Is York a good place to live?

Job option for my OH is there. Should we apply? I'm not able to find much online about how York is to actually live in, other than it floods at at times. So my questions are...
is it cute?
are there nice areas to live in?
how hard is it to find a rental?
is it cold and snowy in winter?
how is it as a place to raise kids?
is it smelly and polluted?

sorry, I know these sound like dumb questions! I just don't know what to think as I've only ever travelled in the south! This seems very far north to me!

is it cute? 

'Cute' doesn't even begin to describe how wonderful York is.  Here's a link with some photos:  http://www.freefoto.com/browse.jsp?id=1051-75-0

is it cold and snowy in winter? 

No more so than anywhere else in the country -- as it's in the middle (not on the coast), it probably gets less snow than coastal areas.

is it smelly and polluted? 

Absolutely not!  No 'Big Smoke' (i.e., London) up here in Yorkshire.

I live in Yorkshire, but not in York -- so can't give you much info on rentals, the good places to live there, etc.  However, York is a beautiful city set in beautiful countryside, and even if you didn't live in the actual city of York -- there are loads of very picturesque smaller villages dotted all around it.  Some friends of mine moved from London up here to Yorkshire -- precisely because they wanted what they considered a better place to raise their children and also to have a more laidback lifestyle.

The north is simply awesome!  Gorgeous countryside, fewer crowds, friendly people --  you couldn't pay me to live in many areas of the south (particularly in/around London though it's nice to visit).

as it's in the middle (not on the coast), it probably gets less snow than coastal areas.

Isn't that backwards?? I thought coastal areas got less snow!

Isn't that backwards?? I thought coastal areas got less snow!

Hmmm -- well East Anglia always gets dumped on, and the North Yorkshire coast similarly...now that you mention it, I think it's the areas up against the North Sea, not the Atlantic areas.  So I think we're both right!

We don't get much here in the middle.

So I think we're both right!

Glad that's sorted!

Sorry for the hijack, tigerlily!

That's ok! Thanks for all the helpful views on things.

I forgot to ask, this job pays between 33 and 37K pounds a year. Will we be able to live on that (two adults, two kids, age 3)? In London, I think we would starve!

I forgot to ask, this job pays between 33 and 37K pounds a year. Will we be able to live on that (two adults, two kids, age 3)? In London, I think we would starve!

We don't have kids, so that's tough for me to answer really.  However, I'm of the opinion that salary would go further up here than it would in London - almost certainly.  Perhaps one of my Yorkshire friends who would know more about that specifically can jump in here?  Oh Mr Yorkshire/Virginia -- where are you?  There are also some folks on the board who do live in/around York -- hopefully they will see the thread & jump in as well.

Here I am Carolyn!

York is a great place to live/work/visit ... come up and visit, it's only 2 hours by train from London.

York never industrialised in the same way as Leeds/Bradford/Manchester etc, so it's a very different city - big historic centre, good university, lots of tourists, easy access to countryside, generally affluent, flat, good for cyclists and peds ... I'm sure you'd like it!

As for places to live, well, the city itself has some good suburbs, most of which are former villages with proper litle centres (shops, church etc ...) - they are all pleasant and some are within walking distance of the city centre - try Acomb and Fulford.  A 3 bed house could be found for £250,000 to £300,000.  Yep, it's expensive up North too!

Just outside the city are a number of big villages with lots of more modern housing - try Haxby, Strensall and the Poppletons (this village has a train station, which is very handy for getting into town and to Harrogate - the traffic can be bad around York, particularly in the summer) - prices here might be a little higher.

If you want something more rural, try one of the smaller villages outside York. Try www.rightmove.co.uk to get an idea of prices and property types.

As for the salary, yes, you could live on that, just don't expect to have a big home and/or a big car!

Happy hunting!

  York is a great place to live/work/visit...

There you have it -- from a true Yorkshireman.

Thanks Yorkshire/Virginia!

EEE BY GUM LASS!

EEE BY GUM LASS!

Don't be alarmed - that's Yorkshire for 'my goodness me, my female friend' - you may find that we speak a wonderfully different sort of English up here!!!!

Don't be alarmed - that's Yorkshire for 'my goodness me, my female friend' - you may find that we speak a wonderfully different sort of English up here!!!!

My favorite is:

"Hear all, see all, say nowt. Eat all, sup all, pay nowt—
and if ever tha' does owt for nowt, allus do it for thisen."
—Yorkshire proverb

My favorite is:

"Hear all, see all, say nowt. Eat all, sup all, pay nowt—
and if ever tha' does owt for nowt, allus do it for thisen."
—Yorkshire proverb

The warden of the place we rented (no, we weren't doing time) on our sabbaticals was from Hull and he used to say that! It was the tradition on his birthday for everyone to gather and sing "Ilkly Moore Bartat" (sp?)  He was amazed that I already knew the words--but I didn't have the foggiest idea what I was singing! He died a few years ago. Glad I knew him. A true original!

Anyway, sorry! Complete hijack.

...sing "Ilkly Moore Bartat" (sp?)  He was amazed that I already knew the words--but I didn't have the foggiest idea what I was singing! 

Ah yes - On Ilkla Moor Baht'aht...   Here's a link for that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Ilkla_Moor_Baht'at

Hi, I live in York- out the Strensall way.  Very nice.  You mentioned looking for rentals, it is very competitive.  How many children do you have? What are their ages?

We rent through Lawton's Lettings and they have been a fairly good experience- they have a good website too.  We live in a smallish three bedroom for 600 a month, plus another 100 council tax. Our bills average about another 250 on top, and then food and petrol.
Yes, you can definitely live on that in York.

Shopping is good, all the high street shops plus some nice bigger stores.  I love to walk around York, you can walk the city walls and listen to/see the buskers or street musicians. 
I don't know much about schools as my children are preschool/ infants.

Very clean and green.

Ask me anything!