Durham County Safest Areas

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Hi there, If you could share from your experience what are the safest areas around Durham County. I have been renting around West London areas for past 14 years or so, now have a budget of around 130K to buy a house, I am from Asian ethnic background. Heard few concerns from family regarding living in Durham County and ethnicity acceptance in community there. I have not much of a budget to buy any property in surroundings of London. So the only chance for me to land in some property is in Durham County. Please if you could share your knowledge and experience of Durham County areas where you think is safe to reside and have acceptance for other ethnicity. Thank you.

what size of property do you need? Your budget should stretch to Newcastle suburbs too which are probably more ethnically diverse than a County Durham village would be. I think city centre Durham and the immediate areas such as Neville's cross and Gilesgate Moor would be fine as they're quite studenty.

Also I hate to say it but what part of Asia you are from might effect things, I find Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Thai etc... don't seem to get much hate in my experience of living here and seeing things. However growing up I saw some hate towards Indian/Pakistan people, not violence or anything but a more hostile 'othering' attitude.

It also depends where you live, I saw that attitude more in the rougher pit villages and towns than in the city/suburbs etc...

Places are becoming much more diverse very quickly up here though so I think ignorance is dying out fast.

County Durham isn't particularly diverse.
How have you selected the area? Newcastle is probably your best bet for diversity. Maybe parts of Middlesbrough.

Lived here for the last 2 decades. It very much depends what you need/ want from the area.. accents are just as bad / different as colour of skin in some areas!

Thank you for replying. I am British Pakistani. I was thinking of Consett or any less crime areas around. I don't mind othering (hate to say that though) as long as its not going to become a scene where people ganged up and do actual harm.

The selection of Durham County is due to the affordability. Middlesborough and Newcastle might have diverse culture but have got high crime ratio, as per the websites i checked.

Thanks for your reply. Just a small family, husband and wife in 50s, wanted to live somewhere peaceful and where we can afford to live. that's all it matters.

As PP has said, County Durham isn't ethnically diverse. The lower crime areas tend to be more rural which = less diversity. It is an ex-mining county so small communities and there can still be an insular attitude to other ethnicities. Higher rates of unemployment/low level employment can exacerbate those issues.
Newcastle is more ethincally diverse but it isn't in County Durham.
To put it bluntly the areas with lower crime will be the least ethnically diverse although some areas are higher crime AND a lack of ethnic diversity.

Thanks for your reply. I am looking for semi detached 2 bed house for a couple in 50s, with rather safe areas and with not much trouble when it comes to racial grounds. I could afford max at 150K.

I live in Darlington, and whilst it’s not as ethically diverse at London, there are plenty of people from different ethnic backgrounds, and it’s a safe (and lovely!) place to live.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/E06000005/

Just found this - only 2.8% of the population is of Asian origin, which is lower than I would have thought, but might be skewed by the fact that I live in town, and this will include all the outlying villages, which are far less diverse.

I'm from there. There's some lovely areas. West park might have something within budget? I moved elsewhere in county Durham and let's just say it was a culture shock! I had a few run ins because of people spouting isms. I just ignore now. I'm Caucasian but found/find it offensive.

Good luck OP.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141594371#/?channel=RES_BUY

That's a nice area but you'd have thought they'd tidy up!

Durham city is moderately diverse and I think becoming more so. But many of the villages nearby, especially in the east of the county, are incredibly white and some of them also have a high crime rate.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86751573#/?channel=RES_BUY

Lovely village. Not semi detached though. Houses are usually much more there. Hartlepool isn't far and has a decent size asian community. Do you follow a religion OP?

I would say not Middlesbrough, there is a decent sized asian community there but I have friends of various ethnicities who have moved from other countries who have been attacked in Middlesbrough.

I would have though Durham city would be OK, and the usual middle class areas although they might be out of budget like Yarm and Sedgefield. Agree with the PP about Darlington, there are some nice properties around the Denes that would be in budget and that's a generally safe area.

OP if you do move to county Durham we should have a meet up! 😁 I know lots of people.

And maybe some mumsnetters? (Note: I may or may not be over friendly 😄)

Boro isn't somewhere I'd move to and I'm Caucasian.

Possibles in Darlington?

Haughton Green
Limehurst Road
Moorlands Road

I live around the Stanley/Consett/Lanchester area and theres a massive growth in diversity in the last 10 years.

We where buying our house before it fell through from an Indian family who don't speak any English but who have a big family and lots of friends in the area.

When i was a child in Durham City there was little to no diversity at all (no racism but that maybe because there was nothing to be racist towards honestly). In fact in my whole childhood I only ever met 1 non 'white' child in my school years but now there at least 1-2 kids from different cultures/heritages in each class at my kids schools.

However someone was having a rant the other day on a local facebook group about how the town is being taken over by 'Mohammads' (as they said) who are 'taking all the houses and running locals out', so I can't lie and say there isn't still twats around.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143160917#/?channel=RES_BUY
Lanchester £105k

Newton Hall and Framwellgate Moor are nice, cheapish, safe, good facilities and used to diversity in students and academics, also hospital staff live local. Also Gilesgate. You'll find it gentle and quiet compared to London or big cities. Good mix of house types.

Oh yes, Lanchester is gorgeous.

are there any rough areas you recommend to avoid in Darlington. Thank you

thank you, seriously I don't mind Consett or Darlington, as long as it is not a rough area in terms of crimes and absuive based on racial grounds.