Well, I just got a good job offer in the UK, and it looks like we're moving home after 15 years in the U.S. in the next three months. I'm slightly in shock! Make that completely! Yay!:

We need to ship our stuff, and so any specific recommendations there, please PM me. (or advice on what or what not to bring!)

My question. Does anyone know the Greater Manchester area and have any tips on nice villages and towns where the schools are pretty decent? I'll need to get my 5 yr old in a primary, and my priority is to find a place where he might get a decent school for him.

(p.s as I am typing this, it's 96 outside and humid as all hell. bring on cold wet and rainy)
(p.p.s. I know I will regret saying that, but let me idolize for now, yeah?!)

Wow, may I ask you what your main reasons were for heading back? You've been in the US for quite a while. What finally made you make your mind up to leave after living here such a long time?

I've been here in Florida for 2 1/2 and feeling v. homesick and wondering whether I'm not giving it enough time.

Well, sounds like you are excited and well done with getting the job. That's a great start for you going back to UK.

Good Luck! I come from Chorley and there's some great Schools over that way, about 40 min drive from Manchester. Please pm me if you need any further info on Chorley.

I wish you all the best (gosh I'm jealous LOL).

Byee, Mich.

Hi I grew up in Greater Manchester - in Bramhall. A really lovely place (although a very large village) with excellent primary schools and a good secondary also. Poynton, Woodford, Wilmslow, Alderly Edge are all really nice too although they are heading into Cheshire. As this is south Manchester though it is considerably more expensive than some other parts - but I certainly enjoyed growing up in Bramhall and still visit my parents there. If you need any advice just let me know - I know most of South Manchester pretty well, but cannot advise on North Manchester (it is a huge area).
Michelle

Good luck with the move.

Documentation you'll need includes:

1. Spouse visa for your spouse. http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
2. British birth certificates for your U.S. born children (strongly recommended).
3. British passports for them (essential) - plus American passports.

The U.K. has changed a lot in the last 15 years - in some ways for better, in others for worse. If you are abandoning your green card - assuming you're not a U.S. citizen - then you do need to be aware it closes options to come back should you later change your mind (many people do). The exact point at which your green card will be lost is impossible to predict but basically it can be taken away as soon as your home is no longer in the U.S.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

thanks all--this is great information to get me started digging. Bramhall *does* sound lovely. I guess I'll have to see.

Thanks JAJ for your advice, and for always being the voice of caution and reason. I always appreciate it. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, of course, but this is the kind of job that does not come up very often, and if I don't take it (and its salary) moving to super-expensive UK is going to be less and less a possibility (and I am also concerned that my son does not have to transfer later down the line in the UK educational system).

michmel--our reasons for moving to the UK are complicated, and not just about pure homesickness. I am a great believer that you can make a home in many a place, and right now I am in a small midwestern city that would make many people run screaming for the hills (not a lot to do, not very attractive, depressed economy) and yet we've managed to do well here and make great friends and a good life for ourselves.

but our main reason is that we're ready for a change, and in my particular career there are actually a lot of well-paid options for me in the UK (IT research and development for HE) so that is a main part of the choice. Also, my husband has always wanted to move there, more so than me in many ways.

When I first came to the States, it was "just for a year or two" and then we ended up staying, and staying... (!) But as I know have a family of my own, I feel the separation from my family in the UK all the more keenly, and with my boys the age they are now (8 months and 5 yrs) it's now or never time, we feel. We had a long term plan to relocate in a year, but I put a few feelers out jobwise to see if I would be marketable there, and something very good ended up falling into my lap.

Things are falling into place, and it feels right. But we will miss this place immensely. Nonetheless, I look forward to making a new life and being able to see my family more than once every one or two years!

I am from Manchester. I grew up in Sale, Cheshire. Sale is a pretty good area. It is south of Manchester city center. It is on the Metro Tram link and takes about 15 minutes to get into the city. There are many restraurants and bars in Sale, plus good shopping. There are also excellent schools, Tintersfield Primary and Ashton on Mersey Secondary are both good schools. It is also close to the airport (about 20 minutes). House prices are high though. Please contact me if I can be of further help.

Good luck with the move - hope it all goes well for you. We were out on a girlie shopping trip in Manchester centre yesterday - fantastic, wonderful vibrant city

Thanks Louise, and Simon too! This is what I hear right now as I begin to figure out the nightmare of logistics we've got to deal with over the next few months!

Yes, it is a vibrant place. What I like too are the cheap flights to Europe. I was looking to go to Dublin and it costs 49p (yes, 49p) to fly to Dublin on Ryanair. You will be able to take advantage of all those cheap tickets! Have fun!

god, you've just made my James Joyce loving, Guiness/Jameson drinking husband a very happy man;-)

Hi, I live near Wigan (Ashton in Makerfield). I like Ashton but Billinge has excellent primary schools - really high results in the country as a whole. If I was going anywhere in the UK that is where I would head for what its worth. It has a really good feel and the kids love Banks park.