# Tell me about Manchester - Prestwich, Chorlton...



## mauvais (Apr 3, 2016)

So we're moving to beautiful Mancunia in two months or less, and we need to pick somewhere to live - renting for a while then maybe buying in a year or so. My OH will be working in Salford, for what it's worth, and I from home for now. We're early 30s, no kids.

So to start with, I do know Manchester from living there as a student, but that was a decade ago and doesn't correlate very well with the real world anyway. 

I was favouring Prestwich as on the face of it, it's leafy suburbia with quite a lot of house for the money. The problem is that it doesn't seem be much of a real place. I know there's a nice bar or two (Cuckoo) but as far as the centre goes, it basically appears to be a one road town and a fairly run-down one at that. It's apparently the greenery and parks etc that make it somewhere people like, as well as it being a family area. That's great, but we don't know anyone, and on that basis it seems like a comparatively bad idea as a place to start off.

Then there's Chorlton. You pay about £1000-1100 a month for something that would cost £800 in Prestwich, almost all terraces instead of semis, and you have less space & greenery to boot. But, it has a proper centre, a proper neighbourhood and a whole bunch of middle class boho stuff going on, like Didsbury but not miles away and so full of rich graduates.

Is that a fair assessment? Is Chorlton worth it?


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## chilango (Apr 3, 2016)

3 or 4 generations of my family have lived in Chorlton (including me) so obviously I like it. Haven't been there in 15 years though so can offer no practical tips.


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## killer b (Apr 3, 2016)

My mrs lives in Whalley Range - 5 minutes from Chorlton, but quite a bit cheaper. Also a little closer to town. Reckon it's worth looking there if you fancy Chorlton, the distance isn't really noticable. Get somewhere near Alexandra Park and you've loads of lush green space within minutes walk, and the fleshpots and vegan delis of Chorlton are yours to choose from.


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## mauvais (Apr 3, 2016)

killer b said:


> My mrs lives in Whalley Range - 5 minutes from Chorlton, but quite a bit cheaper. Also a little closer to town. Reckon it's worth looking there if you fancy Chorlton, the distance isn't really noticable. Get somewhere near Alexandra Park and you've loads of lush green space within minutes walk, and the fleshpots and vegan delis of Chorlton are yours to choose from.


Yeah, some nice stuff out there, but almost nothing for rent - possibly because it's lumped in with Chorlton property - and what is available seems to be at a similar premium.


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## moose (Apr 4, 2016)

You've missed the boat on Whalley Range, I think - 3 years ago it was cheaper, but then Chorlton lost all sense of perspective and people moved up the road. Prestwich is better for a Salford commute, and is allegedly 'the new Chorlton', so there will be lots of other new arrivals who don't know anyone, too. There are bars and cafes opening up all the time, and it's only a quick dash into town.


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## Red Cat (Apr 4, 2016)

I've lived in Chorlton and Whalley Range but left 17 years ago. Chorlton had become very expensive to buy, but there was still a lot of people on the dole there, I'm sure that's changed now. I liked Whalley Range, its easy enough to get into Chorlton.


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## binka (Apr 4, 2016)

I live in Hulme which is about halfway between the city centre and Chorlton. Chorlton's ok but I really don't think it's worth the extra expense. Stretford, Old Trafford and Hulme are much more reasonable and you can walk to the centre of Chorlton in about 20 minutes.


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## binka (Apr 4, 2016)

With so many of us so close together we should start a darts team or something


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## mauvais (Apr 4, 2016)

binka said:


> I live in Hulme which is about halfway between the city centre and Chorlton. Chorlton's ok but I really don't think it's worth the extra expense. Stretford, Old Trafford and Hulme are much more reasonable and you can walk to the centre of Chorlton in about 20 minutes.


Hulme I can't really figure out to be honest. When I lived there last, ten years ago, it seemed to be being gentrified by force in the same way that, say, Ancoats is more recently/now - i.e. put up a load of premium flats and new builds on what was wasteland and call it an exciting new urban development or whatever, despite the fact that there's actually nothing there in meaningful support of it. And the product of that seems to be a really weird clash of new/old, really meaning affluent/poor, side by side in this jumbled up way.

Is that a fair assessment of what's actually become of it? Not that this necessarily makes it a terrible place to live, or anything, just difficult to fathom.

I know basically nothing about Stretford & O/T.


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## binka (Apr 4, 2016)

Not sure what you mean about nothing there to support it? I live just off Hulme High Street and theres the big shops like Asda, Argos etc but quite a few small independent shops selling fresh fruit, veg, an independent butchers and all sorts of other shops. Also there are about a dozen shipping containers outside Hulme market (now a b&m) which I'm guessing are all 'pop ups' but all seem to be run by locals. Also the leisure centre and library, community garden centre, they close the high street off once a year for a community event. 

I actually really like living here, i can walk to Deansgate in 20 minutes or the centre of Chorlton in the same time. Alexandra Park is 10 minutes down the road as well


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## mauvais (Apr 4, 2016)

Ah OK, that's what I was missing - that's largely new too, AFAIK.


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## binka (Apr 4, 2016)

It's shit for pubs though


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## fdc (Apr 12, 2016)

Hey mauvais, I'm in almost exactly the same position as you: we're moving back to Manchester after some time away, both in our early 30s, and have been looking at Prestwich as a cheaper alternative to south Manchester after a few recommendations, as we want to buy fairly soon too. Our first impressions were similar to yours i.e. New Bury Road isn't all that, and there didn't really seem to be all that much going on, apart from having Heaton Park and Prestwich Clough on your doorstep (nice for the odd Sunday stroll no doubt, but probably not enough to keep us interested). I'm currently trying to work out whether there is maybe a bit more to the place than our couple of brief drive-throughs have revealed so far; although Chorlton and Didsbury etc have concentrations of bars and restaurants with outdoor seating on the main roads and which are therefore quite obvious to spot, I'm wondering if the decent places for a drink and a bit to eat in Prestwich are away from the main road. I've had a friend who lives there send me some recommended drinking holes and plan to do a bit of a day-time crawl soon to get to the bottom of things!

