Stoke-on-Trent

[BaldBrown]

Hello all!

I'm back at it again, looking at possible spots to start looking in.

I'm investigating Stoke-on-Trent; does anyone have any first hand experience of the area? Any spots to avoid? Diverse (we are a black family)? Safe?

Here is what I've found:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118807523?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/115451786?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

I live on the outskirts of Stoke and there are some lovely places. Trentham is lovely. I live in blythe bridge which is more Staffordshire moorlands but a 5 minute drive to Stoke itself. The outskirts are much nicer areas. From the looks of things you have a decent budget, I would say Avoid the cheaper places like cobridge, Tunstall, Hanley, Stoke, Burslem.

Thank you!

When you say avoid Stoke, do you mean Stoke-on-Trent itself? Or is that within the area?

I'm originally from Stoke, I'll be brutally honest and say it's pretty rough! Like the poster below says some of the outlying villages and suburbs are ok but not Central Stoke itself. I also notice people being openly racist a fair bit unfortunately. ☹️.

I do have some lovely friends who still live in the area who aren't racist but it's not great for diversity, plus only council in the UK to have a BNP candidate not so long ago. I would avoid stoke and go for areas around Newcastle under Lyme. Like trentham or Keele/whitmore.

Do you have to be in Stoke? Could you go more Cheshire way like Nantwich/tarporley/frodsham/Whitchurch Loads nicer

It's tricky because Stoke-on-Trent is made up of six towns, one of which is Stoke...

Stoke
Longton
Fenton
Burslem
Hanley
Tunstall

I'm not going to lie - Stoke (as in S-o-T as a whole city) has a lot going for it, but it's not to everyone's taste! It very much depends what you're looking for. What will your position be jobs-wise? How old are your kids? Do you have any kind of support network in the area? What sort of things do you like to do in leisure time?

Brilliant info!

We can go anywhere! Really open to exploring lots of areas. Our budget is £240,000. Our children are homeschooled but having the option to put them into various clubs would be grand. My husband is self employed and works from home.

Just looking for an overall lovely space with lovely people.

If you can go anywhere and you're looking for diversity, decent kids activities and lovely people I wouldn't choose Stoke. It's pretty bleak. I don't know much about home education but I know more alternative, hippy areas have more of a home education scene. I'd be looking at Glossop/Marple/new mills on Stockport/peak District border or over towards West Yorkshire todmorden/mytholmroyd/hebden bridge.

I am a bit prejudiced against stoke though, I always found it insular and suffocating. Lichfield and Cannock are two other decent areas near by.

Why my parents decided to move from London to stoke when I was 8 I've no idea! What are your hobbies and interests? Stoke is handy for access to beautiful countryside.

Buxton another good choice for you I think. My worry in Stoke as a black family with home educated children you'd be ostracised. Like I say it's insular (I left as soon as I could to go and live in a diverse city, sister did too. We'll never go back)

We love to bike ride, I knit, my daughter loves drama and photography. My oldest son loves to skateboard and is heavily into graphic design. My youngest is a autistic; he never really had any pals and was very happy that way but has really opened up to having some. He loves talking to people.

Is West Yorkshire itself an option? Derbyshire?

Maybe marple/romily edge of Stockport near the peak District then. Amazing skate park in marple, bit of a hippy scene, decent clubs and activities in Stockport and the hope valley. Loads of lovely peak District bike trails, monsal, longdendale, middle wood way. Also Whaley bridge, disley, Glossop. Lots of professional people from Manchester moved out there plus academics and artists. A LOT more diverse than stoke. Cost may be an issue though. The one advantage of Stoke is you can get lots for your money.

The places @Glowtastic mentioned are lovely but you’d be hard pressed with your budget for many of them unfortunately.

It's bleak and the people I know from that area, more Newcastle than Stoke, are recist.

Both of those areas that you've linked to aren't too bad. The second one is nearer to stuff happening, on the edge of Newcastle. I live next to Newcastle, and I'm not racist Just because you've met a couple of racists from round here doesn't mean we all are.

The bit about racism was adressing BOGOF's remark.

@SpongeBobJudgeyPants

Both of those areas that you've linked to aren't too bad. The second one is nearer to stuff happening, on the edge of Newcastle. I live next to Newcastle, and I'm not racist Just because you've met a couple of racists from round here doesn't mean we all are.

