Which town would you choose?

[NorthORSouthThatsTheQN]

We are planning to relocate. WFH so work isn’t an issue. DC in primary school.
We have a small budget, max 190k - £200k.
We have been looking for houses online and the 2 places that we have kept coming back to are Preston in Lancashire and Plymouth in Devon. Does anybody have any experience of living in those places and what day to day life is like living there? If you had to pick between those 2 places which would you choose and why?
The place we currently live is a bit of a ghost town, though it has good transport links. We have seen drug deals go on right infront of us and the whole town smells of pot. It’s quite an unfriendly place to live with zero community spirit. We don’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire, but at the same time anywhere feels better than the place we currently live.
We need good transport links, shops and amenities like doctors, hospital and school, transport links to the beach and a friendlier place to live. So, Preston or Plymouth or is there some other town you can recommend?
Thanks!

Preston is pretty bleak. I would choose Plymouth over Preston, but Plymouth is a bit grim too.

What about Brixham?

@2reefsin30knots I think Brixham is a bit out of our price range.

There were 2 beds in Brixham on Rightmove in your price range, but if you need 3 beds then yes, maybe.

Are you into watersports (links to beach)? If so, my suggestion would be Weymouth or Portland. They are not quite as far away from the rest of the world as Plymouth.

However, I can see that you can get a lot more house for your money and more choice in the price range in Plymouth. Maybe just go Plymouth!

In my book, it is way better than Preston.

I think Plymouth just came out top in one of those 'happiest places to live' surveys. Definitely Plymouth, though!

@2reefsin30knots Thank you for your advice. Yes, we need 3 bedrooms so it really limits the choice in our price range. Plymouth is the more logical option for us, but at the same time I’ve read some negative things about it.

@Sleepthief Thats good to hear!

www.plymouthherald.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/plymouth-officially-best-place-live-8446686.amp

TBF, I've only been to the Hoe area (DS sails) and that area is lovely! Way more of a perk to be able to hang out there than anything in Preston.

I'd go for Plymouth, although in fairness I've never been to Preston. But I know a lovely woman who comes from there - she doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone or anything but she says the best thing she ever did was leave and stay gone.

Plymouth has lovely parts,lots of investment going into it.The Box newly opened is great.Good university with excellent results in green energy.Trains up country and into Cornwall.Look very carefully before you buy someparts are like most cities not brilliant.

Out of interest and fairness I just looked up Preston, and apparently it has been voted best place to live above cities like Liverpool and Manchester, so maybe it's not so bad?

In the study by MoneySuperMarket, Preston came out on top and was named the best place for families to live in the UK in 2023.20 May 2023

Which parts are best avoided?

Having moved 70 miles to a cheaper area I do have a lot of regrets. Maybe shared ownership might be a better option? Then you could avoid all disadvantages of a deprived area. Having said that I think you can still get a 3 bed for that in Dover / Thanet but you would be committing to a grammar school area where secondary moderns get around 20% pass rate. Much better transport links though than plymouth, 1 hour from London which might be helpful for your kids or if you want to change jobs.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127253549#/?channel=RES_BUY

I'm in Devon though not from the county originally. Plymouth is Milton Keynes on Sea in our family. It's pretty grim, except it's on the sea and Dartmoor is close-ish.

I would move to Preston in a second, if the other choice was Plymouth. Manchester and Liverpool down the road, the glory of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales the other way. Lovely beaches not too far. Good transport links.

My knowledge of Plymouth is around the university,Hoe and the Barbican.My grandson studies there and loves it.The larger houses are mostly student lets as in most cities.I suggest you stay there and walk around looking it is the only way to decide.At your price you will not be in the above areas.Could you look at the Cornwall side of the Tamar bridge there are lots of family homes there and good links to the city.

Preston has some nice parts.
But I'd prefer to be by the sea, so Plymouth would be my winner.

What about Penrith or Ulverston just on the edge of the Lakes (either end).

Preston is a bit grim.

Forgot to say the weather is better generally in the SW.

I live in South Ribble just outside Preston. It was voted the best place to live in the U.K. by Sarah Beeney a while back, and as a semi rural part of Lancashire with fantastic schools and sixth form colleges and good amenities I love it here. See Higher Penwortham, Longton, New Longton, Hutton. Ten minutes to the city, half an hour to the coast and an hour to the Lakes and Manchester, Liverpool etc. Preston has some wonderful historic parks too.
The city centre itself is pretty dire. Though like many cities I imagine.
And the weather is usually shocking although today there are clear blue skies around me as I sit looking at open fields to four sides.
Preston is ok if you choose carefully. Parts of it are pretty rough.

I'm in South Ribble just out side of Preston and we love it here. I wouldn't want to be "in" Preston itself but there are areas around that are lovely and there are great transport links all around - not far from the lakes, Lancaster, Manchester, Liverpool, walks around Rivington etc. we've definitely got a bit of everything around and about.

Everyone who lives outside of Plymouth hates it 😂 everyone who lives there seems happy. It has rough areas as do most places, but on that budget you should get an okay area if its just a 2 bed you're after. The barbican and Hoe are absolutely lovely. And Dartmoor is just something else it's breathtaking. Has all the shops etc you need in the city, has some good schools. Can drive to beaches. Loads of woodland all over and lots of wildlife. Easy to get to Cornwall if you drive and it's lovely and quiet in non holiday seasons. The residential areas are very nice if you like suburbia, very quiet and friendly. If you're looking for something a bit busier there's lots closer to the city.
It is a pain to get to the rest of the UK as its so far down. Regular trains though but pricey obviously. Public transport is horrific though, as in the busses.

Granted we're lucky but this is ten steps from my back door.
Not all Preston is grim.

@Wednesdayonline we need a 3 bed house, not a 2. I’m so torn about it all. I absolutely hate where we live though for so many reasons. I’m worried about living somewhere that is just like where we live though. It sounds like 3 beds in our budget though would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire 😔

@cptartapp that looks so peaceful.