Advice about living in Drylaw Edinburgh

[thatone]

My dc is planning a move to Edinburgh and we have found a place in Drylaw. Having read previous threads opinions on the area are mixed. We are of Asian heritage and searches have shown that racism and racist attacks have come up.

Could anyone who knows the area advise as to what it might be like to live there now. I have visited the area once and plan to go up again (from down South) but wondered if we should totally re-think.

The section between Telford Road and Ferry Road would be my preference over the Pilton/Muirhouse side. It wouldn't be somewhere id be moving hundreds of miles to live but Edinburgh is expensive so if budget is dictating then like everywhere else, you will still get good neighbours and bad neighbours and that will make a huge difference. Its quite a deprived area with lots of families there. Would Gorgie be an option? Its quite multicultural, lots of shops and restaurants in the area but still one of the cheaper places to live close to the centre. Gorgie has lots of tenement flats rather than houses so depends what you are looking for.

You could search the postcode on this tool:
simd.scot

I agree with @Eastcoastie that area between Telford Road and Ferry Road doesn't seem too bad compared to the Pilton/ Muirhouse side of Ferry Road which I definitely wouldn't recommend living in! On the whole Edinburgh isn't a hugely multi-cultural city and doesn't have significant populations of Asian or Afro-Caribbean people compared to other cities.

Thank you very much for your guidance. Budget isn't a huge issue - we will go back and look again.

What’s the budget and for what…..rent or buy, number of bedrooms etc? We might be able to suggest some alternatives. Also think about things like bus routes and commute to work, school catchments if that’s relevant…..

Budget is around 1k and renting I bedroom flat. No need for schools but need bus train or tram links. We have been up there and it has been really difficult to even book viewings.

flatshare with ensuite would also work.

bus, train or tram links to where though? There's only one tram line so if you work along it that's great but to many people in Edinburgh it's useless to them apart from once a year when they go on holiday from the airport!
£1k is a pretty decent budget for a 1 bed, I think you should be able to do better than Drylaw.
1 bed flat to rent in Broughton Road, Broughton, Edinburgh EH7, £950 pcm - Zoopla
1 bed flat to rent in Wardlaw Place, Gorgie, Edinburgh EH11, £950 pcm - Zoopla
1 bed flat to rent in Adelphi Grove, Portobello, Edinburgh EH15, £950 pcm - Zoopla
1 bed flat to rent in Thistle Place, Edinburgh EH11, £925 pcm - Zoopla
1 bed flat to rent in Hillpark Wood, Blackhall, Edinburgh EH4, £950 pcm - Zoopla
1 bed flat for rent Slateford | Ogilvie Terrace EH11 | ESPC

Thank you so much MiddleAgedDread - I will check those out and hope they are still available 🙏. Sometimes they don't remove listings even when they have been taken.

There's a few more in those sort of areas. Gorgie and Dalry is walking distance into the city centre and has good bus routes. Some of the streets are a little rough around the edges but ultimately it's an ok area and probably more young people and students type area than Drylaw. Polwarth and Shandon are also ok and 1 beds should just be within budget.
Portobello is further out but has really good bus connections in the city centre and it's right by the beach. Parts of Leith would be ok too and Broughton / Bonnington are fine.
There's a few more on here: Property Results on Map (citylets.co.uk) and a couple on here - Award Winning Letting Agents In Edinburgh - Clan Gordon

There is a Facebook group called Egg Home and Away where people advertise rentals in Edinburgh. I see people commenting all the time how quickly places are going at the moment, i get the impression you need to be ready to jump if you can secure a viewing

I would want to be avoiding large areas of red deprivation if i was renting and therefore had some degree of choice.
simd.scot/#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/12.269694688873468/-3.2675/55.9439/

Things are going quick and you need to be here for viewings. If it was me I would get a short term rental for a few weeks and find a more permanent place once I was up there. Also would give me a chance to get a better feel for bus routes and amenities.

Thank you everyone - I have managed to secure some viewings now for next week. I will keep trying on the ones that were full because there might be cancellations. MiddleAgedDread your links were very useful - thank you!