Anyone know the inside scoop on neighborhoods in Newcastle/Gateshead?

We're thinking of moving up there, but we don't really know the areas well.  Some areas that would be convenient from a transporation and price standpoint are Jarrow, Hebburn, North Shields, and Wallsend.  We know there are some questionable places around there, but we don't know the details.  How does one find out?  Does anyone live in the area or have a native's perspective?

What type of neighbourhood are you looking to live in?  What kind of amenities do you want?  Where will you be working?  What do you like to do?

The areas you've named are middle-of-the-road, I guess.  They're not posh by any means, but not horrid, either.  I'd say they're working to lower middle class areas, by and large.

It depends on your frame of reference. I would consider all of those places to be a little rough around the edges, but to be honest, you'll get elements of that pretty much no matter where you are.

If you are able to get post codes of the places you're looking at, you can check www.upmystreet.co.uk and read the neighbourhood profile for a better idea of what it is like and the type of people who live there, crime statistics, etc etc

Are you going to be working in the city? If so you have a lot of options because the metro is really convenient and covers quite a lot of the surrounding areas.

Well, we'd like a sort of ordinary working-class type place.  Our top picks for houses are in Pelaw and Heworth at the moment--most of them are ex-council right-to-buy properties and are mixed in with owners and council tenants, but that's not really a problem.  I've had a look around Felling and Springwell and they seem too rough, but we're  not exactly rich and we don't want to live someplace too pretentious. 

Where are you in the Northeast now? 

My husband grew up on a council estate in Jarrow, and most of the rest of his family live in Hebburn.  He says that the council estates are all on the rough side and best avoided.  Areas that might be better are: Monkton Village in Jarrow, the Bede Burn Road area, the Cotswold estate in Boldon, the York Avenue area, and new homes near the river at Hebburn Quay.  Of course, he hasn't spent much time in the area recently, so things might have changed.

I have friends who live in Low Fell, just south of Gateshead Town Centre.  It's a nice mix of housing types with some good shops.  Excellent Saltwell Park with nearby art gallery.  Millions of buses along the main road into Gateshead and Newcastle.  It's definitely not pretentious and certainly not rough. The only drawback is that it's not on the Metro.  Go and have a look!

I have friends who live in Low Fell, just south of Gateshead Town Centre.  It's a nice mix of housing types with some good shops.  Excellent Saltwell Park with nearby art gallery.  Millions of buses along the main road into Gateshead and Newcastle.  It's definitely not pretentious and certainly not rough. The only drawback is that it's not on the Metro.  Go and have a look!

I'm not sure where in Low Fell your friend lives, but a lot of the houses in that area are massive, beautiful, expensive homes which I would assume would be outside of the OP's budget.

The houses closer to Saltwell Park are smaller, average looking homes, but within the past year or two they've been getting bought up at an insane rate and as a result the prices don't necessarily reflect the inherent value of the homes.

They live in one of those Tyneside flats by the railway, just at the bottom end of the park.   Kind of on the way to Bensham.

I like the area around Saltwell Park.  There have been a few houses for sale at a reasonable price in the past couple of months, so with any luck if our current places fall through we can find one there.

Right now we live in one of the villages outside Durham.  There are a couple of rather unpleasant council estates up the road, but they don't cause much trouble.  Sometimes people walking home from the pub late at night make a lot of noise, but that's about it.  I wouldn't be all that concerned about it except that since I'm a foreigner and he's from the south, our accents make us a bit of a target for harassment.  That may be a misperception, but we've had a few incidents here and there already. 

How about the cemetary near Gateshead Stadium?  It looks like it might be kind of noisy because it's near the highway, but are modern kids afraid to hang out in the graveyard at night?  Could be an advantage...