverse. Surrey is the same in my experience. Not sure about Sussex. I think in general, as you get closer to London, diversity increases - we live in Zone 6 South London and our area is very diverse.

Some possibly helpful links:
Diversity in Hampshire
Diversity in Surrey

Staines-upon-Thames. Diverse, good shopping, a proper market and on the River. Easy for Egham and Basingstoke. You can jump onto the M25 for Worthing (1.5 - 2 hours)

I would not call Guildford diverse, although admittedly I have not lived there for many years, but I doubt it has changed.