What part of Lancashire?

[Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrringles]

We are planning on relocating to Lancashire, but don’t know which part.
We were swaying towards Preston, but after visiting we felt unsure because I didn’t like the city centre layout - it felt too easy to be run over, and it seemed a bit too lively on a Saturday!
We have heard only negative things about Burnley and Blackburn (can anyone confirm or deny?). We considered Chorley, but unsure. Lancaster looks lovely, but the grammar school system there has put us off as our eldest will already be Y7.
Obviously actually living in these places would be very different to visiting though anyway, so it would be good to hear opinions.
Also, if anyone could suggest other places that might be suitable that would be appreciated.

Our criteria is:

budget: 190k max

We need good public transport

somewhere that has a train station.

amenities - hospital vital, things for the DC to do, cinema, parks, supermarkets nearby

WFH so jobs not a problem.

DC in primary and secondary school.

Somewhere friendly - community feel, if that still exists.

Can anyone give me some advice?

Thanks!

If train station is an absolute priority, I'd suggest looking at Poulton le fylde or Leyland. Lancaster is beautiful but I can't comment on the grammar school system

@ohidoliketobe Yes, Leyland is one that I forgot we considered actually. What’s Leyland like?

Clitheroe

Leyland is nice, very handy for transport links and commuting. Sister lived there for a while

Preston is fine, Penwortham is nicer. 190k won't get you much though so maybe Chorley or Leyland.

Lancaster is lovely , I would definitely live there but don't really know about the school situation.
Blackburn does have some nice areas but on the whole I wouldn't recommend it

Formby.

I live in preston. TBH not many people use the city centre for shopping due to layout/lack of shops etc - most use the retail parks and Trafford centre so it depends what you're wanting from it
There's a few really good food and drink places but only really Fri and sat are lively with clubbers
I can say I've been here since Uni and never felt unsafe in the city on nights out, but I never shop there now

Not in Lancashire and 190K would get you a 1 bed flat at most.

Lancaster is lovely and other schools are available! There is a very good C of E school (Ripley) but you have to attend church to get points, but other schools are available a bus ride away… You won’t get much house for your budget though. Garstang might be worth a look? No train but ok bus links. Or Carnforth? Train station there but not sure about the school.

I wouldn’t recommend Preston, Burnley or Blackburn having worked in or around them but Standish near Wigan is nice and there are some lovely villages within reach of Preston, particularly to the North, Penwortham also lovely and good schools iirc.

It’s mostly a shit hole. I wouldn’t live there if you paid me. I’d also stay away from east Lancs other than Clitheroe. Parts of the south of Preston are nice. North Preston can be rough. Blackpool is a shit hole. Lancaster and the surrounding villages are quite nice

Chorley is nice.

Your budget would go well in morecambe - don't know the school system though.

Clayton le moors, rishton, great hardwood are nice and cheap and beautiful countryside surrounds

Chorley is lovely and schools are great, don't know much about the house prices or transport

I'm outside Preston, in the countryside, but agree with @Spikeandbuffy in that Preston isn't great for shopping, but there are a few nice little back streets for bars etc.
Leyland must have changed recently as it was definitely an area to avoid for years.
Penwortham is good, nice quiet areas, no good for shopping, no centre to it, but some great independent wine bars, pizza and tapas places. No idea on house prices though.
Clithoroe and Whalley lovely, but £££.

Ormskirk( a market town) ….close to M58 motorway….train links to Preston and liverpool

@spikeandbuffy I was hoping someone from Preston would comment, thanks.
Thats interesting that you say most don’t use the town anyway. For us, the shops were good compared to where we currently live, so it’s good to know the retail parks are actually better. I didn’t like the fact that the pavements and roads seemed to blend into one in the centre of town. Do they get accidents because of that? Or do you get used to it quickly?
General safety is an important factor for us too, so it’s really good to hear that you feel safe there at night.

Chorley and the villages around it , Leyland, south Ribble. Have you looked at Buckshaw ?

You’ll get a decent 3 bed semi in Chorley for £190k. I know Chorley well if you want any info

Poulton Ie Fylde, easy access to the big retail parks in Fleetwood, Blackpool and Preston. Decent train line and has a booths

@Lancsname There didn’t seem to be many schools in Lancaster I was worried they might all be full.
This is another thing I worry about, that we might be sent miles away to a school with places.
What do you dislike about Preston? So I can put it on the cons list 😂

Yep, 190k is a low budget if you're looking for 3 beds. You'll get more for your money in Leyland.

Chorley and surroundings (except Buckshaw) is more expensive. I'm surprised no-one has recommended Buckshaw but personally I'd avoid it (like the majority of locals do) - it's a HUGE housing estate built on a brownfield site (former Royal Ordinance Factory).

I'd definitely prefer Leyland over East Lancs (so Burnley, Bacup, etc) but your budget will go further in East Lancs. Rossendale is popular with a lot of people because it's good value for money but Jesus the weather in East Lancs is soul-destroying. It's always colder and wetter than the rest of Lancs. And dark.

Edit: While I was typing this, someone posted suggesting Buckshaw. Hilarious. 😂

You get used to it but it is part of why I don't use it! They made it a shared space which seems to equal pedestrians wandering randomly. I would say cars are more at risk that pedestrians because everyone drives really slow and is expecting people to step out in front of them

I mostly get a taxi into town if I'm going for a drink or meal as I'm quite close by

Shopping wise retail parks have M&S, Superdrug, boots, next, new look, Waitrose etc or I'll go to Trafford centre/online for specific things
My hobbies are outside the centre anyway (netball, wild swimming)

Lancaster is a really great place to live, but yes the secondary schools are difficult. The grammars are excellent, as is Ripley but you have to be church goers and it’s oversubscribed. The other secondary in Lancaster doesn’t have a good reputation, but apparently is not as awful as it once was. It’s part of an academy trust with Ripley and got an okay Ofsted recently.

£190k won’t go massively far in Lancaster itself, or at least the areas that I’d recommend. Bowerham is a lovely area, community feel and excellent primaries. Walkable to the centre but good bus connections.

Morecambe you’d get much more for your money. But the train connections are not so good, there are pockets of antisocial problems, and the secondaries aren’t as good - the top performing kids academically will go to the grammars in Lancaster and some will go to Ripley.

i am pleasantly surprised at how much there is in Poulton-le-Fylde for 190k.

Ignore the park homes, they should have been filtered out.

Yes please!

What are the schools like? Do they have a good bus service? What things are there for the DC to do? Does it have much night life for when DC are older? Are there areas to avoid? Areas that are better? Does it feel safe?
Any information will be appreciated. Thank you.