# Talk to me about Cambridge, what's it like to live there?



## Kid_Eternity (Apr 23, 2012)

Any urbs from Cambridge, would you recommend living there?


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## DrRingDing (Apr 23, 2012)

Depends what you require from a home town.

What's yer bag KE?


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## DrRingDing (Apr 23, 2012)

I like the some of the pubs.


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## bi0boy (Apr 23, 2012)

It's busy


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## Puddy_Tat (Apr 23, 2012)

I considered a job in (and moving to) Cambridge about 12 years ago.

It struck me as the kind of place that's either faintly grotty and very expensive, or not so grotty and exorbitantly expensive as far as housing is concerned.


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## foamy (Apr 23, 2012)

Its not in the midlands or the north..... 

It can be expensive (rental housing has shot up in the past year) and it is busy especially in the summer with lots of visiting language students (roughly a third of the population is "transient") but it is also lovely.


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## Kid_Eternity (Apr 23, 2012)

DrRingDing said:


> Depends what you require from a home town.
> 
> What's yer bag KE?



Easy going people, nice pubs, good places to eat, cinema...art gallery or two...


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## Kid_Eternity (Apr 23, 2012)

foamy said:


> Its not in the midlands or the north.....
> 
> It can be expensive (rental housing has shot up in the past year) and it is busy especially in the summer with lots of visiting language students (roughly a third of the population is "transient") but it is also lovely.



Yeah couldn't work out the best forum for it tbh...


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## foamy (Apr 23, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Easy going people, nice pubs, good places to eat, cinema...art gallery or two...


People = its a mixed bag 
Pubs - 365 of them, some real ale, lots of historical / character, city centre / village etc
eating: all the usual chains and lots of great food pubs and restaurants -The chop house / st johns chop house.
3 Cinemas: arts / vue / cineworld.
Art Galleries: Kettles Yard founded by Jim Ede who worked at the Tate, Fitzwilliam museum (although the jade collection is somewhat smaller now )
Lots of cool little museums too: Scot polar institute, archeology and anthropology, zoology, classical archaeology, whipple, folk museum, museum of technology and the botanical gardens.

Its only 50 mins from kings cross on the train - come and look around!


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## Kid_Eternity (Apr 23, 2012)

Oh yeah forgot to say museums. Heh that's one reason why I'm interested, I work in Kings Cross so the commute wouldn't be that bad...


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## bi0boy (Apr 23, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I work in Kings Cross so the commute wouldn't be that bad...


 
You'd have to stand of course, unless you're very devious.


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## Kid_Eternity (Apr 24, 2012)

bi0boy said:


> You'd have to stand of course, unless you're very devious.


 
It's really that packed? What's the earliest train you can get that ups the chances of a seat?


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## DrRingDing (Apr 24, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Oh yeah forgot to say museums. Heh that's one reason why I'm interested, I work in Kings Cross so the commute wouldn't be that bad...


 
The best place to live (Mill Road area) is also just a few minutes walk from the train station.


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## Firky (Apr 24, 2012)

Foo lives there and she is awesome.


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## oryx (Apr 24, 2012)

DrRingDing said:


> The best place to live (Mill Road area) is also just a few minutes walk from the train station.


I lived there in the 80s. One of the nicest areas I've ever lived in.

I loved Cambridge. If I didn't have a Londoner for a partner and a job here, I would be happy to move back there if I had the chance.


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## DrRingDing (Apr 24, 2012)

But KE beware living is not cheap here.


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## DrRingDing (Apr 24, 2012)

oryx said:


> I lived there in the 80s. One of the nicest areas I've ever lived in.
> 
> I loved Cambridge. If I didn't have a Londoner for a partner and a job here, I would be happy to move back there if I had the chance.


 
Cambridge in the summer is a joy. All the green space; the commons, parks and Grantchester meadows.


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## Kid_Eternity (Apr 24, 2012)

DrRingDing said:


> But KE beware living is not cheap here.



Price of housing pricy or price of a pint pricy?


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## DrRingDing (Apr 24, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Price of housing pricy or price of a pint pricy?