I did pop into The Ostrich last week after looking at house on that side of Prestwich, on Old Bury Road across from Heaton Park; that's a decent olde-boozer style boozer, with a big garden which I could imagine being a good place for a few beers during Manchester's two and half hours of summer. And I hear The Church Inn, tucked down Church Lane is similar in vibe -- I think I remember someone telling Mark E Smith and Guy Garvey drink in there.


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## mauvais (Apr 12, 2016)

Well, I've still not decided anything. We're going to go and scope out areas soon.

I'm trying to keep my opinion fairly open until then. I think I probably favour Prestwich for now, even though it might be less than perfect. That's on the basis that all the stuff like bars & restaurants that I really want is in central Manchester anyway, so perhaps the locality is less important in those terms, as long as you can get into town easily enough. You have to decide if you'd rather have more space and a few hundred quid a month or whether you want stuff on your doorstep.

I don't think you're missing anything in Prestwich, no hidden street of great bars or anything, although the shops etc are more randomly spread about the place than in most areas, so it's worth an extended look around.

The flipside to all this may be that it's far more easy to develop a social life - active meets, groups, societies etc - in somewhere like Chorlton than it is in the family-oriented suburbs. I don't know yet. Again it may turn out that everything is central anyway.

As a wildcard, we've also been told a few times that Moston (Eccles) is developing into yet another Chorlton, though I have my doubts about the sustainability of all this development/gentrification/whatever it is (if, say, the economy tanks) to be honest.


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## Tom A (Apr 18, 2016)

Levenshulme seems to be the latest popular place to be, I know three friends who live there and it has a few decent bars and community groups (especially if you are into campaigning and activism) and will be cheaper than Chorlton (which IMO tends to be overpriced and up its own arse). Maybe a bit of a pain for commuting to Salford if you don't have a car although there are trains to Salford Crescent and a bus to Salford Precinct from Longsight, the next district along going into town.

Prestwich is a fairly decent area, direct bus to Salford and frequentish buses to Manchester city centre as well as the tram (which also goes to Chorlton), so you can't really go wrong there, if there isn't anything you can get there, you can easily get into town.




mauvais said:


> Hulme I can't really figure out to be honest. When I lived there last, ten years ago, it seemed to be being gentrified by force in the same way that, say, Ancoats is more recently/now - i.e. put up a load of premium flats and new builds on what was wasteland and call it an exciting new urban development or whatever, despite the fact that there's actually nothing there in meaningful support of it. And the product of that seems to be a really weird clash of new/old, really meaning affluent/poor, side by side in this jumbled up way.
> 
> Is that a fair assessment of what's actually become of it? Not that this necessarily makes it a terrible place to live, or anything, just difficult to fathom.
> 
> I know basically nothing about Stretford & O/T.



I live in Hulme as well, but I'm in social housing - private renting is expensive for what you get around here, and there aren't that many pubs now until you get into town, all the radicalism of yesteryear has gone to ground somewhat although it does have a fairly interesting garden centre and also the Zion Arts Centre, it's main advantage is that one can easily walk to most parts of town within 30 minutes. Stretford and Old Trafford are okay areas but do not have much in the way of things to do there other than a quirky bar called the Sip Club in Stretford (I knew two sets of friends who lived there), but they will be much cheaper than Hulme or Chorlton.


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## Patteran (Apr 22, 2016)

We live in Prestwich - I've been here five years, the missus has been here since she was a kid. We've both lived all over Mcr & Salford, & settled here with the baba. Happy to answer any questions.


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## mauvais (Apr 22, 2016)

So we went up there last weekend, visited Prestwich then Chorlton then Monton then scoped out SE Manchester.

The short version is that they were all acceptable places to live, which is no surprise really.

I liked Prestwich. The high street is better in practice than it would appear from Street View. People are quite enthusiastic about all the change - Grape to Grain, Solita's second project, etcetera. The leafy suburbs are nice.

Chorlton was OK. The main streets are much more coherent as places but also a bit hard to understand - hipster bars mixed with properly run down old man pubs. All in all, the main bit felt super busy (terraced houses = cars EVERYWHERE) and a bit alien, in that I found it hard to visualise how we'd fit in. Probably just me. Prestwich was calmer and felt a better fit. Then separately there was Chorlton Green & Beech Street which made more sense to me.

Monton was quite nice, again cars everywhere, but the high street punched above its weight for where it was. The trouble with that one is distance - a 15 minute walk to Eccles and then 30 minutes on the tram, as opposed to much less in the other two.

So now we have a priority order and just need to find somewhere to actually rent.


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## chilango (Apr 22, 2016)

A big plus for me living in Chorlton as a kid was the proximity of the meadows by the Mersey. Felt like countryside.


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## Fez909 (Apr 22, 2016)

chilango said:


> A big plus for me living in Chorlton as a kid was the proximity of the meadows by the Mersey. Felt like countryside.


Yep, when I lived there I spent a lot of time in the 'waterpark'. It's great. You get wild mushrooms and sloe berries growing in the autumn, and in the summer it's just great having so much green space nearby. There's a pub over towards the Sale motorway exit with a nice beer garden full of dogs which I liked (shit beer though).

You're right, it does feel like the countryside, except for the constant presence of the M60 humming away in the background.


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## chilango (Apr 22, 2016)




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## Bahnhof Strasse (Apr 22, 2016)

Greater Manchester Marathon course was 380m short, says measuring body


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## mauvais (Apr 22, 2016)

chilango said:


> A big plus for me living in Chorlton as a kid was the proximity of the meadows by the Mersey. Felt like countryside.


It _is _countryside, just a thin slice of what's left after places like Sale - which was once distinctly separate, apparently - expanded outwards.

It is a bit unusual though - I remember going down there when I lived there last time and being surprised by it.


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## Fez909 (Apr 22, 2016)

mauvais said:


> It _is _countryside, just a thin slice of what's left after places like Sale - which was once distinctly separate, apparently - expanded outwards.
> 
> It is a bit unusual though - I remember going down there when I lived there last time and being surprised by it.


