Yorkshire or south east?

[zcjtb43]

my partner is from County Durham and I'm from Hertfordshire. We are currently in surrey / Sussex border (v rural).
Both our families are still in respective locations (although only one parent still alive in both families).
We constantly have a debate about where to live, and end up compromising and staying put.

But we both crave some support and family is important. What holds us back is what it might be like for our twin girls (now 3). We live in a safe, nice area, which is hard to leave. But it's incredibly isolated (covid has not been our friend).

What is it like growing up in york? What is it like growing up in rural surrey? I've been priced out of where I grew up (St Albans) and we're struggling to decide what to do. Do we just accept where we are and plant more roots? Is anyone else like this? Constant Rightmove clicks are driving me crazy and school enrolment forms are moving ever closer...

I grew up in Yorkshire and am looking to move to York in a couple of years once last dd has finished primary and have been spending quite a lot of time there recently to check out schools, areas, activities etc. Currently in Surrey/London borders.

Even though we're not rural Surrey where we are and the lifestyle that central York offers is very different. What kind of things do you like to do with your children? What kind of things do you imagine doing with them as they get older? What kind of lifestyle do you want for yourselves? Do you like being in walking distance of shops and museums or are you more into riding bikes and country pubs? Where have you been happiest in the past, what were those places like?

York is very safe and has fantastic schools from what I know (I also have relatives that live on the outskirts so this isn't just from crime stats!)

I'm clearly biased but I think only you can answer what you want for your lives and your children's.