Cant decide to move to Swindon or Brighton

[Reanne2409]

Hello everyone, some people may find this quite a weird comparison but my boyfriend and I are saving up for a deposit on a 2 bed house and hope to move out fairly soon. We are having some issues on where we'd like to move too unfortunately and its between brighton or swindon.

Brighton - I know brighton is a more expensive option than swindon but ever since I was younger I realised that Brighton was my happy place. I was born and raised in London so brighton feels very similar just more safer and happier in my opinion. Every birthday of mine I will book a hotel along the seafront and spend a few days there going round the town centre or doing touristy things or going out to eat. Ive been to brighton in nearly all weathers so I have seen how ugly it gets during winter time (when I went the winds were 80mph). I have no family or friends there but I am happy to have a fresh start and build my life from there. I was looking more of saltdean sort of way.

Swindon - Complete different scenery to brighton but the reason why id like to move there is simply because I have family there and my boyfriend has family in Somerset. Not too keen on moving to a village as thats far too quiet for me. I like how swindon has a little bit of everything, cheap and some of the houses in west and north look lovely both on the inside and outside. I am aware that some parts are quite rough than others but thats like every other town... good range of parks, surrounding country side, good transport links, if I wanted to go out for a nice meal or whatever there is somewhere decent for me to go. I like how its quite quiet down there but not dead silent (I've only really been to west and like a lot)

I think whats stopping me is I like the idea of having family close by in Swindon but I like that in Brighton there is quite a bit more to do. Something I wouldnt want is me having kids in Swindon and as they get older they complain that theres nothing to do and then deep down I wished I went brighton instead if you know what I mean :(

In terms of jobs my boyfriend and I are working full time and can easily transfer to another branch so thats not a problem for us. Hope you guys can help!

Whilst you are young and pre kids go to Brighton or near there...absolutely..
maybe when you've had kids you;ll want to move again ...but maybe not..
i think the schooling is a bit hit n miss so maybe if you pick somewhere near but not central the options would be better...

I worked with someone who was the same as you and tehy moved form london to a flat in brighton and loved it... then got a house (nearer hove i think0 then moved for schools as their local one not great.... missed it so much moved back a couple of years later...

you dont have to stay forever where you live now.... .make the most of the chance whilst you can....

Swindon is a hole, sorry - I'd definitely move to Brighton!

Lots of DC live in small to medium sized towns with school friends and plenty going on. What would you expect DC to do in Brighton? Roam the arcades and tattoo parlours?

Actually I would prefer Brighton but if you want childcare handy, you’ve moved away from it. Bath is much nicer in my view! Or what about Reading?

Grew up in Wiltshire so know the area really well. I could not live in Swindon. Maybe some of the surrounding areas or towns but not Swindon itself it’s just depressing

Brighton is very seedy.....

If you want to be that area I’d look at malmsbury, Devizes, Marlborough, Cricklade, Cirencester, maybe Frome or Wells too instead.

Jesus sorry but that is not even a question! You will be forever gutted if you choose Swindon.

Brighton is very seedy Have you actually been to Brighton?

I don't know much about Swindon but I used to live in Brighton. It's brilliant pre kids but after kids I just couldn't afford it. I don't know what your budget is but Worthing or Hastings are lovely, similar style buildings, close to Brighton and you can get a lot more for your money there.

Brighton CAN be a bit seedy but that's not all it's about. Kemptown especially can be seedy but that also makes it interesting.

It's also a vibrant and fun place to live.

But it's expensive.

My personal choice is the Hove end but lots of people like the Hannover area and surrounds too.

It's still pretty safe if you stay in your comfort zone.

Swindon is just "meh"

I know both places. Used to live near Brighton, now live nearish Swindon but have known it all my life. I certainly know the reputation of Swindon, plus the fact that Honda plays a big part in that town and is about to shut its plant there. Could leave to even more deprivation in the future.... But set against that, you would have family around if you had children. That is invaluable. Brighton is a decent enough place, got a good vibe. I brought up small children there. It had all I needed.

But I think the key question is that you said Brighton is your happy place where you go for your birthdays. If you lived there, it would cease to be that happy special place. It would become where you live, with all the ups and downs or ordinary life. You would have to find somewhere else to be your special happy place you treat yourself to annually. If that is ok for you, move to Brighton. But sometimes people like to keep a special place for special times.

What is it about having family nearby that you like/want? How often do you think you'd see them if you were in Swindon? How often in Brighton?

Considering Brighton is your happy place, I'd go for there, unless there are really really strong reasons why being near family would make you happier.

@Witchofzog...'have I ever been to brighton' yes I lived there for ten years with my children. Trust me it's seedy.

I’d definitely do for Brighton.we lived there before having children, and loved it (and we lived just outside of Kemptown, and while it is a bit different to some areas, I wouldn’t really call it seedy. We have lots of friend there with children, and there is a great family vibe. Unlike lots of towns, a lot of families don’t have grandparents etc near by, and I can see an amazing sense of community around the families we know there. I don’t know much about living in Saltdean (it has quite a different vibe in my mind), but Hannover and areas of Hove are vibrant, and we know quite a lot of people who moved out to the Hove side of Portslade, which now feels very ‘Brighton’.

Swindon is awful, and GWR charges you pretty penny to escape.

Swindon is bloody awful OP!

If you are thinking Brighton or Swindon then I presume you need London to be accessible? In which case why not look at Bath or Bristol - you’ll be near family, and plenty to do (especially Bristol).

Otherwise I’d look done the coast from Brighton - Worthing etc for a family house. You also might like Frome out west but not good for London access.