Benson55

Thinking of it as my destination as it looks busy, good road and rail links. Don't know anything about which areas to avoid due to crime. Centre looks ok for renting an apartment while looking for a property to buy.

BritInParis

Each to their own, but IMO, and quite a few others for that matter, Hull is probably one of the worst places in the country. Maybe considering living in one of the smaller towns/villages in East Yorkshire if the area is convenient for you.

christmasoompa

Got to agree with the above, Hull would be one of the last places I'd move to if given a choice. Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear but it's a bit of a dive IMO.

Novocastrian

To be fair, it's improved substantially in recent times due to its status as 2017 European City of Culture and on-going redevelopment and arts programmes https://www.hull2017.co.uk/thestory/about-us/

We regularly use the Hull-Zeebrugge P&O ferry to travel from Newcastle to Normandy and while driving through Hull used to be a depressing experience there are now several pleasant areas especially around the marina and the old market.

It still wouldn't be my first choice though.

rebs

I don't know if Hull is really that bad - I guess plenty of people live there quite happily. I went to university there, but that was more than 25 years ago and I'm not sure student perceptions are that useful! My sister lives in Beverley, near Hull, and that is a lovely little town. Hull does have some interesting museums & galleries and theatre. The regeneration at the dock area is quite nice. Obviously, it's a bit depressed economically which will have an impact - what draws you to Hull? Will you have a job there?.

Robbie2010

I have never been there ... but it does rhyme with dull.

yellowroom

Depends what you want from a place. Locals very friendly, property affordable, easy access to countryside and coast. Well regarded University. Place was buzzing last year thanks to City of Culture activities - it has quietened a little now but still better than it was. City centre is quiet after 5pm, but bars and restaurants around the Fruit Market/Humber Street/Marina still doing well. Shopping ok - we have all the supermarkets and department stores etc but not many top quality brands/names (eg no John Lewis) and most people go to Meadowhall (Sheffield) or York for a proper shopping expedition.

Rail and road links actually not that great - rail line not electrified, so an over-reliance on horrible bus-on-rail Pacer trains. M62 stops 10 miles away, road carries on as the A63 dual carriageway which grinds to a halt in the city centre every morning and evening thanks to lack of planning 40+ years ago. Only takes a lorry breaking down to/from the docks and everything gets gridlocked. However, well served for flights as many airports within a 2 hour drive - Humberside, Doncaster, Leeds/Bradford, East Midlands, Manchester, Newcastle.

Crime mostly the annoying, relatively anti-social type in the poorer areas and property crime in the wealthier areas. Gangs not an issue, nor guns. Sudden rise of homeless, drinking and spice use in city centre causing headlines in the Hull Daily Mail but I don't think that's unique to Hull sadly.

Sports well served for Rugby (league) and footy, but ongoing issues with City ownership mean falling attendances.

Hull itself suffers from a kind of fatalism about life, which I think is a legacy of the fishing industry and its terrible safety record. It manifests itself these days by a lack of ambition in folk, and a lack of drive for education and jobs and a definite "end of the line" feel to the place in the past - but I think the City of Culture shone a bit of light on that and showed that it's not that bad of a place and we need to have more confidence in ourselves. Several big employers investing in the city (Siemens, Reckitt Benckiser, Smith & Nephew) so although average wages are not high, it's not an employment blackspot.

Having said all of that, most professionals in the area live outside the City limits and in the surrounding suburbs and villages. Borders for Hull City were drawn unusually tightly and excluded the wealthier suburbs which belong to East Riding of Yorkshire. Stick to the west and you can't go wrong, particularly if you need schools - Hessle, Anlaby, Willerby, Cottingham. Further out, South Cave and Beverley are also popular, prettier, middle-class and more expensive.

As you may have gathered, I live and work here - happy to help if you want to know anything else...?

holly_1948

I tend to agree.
The only reason to choose to live in Hull is because that is where you have a job offer. At that is reason enough right there!

spouse of scouse

What a great, balanced and informative post

Benson55

That was a decent reply....many thanks...
People seem to say they don't like the place but don't give any reasons so I guess it comes down to the factors making it presentable like property prices, access to the rail and road network, etc.
Not interested in night life, too old now. Am interested in location to airports for travel.