It's thin, but long. I think I read it's about 8 miles. Or maybe km. There's a lot of it, anyway.


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## Patteran (Apr 22, 2016)

Gardener Rd is the equivalent of Beech Street - so it's either a happy, community-spirited neighbourhood for nice people who work for the BBC, or an over-priced enclave of busybody cupcake fascism, depending on your perception. Or a bit of both. Instead of the Water Park, we've Heaton Park on one side, & on the other, The Clough that leads into the Irwell Valley - miles of greenery from Salford all the way up to Ramsbottom. 

We may have different perspectives - I've no enthusiasm for the recent cocktail bar/burger joint ventures, don't want to see the Longfield 'regenerated', don't want older residents priced out of the precinct's shops (as customers or retailers), or out of the high street's dozen pubs, & don't want stable streets destabilised by concomitant increased rents/house prices. It is a leafy suburb, & it's affordable - the amenities, the green spaces, the play areas are accessible, not out of reach. Kids can still afford to live where they grew up, & that creates/maintains genuine communities. That's why - & how - we live here.


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## mauvais (Apr 22, 2016)

Well, there is that.

So on the one hand, I'm your classic middle class gentrifier these days. I'm all for turning your gran's front room into a wine bar TBH. So real urbans!

On the other, I much don't want to see the realisation of what you're concerned about either. That's community, which is not maintained via a revolving door of media types, and all of what you describe is inescapably the pattern of gentrification. I'm not going to defend that - it can't be done. However, simultaneously, I would like to have some things locally that I can enjoy. A total lack of anything but traditional pubs isn't community either, it's long term self-flagellation. I don't know what the right balance is to be honest.

I'll add that some of this is about long term under-investment by Bury and the government. Regeneration in _that _sense is not necessarily the same as regeneration and displacement by an influx of more affluent yuppie types, although they may have become inextricably linked.

Also there's one element to this that I confess I don't quite get, on the face of it: whilst much of it is clearly accessible and affordable, much of it surely must not be. In large part it appears to be, historically and now, an affluent MC neighbourhood where the most surprising thing is that this stuff doesn't _already _exist en masse.


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## Tom A (Apr 22, 2016)

mauvais said:


> Monton was quite nice, again cars everywhere, but the high street punched above its weight for where it was. The trouble with that one is distance - a 15 minute walk to Eccles and then 30 minutes on the tram, as opposed to much less in the other two.



There is a bus to town (the 33), but it's not the most frequent (especially in the evening) and is one of those that switches bus companies halfway though the day.



mauvais said:


> Well, there is that.
> 
> So on the one hand, I'm your classic middle class gentrifier these days. I'm all for turning your gran's front room into a wine bar TBH. So real urbans!
> 
> ...



Prestwich has never seemed to me to be that deprived, like you I would argue it was middle class and certainly more affluent than several of the neighbouring areas, and is probably still cheaper than most parts of South Manchester, which traditionally is where most incomers to the city end up (at least IME). The issue is that prices are going up at an accelerated rate throughout Greater Manchester, even in the outlying towns, and the only "cheap" parts of town are going to be those that are still seen to have a dodgy reputation, places like most of North and East Manchester, Longsight (properties on the M12 postcode side of Matthews Lane are significantly cheaper than on the Levenshulme (M19) side) and to an extent Moss Side if that hasn't already happened - it certainly is nowhere as bad as was in the 1990s and I would choose there over several other parts of Manchester. Also neighbouring areas tend to feel the effect of being next to popular areas, e.g. Whalley Range and Stretford now being called "Chorlton Borders" by estate agents , and I feel it's only a matter of time till Longsight and even Gorton become people with those that have difficulty finding somewhere affordable in Levy.

The issue with gentrification is not your ordinary folk that move to somewhere that has become "popular" because of various interesting things happening there. It's the landlords that drive up the rents to price out said ordinary folk, the greedy developers who tear down the places where these "interesting things" happen (so the traditional communities are replaced with bland Lego sets - Hulme used to have three to five times the number of pubs it does now), and the government that steadfastly refuses to regulate the market and create proper social housing. They are the real villains of the piece here. However whilst this climate stands there will always be resentment between the traditional inhabitants of a community and the "incomers" sadly.


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## Patteran (Apr 22, 2016)

mauvais said:


> Well, there is that.
> 
> So on the one hand, I'm your classic middle class gentrifier these days. I'm all for turning your gran's front room into a wine bar TBH. So real urbans!
> 
> ...



I'd describe it as predominantly respectable working class - old fashioned, even. Working class people in decent full-time work - always been a lot of trades/self employed living up this way, many of irish descent. The proximity to Salford 7/Cheetham/Kersall tended to keep the aspirational middle classes away. There are big houses on Poppythorn Lane & Guest Road & Sheepfoot Lane, but they don't dominate. Similarly, the estates on Polefield & Butthill don't dominate, either. It's not unique, it's a fairly typical Mcr neighbourhood - it's only special to us because we've three generations of extended family round here. We enjoy the traditional pubs & curry houses. We also enjoy the smarter special-occasion food places - Chroma has always been good for kids, & cocktail bar Cuckoo has become a daytime favourite, particularly with a strata of local mums. There's room for both.

We live on the Heaton Park side - there's a great playground, known locally as The Rec, surrounded by the terraces of Recreation Street. If it was in Didsbury, the houses would be worth a fortune, & the park, although officially public, would be restricted. Currently, it's an affordable area. That's the side of community life that I worry about losing if prices increase atypically.

There's one element I don't get - the desire to change an existing neighbourhood to suit the personal tastes of newcomers. Didsbury & Chorlton already exist. Cheaper, I guess. They used to say you could change a house but you couldn't change a location. That's out of date. But it grates when someone's been here six months & starts blogging then campaigning to get the precinct dropped. A facility that's used daily by hundreds, maybe thousands, & employs dozens, deemed not fit for purpose. Its functionality hasn't deteriorated - what's changed is the gaze, the perception - & ultimately, it's perceived impact on housing prices.

I realise that historically, realistically, i'm on the losing side here. And despite our different taste in pubs, I'll still answer any specific questions about the area (or others, if i can).


