Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Hello,

I am hoping to move within the next 3-6 months from the US. I've not been to the UK and I don't necessarily plan to make a trip beforehand if I can avoid the expense.
I'm a US/Irish dual citizen. I have an older dog that will come with me. I am in my 60s, work as an independent contractor, and also have some health issues but nothing that will stand in the way of making this move.
I would like to rent a nice bungalow in a good area with trees and parks. I don't want to be in a crowded city, nor do I want to be out in the country. I want to be near a vet, doctor's offices, and a good hospital just in case. And good shopping is very important.
In terms of my finances, I would say I'm in the middle to upper class here in the US.

I am concerned about things I hear in the news about the state of the NHS, ambulances, cost of living, strikes, shortages, crime, but I feel if I choose the right location I'll be fine.

I would love to get some advice and recommendations from anyone.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Anywhere outside a major city (somewhere in the suburbs) will provide your needs.
North of the country is cheaper than the South; weather is better in the South.
Guildford, Surrey is nice; Norfolk is lovely.
State of NHS is dire in some places, cost of living is high in places like London, crime is higher in major cities.
Bungalows are everywhere - be prepared to pay up front for rental as you have no credit history.

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Thanks.
I have read and seen that as you said, the NHS is dire in some places. I'm hoping someone here can guide me to areas that have good NHS care so I don't end up in a precarious position.

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.

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Thanks Pulaski,

I'll start looking online at some of these areas. Do you know anything about the NHS in, let's say, Sheffield?

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

I'm looking into Norfolk. Looks very nice!

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Here's the website of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals: https://www.sth.nhs.uk/

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Another vote for Sheffield. Good housing stock, friendly locals and plenty of green spaces plus the Peak District on your doorstep. Shopping wise there’s a reasonable range of shops in the city centre plus a large out-of-town shopping mall (Meadowhall) which is easy to reach by car, tram or train. Speaking of trains there’s a 2 hour direct train service to London if you do ever need to go. The local hospitals are also better than most. The west of the city is generally nicer but also more expensive. There is also a high student population so probably a good idea to do a little research beforehand to ensure you’re not living next to a house of freshers.

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Norfolk and Suffolk are nice areas, you have the country vibe whilst being near a smaller city ie Norwich and Ipswich, York is a lovely little city and is very green in the towns and villages nearby, North West Lancashire is a bit cheaper than North Yorkshire only real big population is around Preston and Lancaster, Shropshire is also a good county with Shrewsbury being the city which is very nice, Worcestershire is also very nice and Worcester being the city which is nice and not large at all but has all the “services” you need (as whale all the other cities I have mentioned) I have visited all these places a few times. It all depends really on your taste and lifestyle do you want to be near coast East or West “side” of England North or South we are not a large country compared to a lot but it really does make a difference from the weather to the cost of homes etc. Good luck with whatever you decide

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

[/QUOTE=BritInParis;13175842]Another vote for Sheffield. Good housing stock, friendly locals and plenty of green spaces plus the Peak District on your doorstep. Shopping wise there’s a reasonable range of shops in the city centre plus a large out-of-town shopping mall (Meadowhall) which is easy to reach by car, tram or train. Speaking of trains there’s a 2 hour direct train service to London if you do ever need to go. The local hospitals are also better than most. The west of the city is generally nicer but also more expensive. There is also a high student population so probably a good idea to do a little research beforehand to ensure you’re not living next to a house of freshers.[/QUOTE)

I am not a fan of Sheffield and I know it very well,

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

[/QUOTE=BritInParis;13175842]Another vote for Sheffield. Good housing stock, friendly locals and plenty of green spaces plus the Peak District on your doorstep. Shopping wise there’s a reasonable range of shops in the city centre plus a large out-of-town shopping mall (Meadowhall) which is easy to reach by car, tram or train. Speaking of trains there’s a 2 hour direct train service to London if you do ever need to go. The local hospitals are also better than most. The west of the city is generally nicer but also more expensive. There is also a high student population so probably a good idea to do a little research beforehand to ensure you’re not living next to a house of freshers.[/QUOTE]



Agree and for someone saying I've not been to the UK, Sheffield might be a bit of a shock for the OP and a huge area. Without knowing the exact background of the OP the list will be endless and Sheffield feels like any larger city where you will have rough affordable parts and a few posher areas away from the rough parts. I personally hate cities anyway but Sheffield is roughly the same size as Dublin and ending up in Tallaght vs. Dalkey would feel very different. Apart from shopping Cornwall still seems like a good option for the retired.

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Thanks! I'll have a look.(re: NHS Sheffield)

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Good information. Just the kind of details I'm looking for.

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

CAn you tell me why you feel that way?

Re: Advice needed for move to England from US
 

Agree and for someone saying I've not been to the UK, Sheffield might be a bit of a shock for the OP and a huge area. Without knowing the exact background of the OP the list will be endless and Sheffield feels like any larger city where you will have rough affordable parts and a few posher areas away from the rough parts. I personally hate cities anyway but Sheffield is roughly the same size as Dublin and ending up in Tallaght vs. Dalkey would feel very different. Apart from shopping Cornwall still seems like a good option for the retired.[/QUOTE]

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.