BritInParis

If you like the idea of Yorkshire then look at Sheffield. Beautiful city, great people, excellent road and rail links.

yellowroom

Many of the people who say they don't like it haven't visited recently (or at all). For flights and travel, Humberside airport is 25 minutes away south of the Humber Bridge - its a feeder for KLM into Schipol. Easier to get to than Heathrow! And often cheaper too when you work out the cost of getting to Heathrow and potential overnight stays in hotels.

If property prices are a key driver, do also have a look at North Lincolnshire - only a drive over the bridge away from me but seems to avoid the bad press that Hull has. (and Sheffield? Hardly qualifies as Yorkshire, it's practically in Derbyshire, it's North Midlands! :-)

moi

I lived in Hull for 22 years. The majority of people who say they would never live in Hull have never lived there or even visited for that matter. The negative image is from the media bringing it down...dull in hull etc. Hull has some of the friendliest and down to earth people in the UK that would give you their shirt off their back, with a great sense of humor and time for you. Last year it celebrated the City of Culture that brought about a great sense of pride to the area. Some of the older folk still dwell on the old fishing bygone days. There is tons to do,,, Nice theatre, marina, old town, shopping, waterfront restaurants. (it puts the town to shame where I live in the US in comparison with things to do). For a cheap holiday, you can fly from Humberside Airport which is right over the Humber Bridge or from Leeds/Bradford. For day trips you can take a drive to places such as Scarborough or Whitby along the coastline or go to the Yorkshire Moors. Hull is very close to York (my favorite, but expensive), If you can afford it, there are nice villages/towns on the outskirts....Willerby, Hessle, Kirkella, Beverley, Anlaby, Cottingham. There are more expensive flats available in the town center near the marina also. I still travel there every couple of years direct from Newark, NJ to Manchester, UK and then take a direct train to Hull. If someone picks me up, it is exactly a 2-hour car ride, give or take depending on traffic. I even stay at my mom's house on a council estate with my children and don't feel unsafe. I am more cautious there than walking around here in the US, but I would be in many parts of the UK. Every time I go home, they have always done some major renovations somewhere around the town. I still have great friends back there that have lived there all their lives and would not want to ever move anywhere else and have actually done well for themselves. I actually feel sad to leave Hull when I return back to the US. If you have any particular areas in mind, feel free to ask or pm me.
For the naysayers, it is like me saying I would never live in Bradford or Sheffield because it is full of Pakistanis, but I have visited neither, so I choose not to put somewhere down that I really have no knowledge or experience of living there.
Yellowroom was spot on with her advice.
It might be helpful, if you state what your main interests are and what is important to you to guide you better.
Go Hull Tigers!!

Benson55

Thanks for that informative post, I just happened to be looking at Hull on a property site when it came in.
I have done some research and noted some areas are high crime, but thats the same in all towns everywhere.
My plan was to rent in the city centre for a year with the intent on buying at the latter half of that year and retiring.
I believe that the areas of Sutton, Kings park, Boothferry, and Holderness are favoured areas. The price of property is reasonable compared to the rest of the UK cities, the road, rail and air links are good, its not far from the sea, has a ferry to Amsterdam. I also noticed favourable reviews from some of the media regarding the centre with the facilities you mention.
The good part about renting is that one is not bound by the market to stay in any place.

I researched Sheffield and by chance I went to Sheffield Hallam University and did a MSc there back end of the 90's, I drove up from Brighton for 2 days a week so don't know the city. I did not like the distribution of crime in Sheffield from the national Crime figures, seemed high.
Did not like the look of the centre based on Youtube videos, and did not like the look of the properties. Hence Sheffield is off the list.

moi

Also forgot to mention that Hull is basically divided into East Hull (example Bilton Grange), and West Hull (example Hessle) Rugby plays a big part in it. Hull FC (West Hull) and Hull KR (East Hull) have played against each other at Wembley Stadium finals. I think Hull is the third largest port after London and Liverpool. Hull also the P&O Ferries leave the docks for quick weekend getaways to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge etc.
Where do you currently live?