sile

What about Oxfordshire....any ideas for that area?

ldollard

Sorry no, i'd also suggest looking through an area in google streets, it'll give you a good idea of places.

kimilseung

Without cultural knowledge this may not help.

I had a difficult time reading areas in the States, and my wife was as ignorant when in the UK. We just could not read the cultural signs, no matter how obvious they were to the other.

ldollard

Sorry but that's just silly. Cultural signs?.. it's all in English.

If she finds an area she is interested in she can actually move around in Google street view to see what its actually like and get a feel for it.

I've done this countless times when traveling.

penguinsix

Hi

For less than two months rent you can fly over and stay cheap for a week or two. I'd second the advice to 'try before buy' as there are dozens of things you won't be able to sort over the net and with a dog.

Have you seen the site Talk Yankee? It's for Americans living in the UK and will give you a frank assessment of life in the UK for an American--good, bad, and otherwise. They all had rose-colored glasses on once. Some still do, some don't. But it might be worth checking out for some 'been there done that' advice on relocating.

http://talk.uk-yankee.com

ldollard

Good advice. Might show that to my wife even though she lived in London fir 2 years and loved it.

sallysimmons

My question is what can we tell you that we haven't already? That's not meant as sarcasm but you've started many of these threads and been advised on countless towns and cities and yet here we are. Also people always advise you to try the country before making the leap but you always say no.

I'd tell you that York was voted 2nd happiest town in the UK and that's it's a beautiful fabulous place to live, but I already have said that just as others have described places they like in great detail.

Obviously something about our advice is not resonating. If you can identify what it is, maybe we can help.

chris197337

I wouldn't consider Croydon myself, it's a dump and the commute to central London is a pain, even if you are near one of the big stations. You'd still struggle budget-wise. If you want cheaper I'd think you'd be better off looking somewhere like Herts, not cheap but way nicer. Still hard to see someone getting a cottage for £800 a month in the South East.

chris197337

I agree enormously with both posts in bold. It's very different in the UK.

I'd suggest somewhere like that too and of course something that is quite different to the US is that you can pretty much get anywhere on a bus. It may take a while some times, but it's often not even an option in America. Similarly, outside of places like NYC, taxis aren't easily/ affordable used where as a lot of people do use them to go to the store etc in the UK.

If it was me, I'd definitely think about Greater Manchester and the North West. There is a lot going on, but places can still be affordable.

I wouldn't think about any of the places you mentioned. York may be a nice place to visit, it may seem vibrant but it's really just a small University town.

To be clear, the biggest cities outside of London are (in no particular order) Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Bristol.

Like I said, I'd think about suburbs of Manchester, first (which also has a tram system), I lived in Nottingham for a few years and I think it's a great place, Leeds is nice, as are all of the rest really. I agree that the job situation isn't ideal in the North East (Newcastle, Sunderland etc) but you get a lot more in places like that and you can get a fairly decent house with a yard for £800/m.

dunroving

Just a separate note - in the UK, it's more difficult than the US to have a "yard dog" (i.e., leaving the dog out in the yard during parts of the day).

There are several reasons, but I found I had to get a dog walker during the weekdays and leave Suzy in the house while I was at work, even though I took her for a long walk before I left and after I came back from work. At her age and with her temperament that was fine, but I haven't got another dog because I think for many dogs (espcially younger ones), being left in the house for long periods is stressful.

So, a fenced yard (garden) is desirable for dog-owners, but doesn't mean the same thing as in the US.

J.JsOH

http://blog.primelocation.com/2009/0...laces-to-live/

I found this, I haven't read it but maybe is the kind of info you seek.

WEBlue

This is absolutely true! If one has never been to the UK, it is extremely difficult to "read" the neighbourhoods just by looking (this is true if you are looking either online or IRL). And as safety seems to be very important to Sile--and would be just as important to me if I were a single woman moving to the UK on my own--I think it's a very cogent point.

Until you've lived in a culture, or have visited a LOT over time--it's almost impossible to pick up the little signs of what makes a nice, safe area as opposed to a less-desirable, less-safe area. For instance, my old village in England was very nice, yet even so there was a neighbourhood that was less pleasant due to ASBO-like behaviour of some youth who lived there. It took me several years of living in that village to "see" what others there knew well, that these particular few streets were not the best place for a quiet life.

I agree with this. Sile, no one here wants to steer you to the wrong place. The UK is so different from the US. You really need to see these towns & villages for yourself. As lots of folks here are recommending, please don't make a big choice like this without seeing things in advance for yourself and sorting out your own "best" place to live. No one else can do that but you.

kimilseung

"It's all in English" you're hilarious.

edit: On re-reading I see you were not joking.
Let me expand with an example.

In America I often thought I was in affluent areas, as the houses were all detached. I was accustomed to mail being delivered via a slot in the door, so I did not notice the mail boxes on the street. Sometimes there are multiple mail boxes for one house indicating that the house is split up in to numerous apartments and thus indicating that the area is not as affluent as I had assumed. My wife made similar misreading when she visited Britain.

ldollard

I do see your point, i guess i'm looking at it from my own perspective, I've traveled a fair amount, and I think I understand about different cultures.

Probably if all you've known is the US, anywhere else could seem bewildering.

I think ultimately Sile NEEDS to go to the UK first. She can get suggestions on where to go, but has to experience these places first hand.

Sally Redux

That's what we've been trying to tell her for ages.