 
Both but housing is particularly expensive. Not far behind London.


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## 8115 (Apr 24, 2012)

The commute to London doesn't sound that bad, 45 minutes, but I would think carefully about it.  Station gets very busy at peak times, packed trains.  An old housemate of mine used to commute to London and it really took it out of him (we lived near the station although he was working fairly long hours too).  He ended up moving to London.  People who commute long term tend (I think) to be people with kids who sacrifice for their kids to be happier.  I wouldn't do it.

It's ok here, meh.  At the end of the day, it's a smallish town.  Catch me on a better day, I might be more positive.


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## Kid_Eternity (Apr 24, 2012)

Well in terms of commute I've done longer, and you stand up for about the same amount of time on the tube anyway these days...the move (if it did happen) would only be for three years too...

Thanks for all the insight peeps, much appreciated!


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## friedaweed (May 1, 2012)

Cambs in 'the North' thread WTF

Starts another campaign for northern forum


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## ymu (May 1, 2012)

It starts to feel pretty small after a while, but three years wouldn't be so bad.

With the cost of commuting included, it'll be more expensive than London. There's not a whole lot of difference in rents and house prices - partly the commuter market, but also because so much local employment is relatively high paid tech stuff in the science parks. The council keeps building new towns rather than address affordable housing in the city. There are some magnificently cheap and shitty bedsits behind the police station just by Parker's Piece, but I'm guessing you'll not be in the shitty bedsit market.

It is pretty fantastic for cycling. Too many shitty shared pavement/cycle path arrangements on the actual roads, but lots of cycle-friendly shortcuts, and cars are a bit more cycle aware than most places.


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## crustychick (Jul 29, 2013)

*bump*

me and the fella are considering a move to Cambridge. I'm encouraging it as I thought it was pretty much the same as Oxford (which I LOVE), but I hear it's smaller and less diverse, and now I'm a bit worried. What are the good things about living in Cambridge lovely urbs? apart from it being really close to London!


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## miss direct (Jul 29, 2013)

I'd like to live in Cambridge...some of my family live there and I've been going there since I was born. In fact if I moved back to the UK it's one of the places I'd consider. Small enough to walk around easily, nice and flat for cycling, nice parks/open green spaces. Easy to get to London and Stansted airport. Good shops. It's clean. Nice pubs. Near lovely countryside.


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## bi0boy (Jul 29, 2013)

It's being rapidly suburbanised with lots of new flats and housing going up both in the centre by the station and around the outskirts. It's in the middle of a transition from a university town to a full on city. The centre, the open spaces and the roads and transport links will become increasingly more crowded than they already are.


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## crustychick (Jul 29, 2013)

what about the surrounding villages? any of them worth a punt*?

*pun intended


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## _pH_ (Jul 29, 2013)

crustychick said:


> what about the surrounding villages? any of them worth a punt*?
> 
> *pun intended


Yes, lots of really nice villages around Cambridge - Histon, Milton, Cottenham etc. but housing can be very expensive that close to the city. I used to live in Chatteris, about 30 mins by car from Cambridge (same to P'boro) but at the time it was a lot cheaper than anywhere nearer to Cambridge. Prices have gone up as it's become something of a dormitory for people working in Cambridge who can't afford to live nearer. Nice enough place though.


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## foamy (Jul 29, 2013)

Pm me if you want specific details. I was born and raised in cam and apart from 6 years in London have been here all my life. I now live in a village out to the north of cam


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## youngian (Jul 29, 2013)

Home counties house price madness ends north of Cambridge, around Chatteris, March, Wisbech, Littleport. I have family around Cambridge and lived there in the 80s and is more expensive and gentrified now but not really much of an improvement. Classic band pubs like the Boat Race have long gone and been replaced by poncey bars. I would say Cambridge is not easy to meet people if you don't know anyone. If I ever decided to downsize to East Anglia I would head for Norwich which has good cheap housing, great pubs and plenty of green space.


