Scarborough As A Place To Live

Hello everyone,

I've been following this site for four years, slowly building up my deposit whilest feeling thoroughly disenfranchised about the the extent to which housing in this country has been commoditised and the market been fixed and manipulated .

Anyway to the point ;

My other half has been offered a job in Scarborough, North Yorks. I have relatives who live there and whenever I've been up to stay, I've been impressed by the picturesque scenery and the pace of life there, which is slow in comparison to what I'm used to. She is a nurse and I work in IT (in a role which pays reasonably well and offers decent prospects). The thought of partially leaving the rat race does appeal to me.

Housing is quite cheap there, though not as cheap as I'd expect for somewhere which offers little in terms of employment and transport links. I doubt that I'd be able to command a decent salary down there, though this would be partially off-set by more reasonable accommodation costs.

I'm a little concerned at the lack of opportunity there, and also the longer term economic outlook of the place. I suspect that a large part of the local economy is driven by retired boomers spending their retirements there, and that things may go down hill in the next 15-20 years when they start dieing off.

What are peoples' opinions of the place? Would I be jumping straight into a poverty trap by moving there?

Where are you going to work ?

http://www.rightmove...l?premiumA=true

This is a nice house.

Where are you going to work ?

That would be the big question - I've seen some IT jobs advertised there, though mainly low level and well below what I am doing at the moment. I could easily do that, though I was possibly thinking about commuting to York or (at a push Leeds or Teeside). I've also got the option of contracting down in London, though would obviously need to rent a room somewhere to do that.

We'd be looking to spend �130K max on a house if we went there (based on reduced earnings/increased commuting costs, inflation and potential interest rate rises, and last but not least, my OH having a child). At such a price point are we likely to be living amongst uncivilised human beings?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-24482841.html?premiumA=true

This is a nice house.

Thanks for the link - Agreed

At such a price point are we likely to be living amongst uncivilised human beings?

They are human beings and that is not a very nice thing to say.

They are human beings and that is not a very nice thing to say.

Sorry if that came across rather crassly. What I meant to infer by that statement is my desire to live amongst people who have the consciousness and awareness to show respect and consideration to others. Having lived in what could be classed as dodgy areas before, I have experienced what it is like to live amongst people who do not conform to what I described in my earlier statement.

I think it's a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. Yorkshire has many things going for it, but there's a lot more blatant racism and ethnic ghettos than London and even the Midlands. It is like living in an episode of Life on Mars at times. That has good points as well as bad ones, of course. I remember being shocked, for example, at how much more polite the kids up there generally were.

But in my experience, a poor area of London is a better place to live than a poor area of Yorkshire. A sink estate up North is basically inescapable and utterly hopeless, while in London you can walk a couple of streets or take a short bus journey and end up somewhere considerably nicer. There were people on my street in the suburbs of Leeds who were basically stuck there forever as they'd bought at the peak and there were no greater fools. Meanwhile, the area had deteriorated considerably over the subsequent years.

I liked Scarborough - but it did feel quite cut off. It is nicer and better kept than many old seaside towns though.

Edited by StainlessSteelCat, 02 February 2014 - 03:16 PM.

My sister and Brother in Law moved to Whitby a few years ago to open a caf�. Believe me, LIVING in these towns is very different to going on holiday there. There is a huge amount of poverty and many of the residents have some serious issues going on... poorly educated, drugs, alcoholism, criminal records for domestic violence etc.

Ok, so they were employing people at the bottom of the career ladder (waitresses, pot washers, "chefs" - I use that term loosely), but there were very few of them who were reliable workers.

Their experience has ruined my happy memories of family holidays to Whitby / Scarborough when I was younger.

I realise you would be moving there for slightly different reasons, but just a thought to consider....

Hello everyone,

I've been following this site for four years, slowly building up my deposit whilest feeling thoroughly disenfranchised about the the extent to which housing in this country has been commoditised and the market been fixed and manipulated .

Anyway to the point ;

My other half has been offered a job in Scarborough, North Yorks. I have relatives who live there and whenever I've been up to stay, I've been impressed by the picturesque scenery and the pace of life there, which is slow in comparison to what I'm used to. She is a nurse and I work in IT (in a role which pays reasonably well and offers decent prospects). The thought of partially leaving the rat race does appeal to me.

Housing is quite cheap there, though not as cheap as I'd expect for somewhere which offers little in terms of employment and transport links. I doubt that I'd be able to command a decent salary down there, though this would be partially off-set by more reasonable accommodation costs.

I'm a little concerned at the lack of opportunity there, and also the longer term economic outlook of the place. I suspect that a large part of the local economy is driven by retired boomers spending their retirements there, and that things may go down hill in the next 15-20 years when they start dieing off.

What are peoples' opinions of the place? Would I be jumping straight into a poverty trap by moving there?

(You're posting in the wrong board)

She'll get a job.
You won't.
Don;t expect to be employed.
If you're not a self starter and have ideas for making money then you'll hate it.

Geographically, Scabby is stunning.
It would be a lot nicer town if 50% of the population left.
Its a lot better than Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton.

Good places to live - near hospital, Scalby Road, Cloughton + Burniston.
Terrace houses in the centre can be very hit and miss depending on the street.

Despite what you may think, OAP are no longer retiring to the Seaside - in any meanigful number.

Very few houses are changing hands - see my post in the Yorkshire board.
Make an offer, a very low offer. You might be suprised.

My sister and Brother in Law moved to Whitby a few years ago to open a caf�. Believe me, LIVING in these towns is very different to going on holiday there. There is a huge amount of poverty and many of the residents have some serious issues going on... poorly educated, drugs, alcoholism, criminal records for domestic violence etc.

Ok, so they were employing people at the bottom of the career ladder (waitresses, pot washers, "chefs" - I use that term loosely), but there were very few of them who were reliable workers.

Their experience has ruined my happy memories of family holidays to Whitby / Scarborough when I was younger.

I realise you would be moving there for slightly different reasons, but just a thought to consider....

On one hand I agree with you. On the other hand I also agree with the people who've given you family the run-around.

I'll also go out on a limb and guess either the hatless heron, or a couple up flowergate.

Reliable worker? Is your sister a reliable employee i.e 2 quid on minimum wage, 40 hours week/48 weeks of the year.
Or do they just want to employ people for 12 weeks at minimum wage?

At such a price point are we likely to be living amongst uncivilised human beings?

Jesus.
Ponce.

If your max is 130k then p1ss off to middlesbrough.

Sorry if that came across rather crassly. What I meant to infer by that statement is my desire to live amongst people who have the consciousness and awareness to show respect and consideration to others. Having lived in what could be classed as dodgy areas before, I have experienced what it is like to live amongst people who do not conform to what I described in my earlier statement.

You are Brian Sewell and I claim my �5.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-24482841.html?premiumA=true

This is a nice house.

A dressed porbate.

Old lady furniture.
Sideboard with nothing in.
Conspicious flower vases.
Bathroom with no toothbrushes.