Livable towns around Reading?

I'm looking at a potential job in the Reading area, just off the M4.  I've never lived or worked in the UK before.  I've started to scan the real-estate sites and so forth, but am having a hard time getting a feel for the area.

One article I came across newcomer link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-449190/Reading-worst-place-Britain-raise-family.html [nonactive] was less-than-reassuring about Reading itself, if not necessarily authoritative.  And it did highlight one risk I'd prefer to avoid, flooding.

So I'm wondering if you folks can recommend desirable towns that are within a commutable distance--say 30-40 mins--to Reading, probably away from London to maximize affordability.  We're a family of 4, so priorities would be top notch state schools, minimal crime, good family-oriented recreation, not on a flood plain.  Ideally rent for a 3-bdrm flat or cottage in the GBP 1000 pcm range.

If you like the idea of a small village there are some really pretty little places dotted all around, really. I live in the most south western corner of Oxfordshire - right on the border with Buckinghamshire - and I have to go to Reading about once a month for work. Last time my sat nav took me on what I thought was an odd route - through a bunch of villages like Wallingford. It took me no time at all to get to Reading and it was very pretty.... You could get a map and find the names of places along the main A routes into Reading and then check websites like rightmove and upmystreet to get a feel for properties and schools and that sort of thing....

Looking to the Berkshire side, my in-laws live just outside Newbury, which I think is a nice enough town. My husband went to The Downs School http://www.thedownsschool.org.uk/about.php, which he always says was quite good.

1000pcm might be a bit tight, rents in the area can be pretty high, and a three bedroom at that price is likely to have quite small double/single rooms. It likely won't be detached.

Wokingham might be a nice place to look at. Close to Reading and it has a nice feeling with supermarkets, reasonable schools, and some shops on the high street.

1000pcm might be a bit tight, rents in the area can be pretty high, and a three bedroom at that price is likely to have quite small double/single rooms. It likely won't be detached.

I do think it depends on the area. We live in a pretty village with good commute links and we only pay £725 for a two bedroom (one good sized double and one big single that could be a double in a pinch) with an enormous garden and it's semi-detatched. For 1000 I reckon we'd get something pretty special. The downside is that we're in a pretty rural location and have to get in the car even for a pint of milk and a paper (though ironically we can walk if we just want a pint!  ) So if you're willing to be relatively reliant on having a car and not being within a walk of a train station you can do pretty well in the villages! Oh and we don't have mains gas and bottled gas can be very expensive in winter.

Take everything in the Daily Mail with a pinch of salt.  Reading is not all bad, and house pricesand rent are cheaper than a lot of towns in the area. That said, a  couple of other small towns to check out in the area are Twyford and Thatcham. A bit further afield, you might also consider Swindon.

I grew up in Henley-on-Thames, just a few miles down the road, and found it lovely. A very pleasant little market town surrounded by great countryside, villages, walks, pubs, etc., and if you don't fancy driving to Reading the train connections are great. Property is a tad pricey, but if you look on rightmove.co.uk you'll find something for 1,000 or less. The schools I went to were all very good, and I would recommend it as a place to grow up.

We are in Marlow. It's 25-40 minute from Reading near A404. We have a 3-bed terrace, with small garden, parking, garage, near woods, and waking distance to town for £1100 (a bit high since we have a dog). Very family friendly, low crime, great schools, and cute town in the Thames. I also recommend Henley, Shiplake and Wargrave - they all have a train that goes into Reading. Good luck!

Thank you all for the responses.  I am on pause for a couple of weeks due to vacation season at the prospective employer, but hope to tour the area in mid-August.

We are in Marlow. It's 25-40 minute from Reading near A404. We have a 3-bed terrace, with small garden, parking, garage, near woods, and waking distance to town for £1100 (a bit high since we have a dog). Very family friendly, low crime, great schools, and cute town in the Thames. I also recommend Henley, Shiplake and Wargrave - they all have a train that goes into Reading. Good luck!

Actually the Henley line goes into Twyford not Reading so you have to change there.  It's not a huge deal though as there are plenty of Reading trains from there and it only takes about 10 minutes if that.

Pangbourne is very nice, it's about a 10-15 min ride on the train into Reading.