Where to live in the Northeast

Hi All,

My husband and I have been on the fence for quite some time about whether to stay in the UK or go back to the states, of late we were considering a move back. Today another option came up from my wonderful manager who knows I am not very fond of where we live (Reading), he suggested we consider moving up north (I would keep my current position just relocate to our Sunderland office). It was just a suggestion and I so appreciate being given that option as there are many advantages to consider.

Can anyone give me ideas/thoughts on the following area's:

Durham
New Castle
Gateshead
Or any other nice place/s

Ideally we would be looking for somewhere in a town/city.  Not really into the modern type burbs.

Also, any areas to stay away from?

Thanks!

We live in Durham and enjoy the views!  It seems like a good-size town with enough restaurants and probably enough clothing places, but we head to the Metro mall in Gateshead for big shopping.  There's no cinema in town, but since its a college town, there seems to be a lot going on.  I am thinking it's about a 30 minute drive to Sunderland.  There's a lot of cute coastal towns - are you into beaches?  Surfing at Tynemouth! 

Hi, thanks for your reply!

I have heard that Durham is a very pretty town. From what you say, it sounds like there is probably a lot going on. Its actually my first pick to look around. I will be up there next week for work so will try to have a look around in the evening.

Thanks for the suggestion on Tynemouth...a coastal town sounds nice as well! 

I love the Tynemouth/Cullercoates area...for beaching. I live in Newcastle. I like it here...I don't get to go out much at all, so it doesn't really matter that there are lots of drinking/dancing/eating places...but if you're into the social scene then Newcastle is a nice city with a lot going on. I like the fact that it has anything you could want and isn't too bad as far as cities go (I don't like traffic, pollution, trash etc...) and the public transportation is good.

Cleadon is a nice village just north of Sunderland

Thanks Geally for the endorsement on New Castle while I will be working the during the days in Sunderland I will be staying at a hotel in New Castle so hope to be able to see a bit while I am there.

Jake, thanks for the suggestion on Cleadon as we have no idea about any of the villages near by...we will check it out!

I live in Newcastle as well.  Here's what I had to say in another post (ignore the part about her DH finding a job):

I love Newcastle.  Love it.  LOVE.     I think it's the perfect size -- the city centre is lovely and has a good variety of shops/pubs/museums & theatres, etc.  The markets are open daily and are a lot of fun to wander around.  Neither my husband nor I drive yet, but we're perfectly content with the metro and bus systems.  If you're looking for nice places to live, focus on Jesmond (though that can be really pricey), Gosforth, and the newer parts of Longbenton (which is technically in North Tyneside, so the house and council tax costs are a little bit lower).  High Heaton is also nice.  DH and I are in Gosforth now and have fallen in love with it.  We'll be buying a house next summer would like to stay here or move up a bit to Longbenton. 

The universities are both good.  U of Newcastle has an excellent reputation for research and Northumbria really focuses on teaching and learning and was recently voted the best "new" university in the country.

I don't think your husband will have a problem finding a job as there's a LOT of work going on in the city and the surrounding areas.  I do know that the council's ALMO (Your Homes Newcastle) is in the process of building new and repairing all of the existing council houses and estates and they're in constant need of highly-skilled builders, electricians, etc.

Overall, it's just a lovely city and I wouldn't considering moving away unless we had a very good reason! 

Thanks Lola...just the info I was looking for. New Castle sounds great and I am getting more excited about the prospect of making a change and going up north if that is what we decide to do.

I have been on Rightmove.co.uk and have seen some of the areas you have mentioned....now I know to focus on them. Wow, you can get a lot of house up there...that was great to see! Compared to our tiny house in the SE,  if we decide to make the move we will be living much better up there.  I've seen some lovely houses, ex - 4 bedroom for the same price as our 2 bedroom.  We certainly don't need a 4 bedroom.....its just that the difference is amazing. I felt like a kid in a candy store when looking at some of the houses...even to rent there seem to be a lot of nice ones as well, which we would do for six months so we could really get to know the area and the villages nearby. 

I've fallen in love with York. Jamie and I like to go to Betty's for tea and scones and check out the shops. We want to do some other things and go to the viking centre next time we go.

Too bad we can't afford to live there.