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## Patteran (Apr 22, 2016)

Tom A said:


> There is a bus to town (the 33), but it's not the most frequent (especially in the evening) and is one of those that switches bus companies halfway though the day.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Urmston's the next Chorlton-reach. Gorton a step too far. 

Agree Prestwich isn't generally deprived. Working class doesn't have to/never used to mean 'deprived/poor' necessarily.


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## mauvais (Apr 22, 2016)

Patteran said:


> I'd describe it as predominantly respectable working class - old fashioned, even. ...


So to these eyes, if you're in the market for a three bed house, then Prestwich offers up a bunch of semis in places like Rectory Lane, and to me that is classic and historical M/C. Because that's what we're looking at, that's what Prestwich is like to us to some extent, so I suspect we're talking at cross purposes as far as housing stock goes (or have differing ideas of class definitions tbf)

Funnily enough if you try the same in Chorlton then it's all smaller terraced housing that I would guess - but don't know - would in the longer term have been more W/C oriented. Perhaps not. And in this bit of the market at least, Prestwich is generally much cheaper than Chorlton and Didsbury. Post-tram, on the evidence we've seen, Chorlton is actually a little more expensive than Didsbury now too.

I'm not buying a house yet, but from that perspective, one thing I can tell you: you say you're historically on the losing side but I'm not so sure. Manchester's always been a revolving carousel of redevelopment of whatever variety. And, I would think, at some point the wheels have to come off the current national inflation of housing, and when it does, a lot of this movement is going to go into retreat, possibly making 'where is the next Chorlton' the least of anyone's worries. Who knows. That's one of the things I think about: not just what new pleasures are going to appear, but where do I want to be when the music stops and all that 'next big thing' hyperbole evaporates.

Me, all I want is a Cuckoo or two, not another Didsbury


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## The Boy (Apr 22, 2016)

Tom A said:


> Levenshulme seems to be the latest popular place to be,



I started a similar thread to this back in 2012 but asking after advice on Levenshulme.  i think it was there that I saw someone remark that it was an area that had been the 'next big thing'  since the 1980s without ever actaully taking off.  I like it there though.  Was a bit rough around the edges and the high street was a bit scruffy but I never felt particularly unsafe walking home from Burnage or Withington late-ish at night.  Plus the 192 is always entertaining - my first experience of Manchester was the 192 through Ardwick, Longsight then into Lenvenshulme to pick up the keys.  Was a bit of an eye-opener.

We still ended up moving to the Disdbury/Withington borderlands though.


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## Tom A (Apr 22, 2016)

The Boy said:


> I started a similar thread to this back in 2012 but asking after advice on Levenshulme.  i think it was there that I saw someone remark that it was an area that had been the 'next big thing'  since the 1980s without ever actaully taking off.  I like it there though.  Was a bit rough around the edges and the high street was a bit scruffy but I never felt particularly unsafe walking home from Burnage or Withington late-ish at night.  Plus the 192 is always entertaining - my first experience of Manchester was the 192 through Ardwick, Longsight then into Lenvenshulme to pick up the keys.  Was a bit of an eye-opener.
> 
> We still ended up moving to the Disdbury/Withington borderlands though.


Ever since I started coming to Manchester a good 13 years ago Levy seemed to me to be a place that was neither too rough nor too posh, and to an extent it still is. The 192 is definitely the stuff of legend.


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## killer b (Apr 22, 2016)

I had a _very_ nice breakfast in levenshulme not long ago - if it isn't 'on the way up' I don't know what is.


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## The Boy (Apr 22, 2016)

killer b said:


> I had a _very_ nice breakfast in levenshulme not long ago - if it isn't 'on the way up' I don't know what is.


Trove?

edit:  bugger me sideways, I live in Levy 4years ago.  That place has probably closed now.  I know POD did/.


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## killer b (Apr 22, 2016)

yeah, trove.


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## Tom A (Apr 22, 2016)

Longsight once had its own vegetarian cafe - Misty's - but that closed down a few years ago sadly.


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## chilango (Apr 22, 2016)

I hated living in Longsight.


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## The Boy (Apr 22, 2016)

chilango said:


> I hated living in Longsight.



In its defence, it has a Lidl *and* a Manchester Superstore.

Oh, and a Worldwide Foods.


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## Patteran (Apr 22, 2016)

mauvais said:


> So to these eyes, if you're in the market for a three bed house, then Prestwich offers up a bunch of semis in places like Rectory Lane, and to me that is classic and historical M/C. Because that's what we're looking at, that's what Prestwich is like to us to some extent, so I suspect we're talking at cross purposes as far as housing stock goes (or have differing ideas of class definitions tbf)
> 
> Funnily enough if you try the same in Chorlton then it's all smaller terraced housing that I would guess - but don't know - would in the longer term have been more W/C oriented. Perhaps not. And in this bit of the market at least, Prestwich is generally much cheaper than Chorlton and Didsbury. Post-tram, on the evidence we've seen, Chorlton is actually a little more expensive than Didsbury now too.
> 
> ...



We lived in the mansion block at the top of Rectory Lane for a year or so - grand facade, shabby interior, maybe half of the tenants were DSS - our rent was only slightly more than our preceding council flat in Hulme. Appearances can be deceiving round here. Crumpsall even more so. I agree, you see what you are part of - confirmation bias. I walk up Rectory Lane most days, but the people I know are in the housing association flats by St Mary's school or coming out of the Red Lion, so that's who & what I see. To be clear, I'm not attempting to describe my neighbourhood in a certain way because it's vitally important that strangers on the internet think i live in a w/c street, but because I'm trying to be accurate - & honest to a possible newcomer. It's not all sweetness & light balsamic dressing round here just because some of the avenues are leafy. But anecdotally, there's less mither, & statistically, much fewer burglaries, than Chorlton. (london centric spellcheck keeps changing that to Charlton)


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## mauvais (Apr 22, 2016)

Aye, I looked into that.

I got burgled twice in a year living in Withington. GMP - who turned up en masse pretty much immediately to be fair - told me that if I didn't like being burgled, I should move!


