Is Solihull far away enough from Birmingham?

[Hatebirmingham]

I live in Edgbaston and HATE Birmingham. I’ve been here for 6 years and I think it’s bloody awful. It’s run down, unsafe to the point where I could list multiple areas where I barely feel safe driving through, never mind getting out of the car and there are so many areas that don’t even feel like you’re in the UK. I see teens around and would be throughly depressed for these to be the children that my own would attend school with - lots seem to be wannabe ‘gangsters’, rude, intimidating etc. I find the vast majority of Birmingham incredibly depressing.

We can’t leave the West Midlands unfortunately.

I was wondering if Solihull may be a better fit for us. My oldest DC is starting school next year so we still have time to move without interrupting education. My question is - is Solihull (particularly Dorridge/Knowle) far enough away from Birmingham to not be affected by Birmingham’s ‘issues’?

IABU: Solihull is still too close to Birmingham
IANBU: Solihull is much better than Birmingham

@Hatebirmingham As a black female Brummie, may I suggest Kingstanding?

I never feel safe there, so I assume you will feel right at home there.

Leamington has always been a bit split, students south of the river and non students to the north. Generally it’s still ‘naice’, the biggest problem is the traffic and parking.
Warwick has almost no students, lots of older people and yummy mummies, lots of traffic and houses that are outrageously expensive for what they are. My friend who lives there describes it as all matcha and anti vaxxers. Schools are hit and miss in both.
Kenilworth had a reputation as god’s waiting room although it has changed over the last 10 years. Not much going on generally, people are obsessed with the park. Schools are good, high school is very good. The reopening of the train station has been largely a good thing

I agree!

A lot of Birmingham is run down and tatty looking. There is a lot of poverty in many areas as there always has been. I grew up up on a Birmingham council estate in the 80s and 90s with mainly white British people and a couple of Black families. It was very rough and is just the same now. That’s poverty for you. I feel very fortunate that I was able to leave through education.

And most areas of Birmingham where people can’t drive their own rubbish to the tip are looking dreadful and have done for over a year as the bins have been on strike.

I gave up driving around Bham after the first few months and took the bus instead (that’s one thing I will say, it has a good bus service!)

Once had one speeding directly towards me on the wrong side of the road. Another time a man effing and blinding at me as I was putting ds into his car seat in Aldi car park as he wanted to be in my children’s carspace despite having no kids with him.

I have no idea how you’ve managed to never feel unsafe in Birmingham. Did you grow up in an awful area or perhaps you are just naive or blind to dangerous situations?

No, I don’t think being white = safe, and non-white = safe at all. I’ve been made to feel unsafe by white men plenty of times in my life, including in Birmingham.

How on Earth is “staring me down” ambiguous? Have you never been in a situation where a group of men are all staring at you in a way that makes you at best feel uncomfortable, or at worst, makes you feel that you could potentially be in danger?

How does the problem lie with me? Am I supposed to accept being intimidated by groups of men or groups of teenagers and accept that it’s a ‘me problem’? What an awful take.

There ARE places in Birmingham that are unwelcoming to white people. There are even non-white people on this thread saying the same!

I second Bromsgrove. That’s where I’m from. You’re slap bang in the middle between Worcesters centre and Birmingham city centre. There’s loads of surrounding areas to catch the train like Redditch, Barnt green & Bromsgrove station. You’re near enough to redditch kingfisher centre if you want to go shopping, Longbridge and Northfields and merryhill. Plus you’re close enough to Droitwich and Alvechurch too. There’s lots of places around Bromsgrove that feel semi-rural, lots of fields and farm area. Catshill, Bournheath, Marlbrook and Lickeyend.

I live in SW Brum.

2 hospitals within 3 miles.
Doctors and dentists 2 minute walk from here
Local shops 1 minute walk (convenience store, chippy)
4 bus stops with 2 minutes level access walk. Choice of buses to city centre - takes about 30 mins
Nature reserve 25 minutes walk from here.

Our neighbour is having building work done. They'd rather extend than move.

It's very UnEnglish to say where you live is a shithole ... and mean it 😎

I used to visit a friend in Solihull a lot and I alwasy thought how lovely it was

I’ve lived in areas with high crime and haven’t felt scared to walk around. I’ve lived in areas with high numbers of non-white people and haven’t felt scared to walk around. There is just something about Birmingham that is off.

Can you get an NHS dentist? I have friends in Brum who can’t, they’re all private, although I don’t think that’s just a Brum issue.

Solihull is fucking awful. Sutton Coldfield as well. Small town mentalities rammed full of people who think they’re better than everyone else.

Birmingham has some brilliant suburbs which suit me and my family, and some that would not suit our values or lifestyle at all. That’s ok, I don’t need to go to those parts.

It's absolutely nothing to do with poverty; people make the place. Compare photos of working class areas in Brum in the 1950s to now. The streets were clean, people took pride in their area, fly tipping wasn't a thing, doorsteps were washed daily, roads were swept, houses were maintained as god forbid they show themselves up to the neighbours as slovenly... They didn't have any more money, infact they had a lot less. The council certainly didn't invest in these areas. The poverty trope is nonsense.

It is entirely possible to drive from Birmingham to Solihull without a gap in the houses.

I don’t think she is. But if you drove through certain areas of Birmingham, you would definitely describe the areas as dirty.

There is a bin strike!

There is definitely some racism on this thread.

Your mind goes to strange places if you extrapolated that from my post.

Bit harsh!

Also know Birmingham very well and it is a thoroughly depressing place these days although Harborne has a half decent High Street. We usually can’t wait to get away as it’s dirty and run down in a lot of places. The council is bankrupt so can’t afford the capital regeneration and the teen members of my family (some black) are genuinely fearful for their safety in a way my London dc are not. Area upon area of bleakness.

In London, areas are very mixed culturally and economically which isn’t really the case in Birmingham. It’s created very poor, monocultural areas. Shopping seems to be the main pastime in depressing places like MerryHill. There are things to do but they cost money and the green spaces are not that nice unless you get out of the city. There isn’t really the vibrancy that you get in the East End or Wembley or Brixton for example.

She isn't saying that at all!

Leamington Spa feels like it gone down hill but I grew up there - The Parade felt empty last time though.

Kenilworth was okay - though been a good decade since been there - warwick okay always seemed to be full of Antique shops.

Your best bet is to go and have a look round - day trips out - and look at the schools and house prices and see what you actually want.

I like Birmigham but last time we went did feel like it wasn't doing as well as previously - though I didn't feel danger but then I live in a city which MN and national media has no issue calling a shit hole.

Even our city center in days and early evening fine though wouldn't be happier there or young teens to be there late at night. We've pick a cheaper nice neigbourhood and have a nice life - secondary bit of a disappointment but kids did okay there - and feel okay wandeingr round this neigbourhood at night and in the city hospitals.

We did live in a west midalnds town prior - north warwickshire- and there was an attitude of "crab bucket" and constant chip on locals shoulders which was a relief to get away from.