There will be loads of people who aren't racist there, I know some of them! They are lovely. However it doesn't negate the fact that every single time I've been back to visit I've heard an openly racist conversation, in the shops, the chippie, the bars, the boating area at Rudyard lake! In a B&B on the Staffordshire moorlands I stayed in one time the owner was openly racist , a shame as was a decent b and b but I won't be going there again. "Friends" of mine from school are fairly free with the casual racism. After living in a big diverse city it's very very obvious when you go back and overhear it.

What I will say is here really are some salt of the earth type people there and it's very friendly. You'll get called duck a lot. 🤣

People are always so negative about Stoke. I live here and like any area there are some places I’d avoid. I would probably go towards the Staffordshire moorlands side as recommended earlier that’s where I’m from, not too far from the Peak District.

I live not far away but outside Stoke on Trent city boundary. I’m not sure why you have chosen Stoke but as others have said it’s a massive area and each area( the towns) are all different . The Trentham area is ok.
Newcastle under Lyme borders Stoke but is in Staffordshire - SOT is a unitary authority.

Parts of Stoke are lovely and I find the people friendly too.
(but as a PP said there is also the BNP element and there is a bnp councillor which is concerning that people actually voted in enough numbers for that.)
Further north you get to Alsager and Congleton which are both nice . South you get Stone smaller villages and then Stafford and Penkridge . I’d avoid Stafford it’s just a dying market town which is sad. You could try looking into Shropshire too such as Market Drayton direction or Shifnal or Shrewsbury? .

If you are not wedded to an area I can see it’s hard !

Have you had a drive around at all?

@Glowtastic

What I will say is here really are some salt of the earth type people there and it's very friendly. You'll get called duck a lot. 🤣

Which is one of the things I love about it! …..My dad still cannot get his head around being called ‘Duck’ in shops etc when he visits and i have lived around here for 30 odd years!

What about Liverpool? It's got everything you're looking for!

The James Street house is in an ok area .
Penkhull is a nice area of Stoke , quite a villagey feel .
Newcastle under Lyme isn't part of Stoke on Trent but they are actually joined together .
Nice areas include May Bank , Wolstanton , Porthill , Keele.
The good thing about Stoke on Trent / Newcastle under Lyme is that you can buy quite a lot of house for your money .

Go to Derbyshire instead- Belper is a good little town with lots going on and plenty of houses in your price range

I'm just about to move to south side of stafford and hoping it isnt as dire as everyone says I live in cambridge atm in a v lovely, expensive location, but find I dont even go into the city too much since it's always heaving with tourists and everything is expensive.

Figure if I want to go shopping I'd go into manchester or something anyway, not go into stafford regularly. Seems nice enough forna wander by the river and a coffee.

@SpongeBobJudgeyPants, you probably aren't racist, but the people I knew were, and I found them offensive. OP was asking about diversity.

It's cheap for a reason.

I live just outside SoT in Newcastle under Lyme, it is a bit of mix of people from different backgrounds, but not hugely. I would say Buxton, Leek, (Rudyard) is less diverse still.

The area has a lovely home-ed community who do regular meet-ups, there is a new library/community hub & new leisure center. As well as in walking distance to Apedale Park, which has mountain bike routes. The town also has a few cycle paths, cycling along the canal paths is good too. We are in easy driving distance to the Peak District & Cannock Chase (good cycling). Newcastle College has a purpose built drama centre, theatre & recording studios and run loads of courses for pleasure/adult learning.

I would say look at the Westlands or Maybank, Wolstanton, Dimsdale Areas of Newcastle under Lyme. They tend to have a mix of the houses you have linked to above (style & size). These areas all have lovely green spaces too.

Please keep in mind that every area throughout the UK will have parts which are less than desirable and have people who give the place a bad name. Historically, Stoke on Trent was built on manufacturing, and since it's demise the area has remained chronically underfunded, and thus suffered. The traditional 5 towns of SoT do give it a different feel as there is no one city centre. The centre of Stoke & parts of Hanley are very run down at the moment.

I'm in Stoke quite a bit, as my husband's company is there.

It seems quite bleak, but I think they are developing their town centre now. Got some nice and hipp cafés there.

I can't comment on the racism aspect. I heard it quite often though that people are quite racist in Stoke, so as a non-British person I wouldnt want to live there and raise my family.

That might not be an issue for you though if you are white British, as you won't be at the receiving end of any racism.

I find the cheap house prices in Stoke quite attractive.

I also like their shopping centre! 🙂