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## Tom A (Apr 22, 2016)

At one time when my friends moved to Longsight (just behind Crowcroft Park) they were burgled twice in as many months.


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## chilango (Apr 22, 2016)

I never got burgled in Longsight. Windows put in though and when the police arrived they were more interested in looking through my bookshelves and pointing out that the broken bottles in concrete that adorned the tips of our backyard walks was illegal than anything else.

That was a shit house though. No heating. So damp that all the sockets on one side of the house sparked intermittently. Several houses on the street got torched in the time we were there too 

Moved to Moss Side after that. Burgled six times in a year. Ended up putting a chest of drawers behind the front door every night  preferred it to Longsight though.


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## Part 2 (May 2, 2016)

fdc said:


> I think I remember someone telling Mark E Smith and Guy Garvey drink in there.



I'm not sure that's a selling point 

I'm in Old Trafford currently after 20 years in Timperley. Tram 5 minutes away, Chorlton and town 20 minutes walk. Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and even Booths within easy reach. Hullard and Seymour Park for a bit of greenery and not that far to Chorlton Water Park or the canals. If you want to walk out of your front door onto a bustling high street of independent businesses it's maybe not all that but it's friendly and a very settled area, mostly Asian families. Not sure what renting's like but I see very few houses for sale.


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## mauvais (May 2, 2016)

I'm going to look at houses tomorrow - got one in particular in mind and hoping it doesn't get snatched up before I get there - wish me luck!


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## killer b (May 2, 2016)

Where are you looking in the end?


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## mauvais (May 2, 2016)

Prestwich and Chorlton still, primarily the former, but there ain't much about and we're running out of time.


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## Grace Johnson (May 2, 2016)

The Boy said:


> I started a similar thread to this back in 2012 but asking after advice on Levenshulme.  i think it was there that I saw someone remark that it was an area that had been the 'next big thing'  since the 1980s without ever actaully taking off.  I like it there though.  Was a bit rough around the edges and the high street was a bit scruffy but I never felt particularly unsafe walking home from Burnage or Withington late-ish at night.  Plus the 192 is always entertaining - my first experience of Manchester was the 192 through Ardwick, Longsight then into Lenvenshulme to pick up the keys.  Was a bit of an eye-opener.
> 
> We still ended up moving to the Disdbury/Withington borderlands though.




I don't know whether it is because Im female but I found the opposite with living in levenshulme. It was the only place I have ever lived that it felt unsafe walking around at night. You get guys in cars or walking around stopping and trying to pick you up in a really horrible predatory way. Lots of female friends have had the same thing. It would happen nearly everytime you left the house alone it was horrible and a big reason why I moved. Never really had it anywhere else, perhaps on the odd occasion but certainly not with such an alarming regularity.


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## Grace Johnson (May 2, 2016)

I live in Hulme at the moment and I love it. Its really quiet where I am and I can walk to the centre of town in 20 minutes so it is pretty much perfect for me at the moment.

There's a lot going on too, we swim a lot and go to local events at the Zion centre. We have found a proper sense of community around where we live and its made us feel really settled and at home in a way we never had in other parts of Manchester. There's a few local shops for cheap fruit and veg and a good health food store and a few cafes that are all locally owned which is cool. The teatime collective is our favourite at the moment. 

Transport is an issue for me as I don't drive and don't have a massive income so I needed somewhere easy for town we looked at chorlton but all the transport stops at about midnight so we settled on Hulme instead. Its worked out great and we in walking distance of chorlton too for shops and cafes.

Would have liked to have lived in chorlton tho, it is a nice spot. 

Hope you find somewhere that suits you. Good luck with the hunting.


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## mauvais (May 3, 2016)

What a shambles.

Went to view a few, but the one we liked was the best. Unfortunately someone else turned up and viewed it at the same time - awks, as they say - and then we both _applied_ at the same time. Now the landlord gets to choose.

I hate renting in Britain.


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## mauvais (Jul 15, 2016)

About six weeks in now, living in Prestwich, and having a thoroughly decent time  

fdc did you find somewhere?

Patteran thanks again for your advice, all proving to be on the money. Shout if you fancy a pint and a rant about Bury South sometime.


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## Patteran (Jul 15, 2016)

mauvais said:


> About six weeks in now, living in Prestwich, and having a thoroughly decent time
> 
> fdc did you find somewhere?
> 
> Patteran thanks again for your advice, all proving to be on the money. Shout if you fancy a pint and a rant about Bury South sometime.



Glad you're settling in. Which side have you ended up on? Off the pop currently, but always up for a brew, usually with a toddler in tow.


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## mauvais (Jul 15, 2016)

Patteran said:


> Glad you're settling in. Which side have you ended up on? Off the pop currently, but always up for a brew, usually with a toddler in tow.


About five mins walk from Heaton Park, Rectory Lane way. To go back to what we were talking about before, round here it's a strong mix of what I would call working & middle class - from trades to IT consultants. The common theme is that everyone's friendly and seems to give a toss about their area - there's 80-something year old folk out regularly trimming their hedges etc. We've got good neighbours and our landlord isn't a dick so it's good times 

We have a new trendy wine bar that you've probably noticed. It's actually good. All in all though I'm glad it's exactly what it is - one of the many reasons why we chose it over Chorlton.


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## Patteran (Jul 15, 2016)

mauvais said:


> About five mins walk from Heaton Park, Rectory Lane way. To go back to what we were talking about before, round here it's a strong mix of what I would call working & middle class - from trades to IT consultants. The common theme is that everyone's friendly and seems to give a toss about their area - there's 80-something year old folk out regularly trimming their hedges etc. We've got good neighbours and our landlord isn't a dick so it's good times
> 
> We have a new trendy wine bar that you've probably noticed. It's actually good. All in all though I'm glad it's exactly what it is - one of the many reasons why we chose it over Chorlton.



We must be neighbours - we're off the top end of Whittaker Lane, behind St Hilda's/The Royal Oak. If you like Grain & Grape, try All the Shapes.


