Make it in Livingston??

[SconeShoes]

First and foremost, yay for Scotsnet!!
Ok, Our potential move is iminent, I know it's a "new" town, I know it's got no soul, I know it's roundabout central but I need you to give it to me straight, the good, the bad and the ugly, I can can take it!
I know where all the less desirable bits are but I'd like to know which are the "better" parts of the better parts, if you know what I mean. Which are the decent schools etc in your opinion? What stuff is there to do at weekends with the kids? Are you happy there? If not, why not? What make it worse/better than nearby areas?
Residents personal experience would be great please, I know people are very keen to slag off Livi just because they drove through it once trying to get back on the motorway!
I'm trying to build up a picture of what it's going to be like, I know it ain't pretty and it's certainly no Linlithgow, but it's got a fair bit going for it, right??
Or wrong???

For under 200

Looking on rightmove, any of the 4 bedroom houses in Broxburn are in nice enough estates, all fairly new and they are in walking distance to the station in Uphall station...it's about a half hour walk, but technically walking and a very quick drive.

I think they're all in catchment for Kirkhill primary, which is ok.

There are 2 in Uphall station, right next to the station in fact, they'd be pumpherston and Uphall station primary which is about 2 yrs old. Uphall station is very close to livingston if you go up past pumpherston and then through craigshill (driving very fast in that but, lol) to get to the dual carriageway.

Both those places are Broxburn academy for secondary school.

I don't see any over in any of the calders for that price.

3 bedrooms - there's one in Kirknewton which has a well regarded primary and should be in catchment for Balerno, there's a station there too and kirknewton is a lovely town.

I mostly hate it because I'm either a country girl or a city girl at heart. I grew up in rural New England with not a single cookie cutter house in sight and then spent my adult life (until I married) in Edinburgh. I can't stand the endless clusters of new build after new build after new build and hate living in one! I really miss Edinburgh but DH hates city life so Balerno would be a compromise for us.

I haven't been impressed with the schools either. I would say DC have survived primary school rather than thrived and we've switched to private school from P7 onwards. We're in the catchment for Inveralmond and it seems to have positioned itself as a vocational school and their range of Highers and Advanced Highers is the bare minimum. The range of courses was slashed several years ago because the "economic demographics" did not support a wider range- I.e. It was too expensive to run Advanced Highers for small groups- and the idea was that West Lothian College would fill the gap with students travelling there for additional options. That really hasn't come to anything and if you need a Higher/Advanced Higher in another topic offered by another West Lothian school there's a taxi system if you can fit it into your timetable.

That was DSD's experience at Deans Taz although that was a few years ago now so it's a bit disappointing it hasn't changed.

Thanks for all your input, disappointing about the high schools.
East Calder, any thoughts???

Dh's family lives in Dedridge and have done for years. A number of my friends live is Knightsbridge and it seems quiet. There are 2 train stations.