Moving to Crewe - anyone live there - help!

[QueenFee]

Hi we are planning to move to Crewe area in the next 18 months and I am looking to get some inside information

I know there are things about the area I now live in I wish I had known before I moved here so please go dish the dirt and tell me the good the bad and the ugly! Where are good places to live, good schools, traffic problems etc.

Thanks!

I live in Knutsford, 20-25 mins north, the central area of Crewe like most bigger cities is quite grim, but the surrounding areas have loads of little villages and towns in them.

Where are you moving from?

I mainly drop my husband off at the station to get the train to London, Sandbach is near which is nice, with a Waitrose!

I see you are in NWales? It's a bit like Rhyl but without the sea

Crewe is ok but Nantwich, next door, is much nicer. Easy access to M6. Crap shopping though,need to travel to Stoke on Trent or Chester for bigger stores, ie there is no John Lewis or Debenhams, no Zara, Wallis, Principles, H&M, Primark.

Plenty of adequate to good schools.Couple of excellent secondary schools in Nantwich. (Mine aren't at school yet)

Largeish District General Hospital in Crewe covering most things and A and E. Can get an NHS dentist ok. GPs vary but plenty of good ones.

Traffic in the area around the railway station gets quite horrific. Got a retail park with Next, Aldi, Pets at Home and M&S Simply Food.

What else would you like to know?

Thanks for your responses!

ha yes Rhyl

I did live in Winsford many years ago for a while so aware of the surrounding area just not Crewe itself.
We are looking for somewhere inexpensive which sadly probably puts Sandbach out of the calling (I assume as it has a waitrose it's very nice and therefore the house prices out of our reach)

I seem to remember that we used to have to come over to Chester for shops before - One of the reasons we moved away - thanks for that reminder!

Keep it coming I am trying to weigh up the pros and cons of moving verus staying put and commuting.

I'm in Chester.

Lovely things about up here are the access to lots of fab countryside and nice people.

My hubby works in Crewe and we live around 20 minutes away. Most of his work mates live there and "Crewites" are known to be very loyal to thier town, and all seem like a friendly bunch.

It's your average big town really, but I was told that the centre was all going to be regenerated and majorly tarted up. I'm not sure if this still applies now the recession is biting! If not there are plenty of nice small towns - Alsager, Nantwich, Sandbach or slightly further afield Hanley and Newcastle are larger shopping towns with all the usual suspects.

Crewe fairly cheap for houses.
Sandbach nice and good state single sex schools.
Nantwich lovely market town,lots of small villages around where house prices still reasonable.
Houses tend to be more expensive the closer you get to Manchester,ie Congleton,Macclesfield,Wilmslow,Knutsford,,Holmes Chapel.
Middlewich is just off the motorway,has lots of canals!
Alsager has some nice houses and a independant shops.
Winsford fairly cheap,still has some 'Liverpool overspill' conotations though.
I would go for Sandbach or Nantwich for closeness to Crewe but with character.
(live in Congleton myself,work at the hospital in Crewe)

Hi We are looking to move into Crewe also, but we want to rent first as we are coming from Somerset. Is Shavington ok ? Anyone any advice or suggestions?
Thanks