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## mauvais (Jul 15, 2016)

Patteran said:


> We must be neighbours - we're off the top end of Whittaker Lane, behind St Hilda's/The Royal Oak. If you like Grain & Grape, try All the Shapes.


Aye, popped in to ATS once, good food. Not had enough free time to go trying out everywhere yet. Yeah you're about two mins walk up the road.


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## fdc (Jul 29, 2016)

mauvais said:


> About six weeks in now, living in Prestwich, and having a thoroughly decent time
> 
> fdc did you find somewhere?
> 
> Patteran thanks again for your advice, all proving to be on the money. Shout if you fancy a pint and a rant about Bury South sometime.



Hey, no - well, yes, but not in Prestwich. Ended up somewhere completely different entirely, well outside Manchester. Not really my choice, and settling in for the long-game at the moment...


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## rutabowa (Jan 1, 2019)

Might possibly move to manchester second half of this year, from hackney. Prestwich and Whalley Range sound about right to live. Pretty much totally clueless about manchester though... I imagine within these areas there is a lot of variation... and prob loads of other bits that are just as good. Got to find a primary school too.


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## killer b (Jan 1, 2019)

Mrs B lives in Whalley Range, would recommend - a short distance to the city centre, but quiet and plenty of green space, and a short walk from the fleshpots of Chorlton. 

Give us a shout if it works out...


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## killer b (Jan 1, 2019)

oh I see I made the same post two years ago. jesus.


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## mauvais (Jan 1, 2019)

I ended up buying a house in Prestwich, the third house we've lived in on the same street. Theoretically staying put here for a long time. Really like the place, would recommend checking it out on a weekend.

Most people at work are in Chorlton. It's not quite my cup of tea but I can see it has its merits.

Shout if you want any info or a tour.


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## rutabowa (Jan 2, 2019)

Will find out in a few weeks, will return then


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## rutabowa (Jan 2, 2019)

Juuust while i am still idley daydreaming though:
– are both of those places ok for cycling to say the centre? They look less a far than i currently cycle to work, but there look to be some big ring roads.
– i presume they are both pretty good for public transport, but how late do those trams run?
- any recent experience of schools in either area (primary and secondary)?


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## mauvais (Jan 2, 2019)

rutabowa said:


> Juuust while i am still idley daydreaming though:
> – are both of those places ok for cycling to say the centre? They look less a far than i currently cycle to work, but there look to be some big ring roads.
> – i presume they are both pretty good for public transport, but how late do those trams run?
> - any recent experience of schools in either area (primary and secondary)?


For Prestwich:

Cycling to town, yeah, fine. 5 miles or so maximum. It's the best way to get about. The main roads (Bury New Road, Bury Old Road) are usually clogged, especially with ongoing roadworks, which makes cycling safer IMO, and the tram is at capacity during peak commuting times. Be aware that Prestwich is up a hill, but if you're going to work, that's the better arrangement. Biggest problem is probably bike crime so if you're looking at jobs, ask about secure cycle storage. I've spoken to a few city centre people recently and it does tend to be available.

All trams run until some time between midnight-ish & 1am. After that there's always Uber.

No experience of schools.


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## killer b (Jan 2, 2019)

It's 10 minutes into town on a bike from Whalley Range. Not sure about the tram, never needed to use it but TfGM have a decent website that could answer that question easily enough. 

Mrs B is a governor of a local primary and has a reasonable overview of the quality of the local schools - I'll ask her later.


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## bakinglaul (Jan 7, 2019)

Hi there, I moved to Whitefield 5 months ago and looking to buy this year.  Problem being is that there has only been about 3 properties up for sale since we moved, as we're looking to live on the left hand side of Bury New Road.  Also everything is ridiculously expensive as it's also closer to Ringley Road.  Now also considering Prestwich to broaden our search and hopefully be able to buy something with more for our money.  Can anyone recommend where to look in Prestwich, or where not to look?  Thank you!


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## mauvais (Jan 7, 2019)

Tell us a bit about what you're looking for.


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## chilango (Jan 7, 2019)

killer b said:


> It's 10 minutes into town on a bike from Whalley Range. Not sure about the tram, never needed to use it but TfGM have a decent website that could answer that question easily enough.
> 
> Mrs B is a governor of a local primary and has a reasonable overview of the quality of the local schools - I'll ask her later.



Iirc, and I'm going back 20 years, I breiflb lived near Whalley Range (technically Old Trafford, but only a few minutes away) and the tram station at Trafford Bar wasn't far and the trans were frequent.


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## bakinglaul (Jan 7, 2019)

We're looking for streets that are a bit quiet, a community feel, we're both around 30, hoping to start a family in the next couple of years.


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## mauvais (Jan 7, 2019)

bakinglaul said:


> We're looking for streets that are a bit quiet, a community feel, we're both around 30, hoping to start a family in the next couple of years.


What's your rough budget? Where do you work & how do you need to travel there?

There's lots of areas of Prestwich that are what you describe. I don't really know Whitefield but I gather from others that it's pretty similar. Generally Prestwich is slightly more expensive than Whitefield but not much; they're both at some degree of premium due to the tram. There are pockets of Prestwich that are more expensive than immediately makes sense; I suspect this is access to particular schools and/or popular religious areas.

Property goes quite quickly, with some estate agents having effectively cornered the market (sealed bids etc), and you could try things like leafletting areas you're interested in with an interest in buying their house. The return rate will be very poor but you only need one, and it would save the seller thousands in EA fees.


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## bakinglaul (Jan 7, 2019)

Thanks.  We went to a mortgage advisor at the weekend who told us our max budget is about £265k.  We both work in the city and use the tram.  We'd like to stay in Whitefield but there just doesn't seem to be anything on the market at all in the last six months, or at least anything worth buying, hence the few that are on the market have been on the market for a number of months.  We're now thinking about branching out into Prestwich but really don't know anything about the area, other than being told by a few people that it's nice.


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## mauvais (Jan 7, 2019)

bakinglaul said:


> Thanks.  We went to a mortgage advisor at the weekend who told us our max budget is about £265k.  We both work in the city and use the tram.  We'd like to stay in Whitefield but there just doesn't seem to be anything on the market at all in the last six months, or at least anything worth buying, hence the few that are on the market have been on the market for a number of months.  We're now thinking about branching out into Prestwich but really don't know anything about the area, other than being told by a few people that it's nice.


