Where to live ?!?

Hello all,

After many years of living in the US, we have moved to the UK.  We have lived here before, so it is not total culture shock, but as you all know it's still difficult.  Because of my unique job situation (I work from home), there is no particular city I need to live near.  So we have been pouring over maps and going on excursions to try and figure out where to settle.  Sounds like a good problem to have, but really it's just very confusing.

I was hoping that members of this forum could give me there two cents (pence?) worth.  I'm just looking for some independent advice.  On a recent massive tour of Britain that encompassed 12 potential cities we have narrowed it down to 4:

Exeter and southward to the coast

This is the simplest choice because we have lived here before and so are familiar w/ the area and have friends living nearby.  But it is also the one I am least excited about it.  My kids all like it because it is near their grandparents.  And it has a beach.  But it doesn't seem to have much in the way of economic or educational opportunities.

Brighton & Hove

We have also lived here before - but as students, not as a family w/ kids.  It is a very fun, open, and accepting town.  There is a beach.  It is easy to get to London by the train.  However, we know that the night life can be a bit dodgy;  I'm not sure I want that sort of influence around my just-becoming-teenager kids.  That's why we thought of Hove instead of Brighton proper.  Of course, this is the most expensive of our choices.

Bath

I really have nothing bad to say about Bath.  It is a beautiful city with an amazing history.  It is situated in a good location for us - close to some relatives, about 2 hours from grandparents, and about 2 hours from London.  I suspect it is on the pricey side, but not so much as Brighton.  Sadly there is no beach.

Edinburgh (Portabello)

This one was unexpected.  Scotland wasn't originally on our radar, but after the Brexit vote we did some hard thinking and decided to see what it was like.  All I can say is that the city was SPECTACULAR.  All of that history and amazing architecture; All of those interesting things to do; without the crowds and traffic of London.  It is the most affordable on our list.  We found a small neighbood to the SouthEast with a beach and many other things we liked.  Scottish universities are free.  However, it is very far from anybody that we know.  The grandparents, obviously, are dead set against this.

So, any thoughts?  Where would you choose?

Thanks.

I'm British, and grew up just north of Bristol.

Since I was 18, I've lived in:

- Exeter: 4 years (3 years for university (between 2001 and 2005), 6 months for work (2010/11), 3 months for work (2012), 3 months for work (2015))
- with my parents just north of Bristol (on and off between 2001 and 2010)
- Bristol (1 year, 2008/09)
- Shropshire: 4 months (2011)
- Lincoln: last 5 years (2011-2016)

Personally, my favourite place to live has been Bristol (I'm dying to get back there, but I can't due to no work locations nearby). After that, I would say Exeter, which is where my company headquarters are located, so chances are, I'll end up back there in the future.

Exeter is a lovely city - not too big, but it has all the amenities you need (unlike Lincoln, where I live right now). It's only 1.5 hours from Bristol, the schools are good, it has one of the top universities in the country, plus several other good universities within a couple of hours' drive and it's a pretty safe place to live.

Bath is nice as well, though I find it a bit cramped and touristy, plus it's expensive to live in... actually the southwest in general is pretty expensive. I recently bought a 3-bed semi in Lincoln for about half the price it would cost me in Bristol, Bath or Exeter.

I don't know Brighton at all, and although my mum grew up in Edinburgh, I've never really been there. However, as you said, Edinburgh is cheaper and you have the benefit of free Scottish universities (and NHS prescriptions). Plus, we don't know what will happen with Brexit and/or Scottish independence in the future.

Edinburgh (Portabello)

This one was unexpected.  Scotland wasn't originally on our radar, but after the Brexit vote we did some hard thinking and decided to see what it was like.  All I can say is that the city was SPECTACULAR.  All of that history and amazing architecture; All of those interesting things to do; without the crowds and traffic of London.  It is the most affordable on our list.  We found a small neighbood to the SouthEast with a beach and many other things we liked.  Scottish universities are free.  However, it is very far from anybody that we know.  The grandparents, obviously, are dead set against this.

Come back to Edinburgh in August/during the Festival... you will have all the crowds and traffic and annoying tourists and just plain ridiculous idiots that you have ever seen, and more! 
(But at least it's only for a month out of the year!)

I've been on holiday in Scotland this week and left Edinburgh yesterday. Honestly I felt like all I hear were American accents. And while I certainly enjoy my fellow countrymen, it felt very touristy and made me miss the town I currently live (Wokingham).  I couldn't live there.  I'd certainly consider other areas of Scotland though.  Stirling area is gorgeous and not too small. 

I also couldn't live in Bath.  I haven't been to Exeter but I love Brighton's vibe.

If your kids want to do drugs, the 20 minute walk between Brighton and Hove isn't going to make any difference.  Also, there's plenty of trouble to be found in Edinburgh as well, just watch "Trainspotting". I wouldn't make too many choices based on that, your kids will do what they are going to do. 

I've lived in Hove and it was OK, but commuting to London from there would be hell.  It may not even be possible at the moment because the train company has collapsed into an incompetent heap. 

Another approach might be the towns that are regularly voted as the best places to live, Winchester, Windsor and Wokingham all are on those lists and would be nice to live in.

Consider whether you can get broadband in the place you want, and of course, the ridiculous house prices.  Hove might be significantly expensive, but you can easily check prices on rightmove. 

Bristol and Edinburgh would be at the top of my list.

Trubliphone--thank you for asking this question!! My husband and I are planning on returning to the UK after my youngest child finishes high school in 2019. My husband has been working from home here in Houston for the past six years and he can continue to work remotely for his company abroad. Because we can choose where to live, it's been a bit overwhelming to have so much choice.

My husband was in the RAF so he's lived all over but together we lived in Reading & Wokingham and around his parents in Greater Manchester. My son, he's 18 now, is dead-set on moving near his grandparents near Wigan and I'm thinking, he's welcome to it. I really want to try somewhere else but I'm not entirely sure where.

I've considered Corsham/Box in Wiltshire and Bath, Stroud in Gloucester, Edinburgh and Linlithgow in Scotland. I know my husband isn't keen on being too far from his parents so he's considering somewhere in Cheshire. My daughter and I aren't too keen on that. Not that we don't love the grandparents but we favor being closer to London. I would consider returning to Berkshire but it's a lot more expensive than it was in 1999 when I left it. I guess I'll just have to work a bit harder!

All the suggestions and advice are great everyone! I know I appreciate it

Pssst....N Yorkshire.....but don't tell anybody......

Pssst....N Yorkshire.....but don't tell anybody......

Wasn't Harrogate voted "happiest" city to live in or something? I love Yorkshire. I'd move there tomorrow if I could!

Harrogate is where we live....but if I had my choice I would live in a smaller town with less traffic....the bane of most of England.

I have nothing to compare it to seeing as we've only ever lived here, but I love Newcastle!

I love Yorkshire. I'd move there tomorrow if I could!

Aren't the people there grumpy and opinionated?

We lived in Edinburgh for 3 years for my husband's PhD work.  Absolutely adored it! And if you're in Portobello, you're not right in the middle of things, but it's easy to get to the city centre.

Aren't the people there grumpy and opinionated?

If so, I'd fit right in 

Aren't the people there grumpy and opinionated?

I'm a golfer......so I'm grumpy about half the time......

This is the cottage near Pateley Bridge where I lived the first few years I moved to the Harrogate area. Best place I ever lived. I just grabbed a pic off the internet that someone else had taken.

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/03/72/037202_7140ff93.jpg