Advice needed for move to England from US
Feb 27th 2023, 2:31 pm
#16
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Generally speaking, the cost of housing is related to the distance from London, so if you aren't dependent on access to London, you may want to focus on areas that are not reasonably commutable to London - and yes, San Diego Girl is right, Guildford is lovely, but it is almost a suburb of London - for a while I did a reverse commute from Kingston in SW London, to near Guildford, and it's only about a 20 minute drive, and even less on the train, so there is a reason why the area is known as the stockbroker belt, and affordable it is not!
I would say, if looking for somewhere away from London I would look across the cities of northern England - Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, or the many satellite cities - Wigan, Preston, Huddersfield, Doncaster, York, Harrogate, etc. All of the larger cities, and most of the smaller ones are going to have a range of areas from ones where you might dream of being able to afford, to ones that are, so be blunt, run down and dangerous, but there are going to be many areas that are comfortable middle class suburbs with medical services, vets, local supermarkets (groceries) and good public transport to the city center for shopping and entertainment.
My family is actually from Sheffield, and it has some great areas, though I left there a long time ago, but although in the UK it has a reputation as a northern steel town, in fact there are some very expensive areas, and lots of middle ground suburbs - we lived in the SW of the city, just a few miles from the Peak District National Park.
I would say, if looking for somewhere away from London I would look across the cities of northern England - Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, or the many satellite cities - Wigan, Preston, Huddersfield, Doncaster, York, Harrogate, etc. All of the larger cities, and most of the smaller ones are going to have a range of areas from ones where you might dream of being able to afford, to ones that are, so be blunt, run down and dangerous, but there are going to be many areas that are comfortable middle class suburbs with medical services, vets, local supermarkets (groceries) and good public transport to the city center for shopping and entertainment.
My family is actually from Sheffield, and it has some great areas, though I left there a long time ago, but although in the UK it has a reputation as a northern steel town, in fact there are some very expensive areas, and lots of middle ground suburbs - we lived in the SW of the city, just a few miles from the Peak District National Park.
Feb 27th 2023, 10:53 pm
#17
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Bungalows are likely to be a bit of rarity given the general housing stock but this is indicative of what’s available and the price you might be paying if you go a bit further out.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130392698
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130392698
Feb 28th 2023, 12:59 am
#18
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Thanks. I'm not retired, btw so Cornwall might not be for me right now. I'm from a suburb of a very large city so I don't think I'd be overwhelmed by a city there. I do however prefer a suburban kind of area and certainly not a rough one. I'm hoping to find a nice, safe, leafy place.
Feb 28th 2023, 2:47 am
#19
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Or if those areas are still too urban, which I think is unlikely, you could go just a couple of miles south to Dronfield, where my parents owned their first home - it's in the next county (Derbyshire), but is a de facto suburb of Sheffield. Fun fact: Rick Allen's, drummer of Def Leppard, parents used to live there, before Def Leppard got massive.
Feb 28th 2023, 2:59 am
#20
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Speaking about Def Leppard, they still seem pretty down to earth and a work colleague once met Joe Elliot in the pub. He still lives in Stepaside just outside Dublin, which did surprise me.
Feb 28th 2023, 2:08 pm
#21
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Bungalows are likely to be a bit of rarity given the general housing stock but this is indicative of what’s available and the price you might be paying if you go a bit further out.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130392698
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130392698
Feb 28th 2023, 2:10 pm
#22
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Feb 28th 2023, 2:13 pm
#23
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
The areas I remember best are west and SW of Woodseats, which is the edge of "urban", with terraced (row) housing. We lived off Abbeydale Rd, but Ecclesall Rd also goes through some nice areas, and both roads go out towards Dore and Totley. You only have to look at a map to see there are a lot of parks and other green areas around there, not at all what people would expect from an industrial/ steel town. If I were to go back, those are the areas I would be looking.
Or if those areas are still too urban, which I think is unlikely, you could go just a couple of miles south to Dronfield, where my parents owned their first home - it's in the next county (Derbyshire), but is a de facto suburb of Sheffield. Fun fact: Rick Allen's, drummer of Def Leppard, parents used to live there, before Def Leppard got massive.
Or if those areas are still too urban, which I think is unlikely, you could go just a couple of miles south to Dronfield, where my parents owned their first home - it's in the next county (Derbyshire), but is a de facto suburb of Sheffield. Fun fact: Rick Allen's, drummer of Def Leppard, parents used to live there, before Def Leppard got massive.
Feb 28th 2023, 8:25 pm
#24
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May 10th 2024, 8:57 am
#25
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Here I am again, over a year after starting this thread, still in the US. A lot has happened since, and I now really want to go in the next 2 months.
My little older dog passed away and I now have a small puppy.
Please help me decide where to move.
I have been trying to decide where to move for literally years.
I have dual citizenship US and Irish. Never been out of the US. 70 years old, alone except for my little dog. I'll be moving alone and not going to anyone, wanting to start a new chapter, getting involved with community and having many of the things I have here in a suburb of Chicago-shopping, medical care, vet, good roads.
I want to rent a house - bungalow, one level in a good area. I work independently and remotely so I need good internet.
Healthcare is important and good ambulance service just in case.
I'm not visiting first, just getting off a plane and going to the place I rent beforehand.
Please give your best advice people...I have to decide and get on with it.
I've been looking into Cheshire.
Thanks in advance.
My little older dog passed away and I now have a small puppy.
Please help me decide where to move.
I have been trying to decide where to move for literally years.
I have dual citizenship US and Irish. Never been out of the US. 70 years old, alone except for my little dog. I'll be moving alone and not going to anyone, wanting to start a new chapter, getting involved with community and having many of the things I have here in a suburb of Chicago-shopping, medical care, vet, good roads.
I want to rent a house - bungalow, one level in a good area. I work independently and remotely so I need good internet.
Healthcare is important and good ambulance service just in case.
I'm not visiting first, just getting off a plane and going to the place I rent beforehand.
Please give your best advice people...I have to decide and get on with it.
I've been looking into Cheshire.
Thanks in advance.
May 10th 2024, 9:09 am
#26
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Sorry, but not going to happen within 2 months - even if you knew where you were going, renting somewhere would probably take a month or two.
Hopefully someone will come up with other suggestions for you.
Yes, Cheshire is nice.....
Notice that you said you were not retired.... so are you intending to work in the UK?
Hopefully someone will come up with other suggestions for you.
Yes, Cheshire is nice.....
Notice that you said you were not retired.... so are you intending to work in the UK?
Last edited by SanDiegogirl; May 10th 2024 at 9:22 am.
May 10th 2024, 9:35 am
#27
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Joined: Dec 2021
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Sorry, but not going to happen within 2 months - even if you knew where you were going, renting somewhere would probably take a month or two.
Hopefully someone will come up with other suggestions for you.
Yes, Cheshire is nice.....
Notice that you said you were not retired.... so are you intending to work in the UK?
Hopefully someone will come up with other suggestions for you.
Yes, Cheshire is nice.....
Notice that you said you were not retired.... so are you intending to work in the UK?
May 10th 2024, 12:05 pm
#29
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
May 10th 2024, 6:45 pm
#30
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Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
Both my daughter and her partner have moved here (N Yorkshire) within the last couple of years and they each work remotely from home doing their IT jobs so it is very doable. She bought a house and he rents and I can confirm that finding a place to rent can be time consuming. What he did was Airbnb for a couple of months while he looked and found somewhere to rent for the long term.