This thread from the beginning has a fair bit of info.

'Prestwich' encompasses quite a big area, from the housing near Heaton Park reservoir down to Sedgley Park and the Salford border. When I talk about it I'm really talking about north/south from Tesco & the village down to St. Mary's Park or Scholes Lane, and west/east from the Clough to Heaton Park.

Lots of green space - a whole corridor of parks & green space from north of Salford up to Bury; no major threat to this from new housing as yet. Some new bars and restaurants without being really try-hard. Repaved high street a year or so ago. Obviously tram (Prestwich, Heaton Park) although as you probably know it's at or near capacity during peak times. If the economy ever goes into reverse I think it'll be better protected from total decline than some areas based on its fundamentals.

For £265k I think you ought to be able to find something. It is still going up in price. I wouldn't like to guess what's going to happen after March so biding one's time might pay off, but you could have said that for years and priced yourself out of a lot of places.

Clive Anthony is by far the biggest estate agent. They effectively operate a cartel with sealed bids and people paying well over starting price; good for sellers, less good for buyers. You can try going and making friends with them. Jennie Platt are similar, slightly different approach.


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## bakinglaul (Jan 7, 2019)

Thanks that's really helpful, and a shame to hear about the way the estate agents are operating, not good for buyers as you say, and definitely not first time buyers like us!  Now we've had a meeting with a MA and know what we can afford, we're pretty much ready to act sooner rather than later.  The main reason I'm asking is because when you look at Whitefield on a map, to the left hand side of Bury New Road is where the nicer streets are, quieter roads, nicer houses, however, on the right hand side it is mainly made up of council houses and estates, and not so nice overall, so just wondering if Prestwich has a similar set up in any way.


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## mauvais (Jan 7, 2019)

Not as such, it's more mixed. Best bet is probably to start looking in a broadly defined area and then tighten it up once you've considered & ruled out some example places based on area (e.g. too far from bars, tram etc)


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## Patteran (Jan 8, 2019)

Soliciting strangers' advice on how to avoid living too close to council houses & estates in north manchester. And an immediate assumption that the potential neighbours being solicited for advice here couldn't possibly be from/of those 'not so nice overall' streets. Lovely stuff.


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## Fez909 (Jan 8, 2019)

rutabowa said:


> Juuust while i am still idley daydreaming though:
> – are both of those places ok for cycling to say the centre? They look less a far than i currently cycle to work, but there look to be some big ring roads.
> – i presume they are both pretty good for public transport, but how late do those trams run?
> - any recent experience of schools in either area (primary and secondary)?


I moved to Whalley Range recently. Not _amazing _for the tram...depending on where you are. I'm about 10 minutes walk from my stop, but I'm on the edge of WR. You could conceivably be out of reasonable walking distance and still in WR, I reckon. Then you're at the mercy of buses (which are frequent tbf).

Cycling is shit in Manchester. It has the most cycling deaths, IIRC. That said, I cycled here for years on my last stint in the city (9 miles each way, daily) and never had any issues. The roads _feel _safer than Leeds, but...stats.

Whalley Range is getting a new fancy cycle lane soon (end of 2019 they're starting I think) that actually looks decent - much more like they have abroad, where the cycle traffic is actually separated from the petrol traffic, rather than just painting a line near the gutter.


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## mauvais (Jan 8, 2019)

Fez909 said:


> Cycling is shit in Manchester. It has the most cycling deaths, IIRC. That said, I cycled here for years on my last stint in the city (9 miles each way, daily) and never had any issues. The roads _feel _safer than Leeds, but...stats.


It's potentially well into victim blaming but I wonder how much of this is skewed by inexperienced/careless cyclists? Like you, I feel that if you're a competent/experienced cyclist, it's pretty much the same as other cities. I've personally no love for segregated cycle facilities though; I see the benefit but for me, it's actually a negative.


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## killer b (Jan 8, 2019)

Manchester cyclists I know point to both the poor state of the roads and the tram lines as significant issues for the safety of their cycling. From a driver's POV, I see (or don't see) more cyclists dressed in black with no lights at night in Manchester than elsewhere...


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## mauvais (Jan 8, 2019)

Tram lines are my one concern. I've done a bucking bronco impression in front of moving traffic (but unusually for my incompetent dyspraxic nature, remained on) at least a couple of times now.


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## Fez909 (Jan 8, 2019)

mauvais said:


> It's potentially well into victim blaming but I wonder how much of this is skewed by inexperienced/careless cyclists? Like you, I feel that if you're a competent/experienced cyclist, it's pretty much the same as other cities. I've personally no love for segregated cycle facilities though; I see the benefit but for me, it's actually a negative.


n=1 but...Olympic star's crash horror


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## mauvais (Jan 8, 2019)

Fez909 said:


> n=1 but...Olympic star's crash horror


Yeah, it doesn't make you immune. There but for the grace of God etc - but compared to my experiences of Nottingham, Southampton & elsewhere, I feel it's roughly the same. Similarly anecdotal though. Plus I need to get off my arse and start regularly riding again


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## Fez909 (Jan 8, 2019)

mauvais said:


> Yeah, it doesn't make you immune. There but for the grace of God etc - but compared to my experiences of Nottingham, Southampton & elsewhere, I feel it's roughly the same. Similarly anecdotal though. Plus I need to get off my arse and start regularly riding again


Same 

Do you tram it in? I got the tram to your end once from work and it took forever. ~1hr? Ridiculous.

Mind, I have a ridiculous commute considering the distance, too. Under 3 miles and ~50 mins. Bike would get me in in around 15 mins.


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## mauvais (Jan 8, 2019)

Fez909 said:


> Same
> 
> Do you tram it in? I got the tram to your end once from work and it took forever. ~1hr? Ridiculous.
> 
> Mind, I have a ridiculous commute considering the distance, too. Under 3 miles and ~50 mins. Bike would get me in in around 15 mins.


