Move to Durham

[Dennymc]

Hi all,

My partner is expecting at the moment and we have been seriously considering a move north, I lived most of my life in London and my partner is originally from Poland, we have spent quite a few years in Hertfordshire.
I've looked at Durham as the area looks nice and rent/house prices seem a hell of a lot better than round here.
Thinking about a child's future and actually having a proper childhood it seems that moving somewhere like Durham would be a good move.
We don't have anything to tie us to this area as it is just the 2 of us and we want to own a home, as soon as we can save for a mortgage.
Anyone in the area that can tell us what Durham is like? Is it a friendly place and are there any areas to avoid?
As far as work goes we aren't bothered about the type of work we do, minimum wage is national and we would get a lot more for our money than we do here, we are currently renting a one bed flat for 800 per month non inclusive of bills.
Are there a lot of jobs around the area.
Thanks for any replies

The county or the city? Vast difference. Durham city is a (mostly) quaint uni/tourist city. Rents in the town are led by uni. There is plenty of housing around outside. Jobs-well like you say min wage jobs are everywhere. But the rest of the county is a mix of agricultural land, ex pit villages (not many jobs),bigger towns that can be a bit rough and nice market towns.(but often seasonal and supermarket type jobs) (I live in one of these) Public transport is hit and miss (a joke in my town) there are good schools (and crap) Bit like the rest of the country.
But, rents are cheap, the countryside is lovely, most people are nice (can be a tad insular)
Why Durham op? We moved for work, but it wasn't on my list of places to go.

Durham is nice-the city. But it isn’t rural. Smaller towns are a bit tough, a lot of poverty. Cold.

Are there a lot of jobs around the area

Not really (certainly less on offer than in Herts) but I suppose that does depend on what jobs you’re looking for.

My sister loves living in the area - I don’t think it would suit me. You really need to research and visit before making the decision to move, to be as certain as you can be that it’s right for you both.

Thanks for the replies,
Would preferably like outside of the city, we both have vehicles so commuting isn't a problem and I ride a motorbike so traffic isn't an issue.
Durham came up as a possibility as I bought a vehicle from there and looked at the area at the same time and it does look beautiful.
After living in big cities and busy towns I want a different childhood to the one I had for our future baby.
I plan to go there and spend a night or 2 in a b&b to get a good idea of the area.
For work it really isn't an issue what there is as long as there is work, I've had a few different jobs, office managerial, warehouse from the bottom up, manufacturing etc.
I guess I have a lot of research to do but this isn't a rush decision and would be a plan over at least a couple of years.
Thanks again for the info