Moving to Ipswich

[PiperG]

We are thinking about moving to Ipswich from London. I'm a Londoner and have lived here all my life but my partner is from Ipswich originally and lots of his family are there, who are lovely, and we often visit. I never really thought I would live in a small(ish) town like Ipswich but I can really see its benefits - it's friendly and there's everything on your doorstep and there's gorgeous countryside and seaside just nearby. I suppose I am thinking more and more about where I want my kids to grow up (we have two under 3) and I'm not sure I want them to grow up in the grot of Hackney, lovely though it is in many ways.

I'm a bit worried though that Ipwsich'll seem like a cultural desert after London (no disrespect to Ipswich-dwellers ...). Are there any Londoners out there who have made the move and are really happy? And any Ipswich mums who have got lots of good things to say about it?

I moved up to suffolk 3 years ago and love it.
It did take a while to settle in and meet people though, but if you have family that helps a lot.
There is culture, hard core classical at snape,up the coast. Theatre does tour to east anglia and cinema same as everywhere else.
But be honest, with two under 3, when was the last time you went to a poetry reading?
What i missed was the neutral spaces in london to meet other mums, here people do tend to stay at home, but ipswich has a lovely central park.
Do it , make the move and watch your dc blossom

We moved from Stoke Newington in Hackney almost 6 years ago and it was great for the children. My daughter who was then 11 had the freedom of walking into town to shop - H&M, Top Shop etc, and was able to walk to school. We live just near the Christchurch park and walk everywhere. The shops are more basic obviously, but adequate but what is lovely are the docks to walk around, the parks , the fields on the outskirts and the beaches that are all a very short, quick drive away. When I go back to London, I am now overwhelmed by the people everywhere, the length of time it takes to drive anywhere and the hazards of parking. It is also really easy to get to London from Ipswich - 70mins to Liverpool street, and if you are smart , you can get £6 tickets. With a family rail card a day trip to London and the Museums and galleries is not too expensive either. I had lived in London most of my life and considered myself a true Londoner, but have an enormous affection for Ipswich and Suffolk now, and have no inclination to return. State schools are far better in Suffolk too and there are really good Independent ones.
If you sell up in London you get some thing larger for your money or if you are a renter you can also get far more as rents are cheap. If you have family here I would definitely say go for it!

Sorry, no good things to say about Ipswich.
I have lived here all my life.

Thanks all for your thoughts ... Loissy and Zanzibar, good to hear positive things about Ipswich! I think that rather than being worried about the lack of culture as such (as, as you point out, there's lots of fabulous things to do around Ipswich) I am more worried about that lack of diversity, of different places to go and hang out and meet other mums, of little cafes and places like that. There's just SO much going on in my local area and around and I'm worried that it won't be like that in Suffolk and I'll really miss it. anyway, need to weigh up allthe pros and cons and have a good think ...

Bury St Edmunds is fairly close to Ipswich and possibly considered a bit busier.