Tram is out for the reason you describe. No, we drive, my missus works in Pendleton near the wonderful Precinct, and then I walk the rest of the way. Sometimes I drive and abandon the car somewhere in Langworthy. Before we bought our house I used to ride in fairly regularly but since then there's been a few practical barriers that are small but enough to derail my efforts, e.g. nowhere to keep the bike that has electricity to charge lights etcetera. I could sort this I guess.


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## killer b (Jan 8, 2019)

Where did the info about Manchester being the worst place in the country for cycling deaths come from btw? I'm vaguely interested in that kind of thing so I had a dig, it doesn't look _that_ unusual, although the numbers everywhere are so low that it only takes one or two extra deaths to make a place a cycling death capital of the country (there's a big spike in 2007 though, wonder what that was about?)

Road Casualties: Greater Manchester Police Area


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## bakinglaul (Jan 8, 2019)

Patteran making assumptions at other strangers isn't so pleasant either.  I'm simply asking for advice.  I haven't assumed anyone on this page is from any such area, good or bad.  I actually have lived in plenty of unpleasant areas in the past, council estates included, and I'm trying to find somewhere that has a happy balance of being a bit quieter but not up their own you-know-what.  I'm not bothered at all about living next to a person who is unemployed, for example, more bothered about if I was living in an area that doesn't feel safe walking down the street at night.  Being that I've only moved up about five months ago and really don't know what I'm looking out, just some guidance and advice would be appreciated.


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## killer b (Jan 8, 2019)

TBF he was only going on the content of your posts, where there seems to be some assumptions about council houses vs. 'nice' houses.


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## Rosemary Jest (Jan 9, 2019)

I lived in Moss Side for a year or two and then moved to leafy Didsbury for a few years about 10 years ago. Lived in shared houses though, couldn't afford to buy owt, especially in Didsbury. Nice down by the river Mersey in Fletcher Moss park.

Enjoyed Manchester, don't really know much of the north of the city though. Cycled to work for 6 odd years down the 'busiest bus route in Europe' and it was fine, saw a couple of accidents but nothing too bad. The traffic rarely moved fast enough to be threatening, just keep your wits about you.

The stats probably have something to do with loads of inexperienced/drunk students cycling, being that Manc is so flat, it lends itself to cycling more than a lot of cities, such as Leeds.

A copper once told me that thieves/robbers generally get around on bikes in Manchester as it's quicker than driving. This was after I had my bike nicked...

On that note, try not to ever leave your bike locked outside, I had 2 nicked in a short period and a mate even had his grips nicked, as well as pedals. Keep em locked up inside of possible.


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## farmerbarleymow (Jan 9, 2019)

Fez909 said:


> Same
> 
> Do you tram it in? I got the tram to your end once from work and it took forever. ~1hr? Ridiculous.
> 
> Mind, I have a ridiculous commute considering the distance, too. Under 3 miles and ~50 mins. Bike would get me in in around 15 mins.



When I lived in Levenshulme I used to cycle to work in the quays - it was much quicker than trying to get there by public transport.  Pretty flat route too which helped.  Not so much fun if you live in the northern satellite towns like Oldham though, unless you like cycling up hills.


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## Fez909 (Jan 9, 2019)

killer b said:


> Where did the info about Manchester being the worst place in the country for cycling deaths come from btw? I'm vaguely interested in that kind of thing so I had a dig, it doesn't look _that_ unusual, although the numbers everywhere are so low that it only takes one or two extra deaths to make a place a cycling death capital of the country (there's a big spike in 2007 though, wonder what that was about?)
> 
> Road Casualties: Greater Manchester Police Area


Can't remember where I first read it but this was my first result on Google when I just searched

Bristol among top five most dangerous places for cyclists

Scroll to bottom of article for list of most dangerous regions


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## killer b (Jan 9, 2019)

I found lots of stories like that, but I want to see the comparative figures godamnit.


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## Daisy96 (Feb 18, 2019)

Planning to move to the Prestwich area in a few months, and just wondering what areas people would recommend we look at. Need good links to the city centre as we are both currently without a car and work in Fallowfield, meaning the commute will be two buses / a tram and then a bus. We’re after a two bedroom property to rent (preferably a house) in a quiet family area near green space or parks, but near enough pubs and restaurants, the ‘centre’ etc. Can anyone point me in the right direction? We have two young children so must be an area highly regarded as being ‘safe’. We are also happy to look at nearby places such as Higher Broughton and the borders with Salford, though not too near to Cheetham Hill. Our maximum budget it £900 PCM, does anyone know of any areas that can tick these boxes? Any advice would be much appreciated!


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## Maris 51 (Jul 1, 2019)

Daisy96 said:


> Planning to move to the Prestwich area in a few months, and just wondering what areas people would recommend we look at. Need good links to the city centre as we are both currently without a car and work in Fallowfield, meaning the commute will be two buses / a tram and then a bus. We’re after a two bedroom property to rent (preferably a house) in a quiet family area near green space or parks, but near enough pubs and restaurants, the ‘centre’ etc. Can anyone point me in the right direction? We have two young children so must be an area highly regarded as being ‘safe’. We are also happy to look at nearby places such as Higher Broughton and the borders with Salford, though not too near to Cheetham Hill. Our maximum budget it £900 PCM, does anyone know of any areas that can tick these boxes? Any advice would be much appreciated!



Hi Daisy
  Prestwich is generally all a safe area and has some great schools and good transport links. It’s a very family friendly place.  You would be able to rent a terrace house around Heaton Park side/ Bury old Rd for £900 and less a month but may possibly struggle closer to the village. Gardner road and the roads off there are very expensive and popular due to the close proximity of the shops, Clough and tram. Heaton Park area has a tram that will get you into Manchester or Bury within 20 mins so you’d be fine.  There are lots of good quality terraced property around there and of course a fantastic park so you can’t go wrong. It would only take 15-20 mins walk to get to Prestwich village so it’s not that arduous.


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## handy1 (Dec 5, 2019)

binka said:


> It's shit for pubs though


 It used to be brilliant for pubs in the 80's


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