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Nice places to live in Birmingham?

Thora

Thora

Differently Ethical
Just that really - what areas are good for young families, decent schools? Also easy access to the city centre and to the university would be ideal.
 
Moseley / Kings Heath. Although Kings Heath is possibly slightly more of a pain to get to Birmingham uni with no car, but with a car it's no bother.
 
Some parts of Selly Oak (right where the uni is) are nice, but it's primarily a student area, so you have to pick carefully I think. Harborne is lovely, but fuck me it's expensive.
 
South Birmingham generally is nice, a surprising amount of parks, good schools. Kings Heath is probably the most Bristoly of the suburbs (from what I hear of Bristol), a bit alternative, cafes, although the high street is very normal with Poundland etc. Stirchley, where we live, is an odd place, run down, desperate for some money and development, but has a good community, including newcomers who are very committed to it. It's also close to the canal and the River Rea cycle route which are great for cycling to the Uni (canal goes directly there) and to town, and out of the city, if you're into cycling. There's a history of co-ops in the area and two have opened over the last year. I expect as it becomes more middle class it'll change but I think quite slowly as there's no money atm.
 
I'd go with Stirchley esp if you don't have a car. If you're looking to buy avoid Moseley. Selly Park is nice, the other side of Cannon Hill Park from Moseley but without inflated house prices but there's no local shops. Kings Heath is nice but I'm struggling to think how you'd get to uni on public transport.
 
baldrick said:
I'd go with Stirchley esp if you don't have a car. If you're looking to buy avoid Moseley. Selly Park is nice, the other side of Cannon Hill Park from Moseley but without inflated house prices but there's no local shops. Kings Heath is nice but I'm struggling to think how you'd get to uni on public transport.
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It'd be a pain. You'd have to get the 50 to Moseley, then get the 1 down to cricket ground, then you can either walk down the Bristol Road, or jump on one of the 60's.
 
From Moseley it's just the 1 and then the 15 minute walk down the Bristol Road / hop on the bus, which is fine. But I think the extra 10 or so mins on the 50 and all the waiting around would just make it infuriating. With a car, from KH it's easy, you can take the back roads and be at uni in 10 mins.
 
I think it's expensive for buying houses. To live its a fantastic place though. I rent so can't really comment on house prices and stuff.
 
Moseley is very expensive, big old houses. Kings Heath is getting expensive but has a mix of houses, some massive, some small late Victorian terraces.

ETA: there are some small terraces in Moseley aswell but they're expensive.
 
Kings heath seems to have quite a range of house prices, been doing some tentative research. The closer to the high street or Moseley the more expensive.
 
What I'm looking for is somewhere I can get a 3 bed for under £150k. Preferably a 3 bed plus office space.
 
Moseley is probably out then tbh, I had a look on zoopla and there are a few, but they're quite far out from the village, so there's not a lot going on that bit.

You might get something Kings Heath way, Stirchley probably a good bet.
 
The south and east side of kings heath would be ok for that but too far east and you start getting into billesley which isn't as nice. Moseley def out, more like 200k plus there.
 
King's Heath and Moseley are lovely. Sparkbrook, a bit further out, is nice too.

Check bus timetables if you're looking somewhere without a train station. I used to work at the university and the buses stopped running ridiculously early so I couldn't use them.

I'd focus on areas with train stations on the line from New Street to University and south. Somewhere like Longbridge might suit.

Rents are getting fairly pricey in Brum. It might be worth looking along the metro (tram) between Snow Hill and Wolverhampton. We ended up in West Bromwich; 14 minutes on the tram to Snow Hill, so just as 'close' to the city as most Brum suburbs, but a fair bit cheaper in rents.
 
There's a 1920s estate between Kings Heath and Stirchley where a lot of people we know have bought - 3 beds, large gardens, close enough to good schools. Some have extensions so you may get office space/conservatory. It's a popular and affordable place. You'd need to drive or cycle although it's walkable to Kings Heath.

Otherwise at that price you're looking at small victorian terraces of which there are loads in Birmingham. If people have moved the bathroom upstairs you'll get only 2 beds unless they've converted the loft. If you could get one with a loft conversion and downstairs loo then you may get office space too. They're small though.

You'd get a 3 bed in Stirchley for under that too but maybe not as much space. We bought a sixties house, which is a good size, but the garden is really small, and not much space for extensions upwards or out.
 
You could definitely get a 4 bed for that money in Longbridge and the train line goes to the uni. There's supermarkets and cinema in Rubery but it would be difficult without a car.
 
ymu said:
King's Heath and Moseley are lovely. Sparkbrook, a bit further out, is nice too.

Check bus timetables if you're looking somewhere without a train station. I used to work at the university and the buses stopped running ridiculously early so I couldn't use them.

I'd focus on areas with train stations on the line from New Street to University and south. Somewhere like Longbridge might suit.

Rents are getting fairly pricey in Brum. It might be worth looking along the metro (tram) between Snow Hill and Wolverhampton. We ended up in West Bromwich; 14 minutes on the tram to Snow Hill, so just as 'close' to the city as most Brum suburbs, but a fair bit cheaper in rents.
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How late were you trying to get a bus? :hmm:
 
ymu said:
Rents are getting fairly pricey in Brum. It might be worth looking along the metro (tram) between Snow Hill and Wolverhampton. We ended up in West Bromwich; 14 minutes on the tram to Snow Hill, so just as 'close' to the city as most Brum suburbs, but a fair bit cheaper in rents.
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If the uni wasn't a central part of the plan I'd have suggested Handsworth which is that side of the city but really too difficult to get to the university from there on public transport.
 
Thora said:
What's Erdington like?
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Bit grim.
baldrick said:
If the uni wasn't a central part of the plan I'd have suggested Handsworth which is that side of the city but really too difficult to get to the university from there on public transport.
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Yep. I think the tram is the only way to get away from either the central suburbs or the train line heading south. It makes places like Smethwick, West Bromwich and Wednesbury doable.
purenarcotic said:
How late were you trying to get a bus? :hmm:
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After 6pm.
 
ymu said:
Bit grim.
Yep. I think the tram is the only way to get away from either the city centre or the train line heading south. It makes places like Smethwick, West Bromwich and Wednesbury doable.
After 6pm.
Click to expand...

Was this a while back or summant? Travel west midlands is proper shite, but I think it's a bit better for buses now. :D
 
I'm not saying they all stopped after 6pm. Just the one that got me home from work. It's more variable when the route doesn't start or stop in the city centre.
 
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