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## crustychick (Aug 1, 2013)

well, the job application is in - eeek! fingers crossed 

I've been looking at houses and they certainly seem more reasonable than 1) London and 2) Oxford, which would be our other potential choices. 

am trying not to get too excited but I'd really love to come back to the UK so wish us luck


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## crustychick (Aug 1, 2013)

foamy said:


> Pm me if you want specific details. I was born and raised in cam and apart from 6 years in London have been here all my life. I now live in a village out to the north of cam


 
thanks foamy - will do! if we get any positive noises from the job application then I'll be definitely looking for somewhere new to live


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## fen_boy (Aug 1, 2013)

Similarly I live in Ely and work in Cambridge (used to live in Cambridge before Ely) and have done so since 1994, so could probably help too.


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## Sprocket. (Aug 1, 2013)

I had to look twice when I saw Cambridge was classed as the Midlands, then I realised there is no dedicated East Anglia section.
We think anywhere south of Leicester is proper south.


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## campanula (Nov 4, 2013)

going downhill fast.....super expensive, shit place for residents. Lots of Cambridge people are escaping to Norwich....which has exactly the same feel as Cambridge in the 70s/80s. I used to love it and thought I would be here forever, but I am hoping to swap my council place to Norwich too.


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## William of Walworth (Nov 30, 2013)

Any news on the job crustychick ? Kind of assuming not, I'm guessing, as this thread sank again after August .... 

I think you'd like Strawberry Fair (first Sat in June), especially as a local resident, or even as an annual visitor like me, but I expect you've been there already anyway


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## Frances Lengel (Nov 30, 2013)

campanula said:


> going downhill fast.....super expensive, shit place for residents. Lots of Cambridge people are escaping to Norwich....which has exactly the same feel as Cambridge in the 70s/80s. I used to love it and thought I would be here forever, but I am hoping to swap my council place to Norwich too.



Leaving Oldham was a mistake eh?


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## Corax (Nov 30, 2013)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Any urbs from Cambridge, would you recommend living there?


Ha!

No.


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## crustychick (Nov 30, 2013)

William of Walworth said:


> Any news on the job crustychick ? Kind of assuming not, I'm guessing, as this thread sank again after August ....
> 
> I think you'd like Strawberry Fair (first Sat in June), especially as a local resident, or even as an annual visitor like me, but I expect you've been there already anyway


definitely not going to cambridge 

but, maybe Sheffield!


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## campanula (Nov 30, 2013)

Ah yep, Crusty - much better choice.

Ahem - Cambridge - still better than Oldham tho' (although I still miss the pies)


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## Frances Lengel (Dec 1, 2013)

campanula said:


> Ah yep, Crusty - much better choice.
> 
> Ahem - Cambridge - still better than Oldham tho' (although I still miss the pies)



Meat pie, sausage roll etc....


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 1, 2013)

Corax said:


> Ha!
> 
> No.



Why not?


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## Corax (Dec 1, 2013)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Why not?


Huge (understandable) resentment between university and non-university people.  A council that offered homeless people a free one-way train ticket - I'm not joking.  An expensive city centre that's actually no better than any market town.  An arts scene that's nowhere near as good as it thinks it is.  Horrible architecture & town planning in the many spaces between the old stuff.


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## bi0boy (Dec 1, 2013)

Corax said:


> Huge (understandable) resentment between university and non-university people.



I don't know where you are getting this from. The uni employs large numbers of working class townspeople such that there isn't really a town/gown divide except in the minds of certain drunken teenage males of all backgrounds. Where are you seeing "huge resentment?"


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## DrRingDing (Dec 1, 2013)

bi0boy said:


> I don't know where you are getting this from. The uni employs large numbers of working class townspeople such that there isn't really a town/gown divide except in the minds of certain drunken teenage males of all backgrounds. Where are you seeing "huge resentment?"



Yea, it's not like the old days of Town Vs Gown


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## Corax (Dec 1, 2013)

bi0boy said:


> I don't know where you are getting this from. The uni employs large numbers of working class townspeople such that there isn't really a town/gown divide except in the minds of certain drunken teenage males of all backgrounds. Where are you seeing "huge resentment?"


It was probably around 15 years ago I lived in the area, and I only socialised in Cambridge infrequently - but that's certainly what I picked up on those occasions.


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