Anyone in Liverpool?

Hello all. I may be taking a job in Liverpool and I wanted to get a feel for the city.

I am currently from/living in Milwaukee, WI and honestly, from what I am reading, there are definitely similarities between our two cities. I have never been to Liverpool before, but have been following their daily newspaper online as well as researching statistics, neighborhoods etc.

I am curious if anyone currently lives there and if they would be willing to share any information on the city with me. I would be moving with my husband and 1.5 year old son. Glancing at living in the Aigburth area and the job would be downtown, on the Mersey.

Thanks!

Hi there.

I've been living in the UK for 13 years, the last 4 in Liverpool (in Aigburth!) Feel free to ask away, I can try and answer or ask local friends! I'm from Iowa, not too far from Wisconsin!

Awesome kintheuk!! Nice to "meet" you

I guess I am just curious if this would be a good area to raise a small child? Safety wise? We live in the city of Milwaukee now, so are accustomed to "city living" and all that might come along with it. I just want to be somewhere that we can walk to restaurants/cafes and parks, yet still be within easy access of the downtown area for commuting to work.

Also, I understand Lpool has changed a lot in the last decade and is rising in the ranks of places to live. Do you feel that way in the past four years you have been there? I mean, do you like it? is it a "good" city to live in?

Just looking for general ideas and feedback. I have heard bad things about Lpool, but i also think many of those might be coming from suburban folk or people comparing it to London or something.

Milwaukee?!  I lived in Waukesha before moving over (but also originally from Iowa).  I am in the Greater Manchester area, but because the drive to Liverpool is only about 45 minutes from where we are, we tend to visit quite often (immigration stuff, one of my favourite restaurants, shopping, coast, etc.).  Most of my friends when I was living in the 'sha lived in Milwaukee, so I spent a lot of time there and to be honest, I would rather live in Liverpool.  Overall, I do see the UK as being safer than most places in the U.S. but I will say that I definitely noticed a drop in the number of violent news stories I hear in this region compared to the Greater Milwaukee area.

Is it possible to visit before you make the move?  The North West is a wonderful region... lots of things to do and see!  Good luck on whatever you decide 

Hey Heather!! Nice to meet a "neighbour"!
I live in the Bay View neighbourhood of Milwaukee, which from research seems sort of Aigburth-esque in Liverpool.

Yes, Milwaukee does have its problems ( the most segregated city in the nation, over 80 shootings deaths this year alone (several have been children), and a lot of unemployment and poverty), but there are also some fantastic areas and things I love dearly about this city. Lake, dining scene, museums, festivals etc.

The more I learn about Liverpool, the more I like it.

My hopes are that the company will offer to fly me out to see the city before accepting the job. Even if they don't offer, it may be worth the cost for me to do so. Money well spent, i think?

Nice to 'meet' you too

And yes, there were some lovely aspects of Milwaukee and I do think that there are a lot of similarities between Milwaukee and Liverpool.  Liverpool... actually a lot of cities in the North West have been undergoing regeneration and it is really impressive.

It really would be money well spent to come our here and visit, but I might be a bit biased

I'm not in Liverpool, but I can say, I really enjoy visiting the city. It was great when it was European City of Culture. People seem very friendly thataway! 

To check neighbourhoods, when house hunting, try:
http://www.checkmyarea.com/
for more information.

Hi Misobento, I lived in Liverpool for 6.5 years (and grew up in the Pittsburgh area, which also has some similarities to cities in northern England).

Liverpool really grew on me in that time; people are friendly and generally like Americans.  The cost of living is lower than elsewhere in the UK and the city centre is small but vibrant.  The Lark Lane area in Aigburth is a lively neighborhood and there are some great parks and cultural attractions.  Mossley Hill, where we used to live, is more suburban but depending where you live there are shops and parks not far away.  I love going back to visit and trying new restaurants.

However, there is still crime (I worked in retail and dealt with a lot of shoplifting, usually as a result of drug/alcohol addiction) and a lot of poverty.  The economy was hit especially hard from 2008 and is still feeling the bite of austerity measures.  My husband and I struggled to find other jobs when we became dissatisfied with what we were doing; it's not a very diverse economy particularly compared to Manchester.  The accent can take a bit of getting used to.  I felt Liverpool was a fun city to be a student or spend your 20s in but not somewhere I wanted to raise children. However, YMMV and if you've got a job lined up you're ahead of the game.

Definitely pay it a visit before you move if you can.  Best of luck with the decision-making.