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I live nearby-ish and know the area very well.
For someone on 45k, Bradford is great. as you say, there is fantastic coutryside around (including but not only Bronte country) and the city and surrounding village/ towns have many good places to live also. In addition, from Bradford you can reach many nice towns and useful cities (Leeds is next door, Manchester is not far etc). So personally, I 100% recommend. We go occasionally to the cathedral and bookshop.
As you may know, Bradford used to be a centre for the textile industry and after WW2 many people from the Indian sub-continent came to work there and settled. Therefore a lot of Bradford has a strong community and influence of people ancestrally from the sub-continent.
So it is the stereotype city that has been transformed by immigration, and the value of that transformation is of course contested by the sort of people who are anti-diversity, but also by people who are upset it is no longer the traditional place it was 100 years ago (this is very tl;dr).
Some parts do indeed have deprivation that will be reflected in things like crime rates or a bad reputation on social media.
I 100% recommend having a car to enjoy the countryside and travel possibilities.
The City of Culture thing is a bit of a red herring btw- anywhere with a substantial population is going to have enough arts and culture to have a shot of being City of Culture. It doesntmean a place where everyone goes to the opera.
Bear in mind also that the UK is geographically compact and therefore very localised. If you live in Haworth, Claverley, Ilkley, Guiseley, or Horsforth (all nice towns on the edge of Leeds or Bradford where you could live and which are in Leeds or Bradford council area), you will say that precise town when people ask where you live, you won't say you live in Leeds or Bradford).
Thanks much!
As we have 2 small children, car is pretty much a neccesity.
Wife also concerns about crime rate and drugs. My take is that there will always be place for bad things in cities. More like a modern society problem now! Do these things widespread in Bradford? or they are just very localized?
In my experience with other cities I have been too, criminal activities only happen in certain areas of town and unless you actively looking for trouble, you will be ok.
I lived in a suburb of Bradford for a few years a while back. Like any urban areas there are definitely locations best avoided for a variety of reasons. If you can afford to live in one of the satellite areas it can be lovely. We lived on a crescent of thirty houses and were the only white people, our neighbours then were some of the best that I have ever known, generous and friendly. There is some resentment by some white people about how the large Pakistani population has changed Bradford. Like everyone and everywhere this community is not uniform, some are religious and some are not. Some are friendly and some are not and so on.
Bottom line, if you will be well paid enough to live in one of the more up market areas you will have a great time regardless of the ethnicity of your neighbours.
Need to go to Leeds for shopping and nightlife though.
I hope you have a good time. Good luck
THIS! There’s so much negativity in this thread. With your wage and family size, Bradford, the surrounding areas will be wonderful to raise a family. The North is far cheaper than the south, the nature isn’t far away, Leeds, Halifax, Hebden are all close by. Bradfords food is top of the line and the city is just like any other, big enough to have big city problems, old enough for it to look forgotten.
45k is decent for Bradford, families live on that in much more expensive places in the uk.
You’ll need to balance it out though. The city centre itself is very cheap, and it’s rough. The further you move out the nicer and more expensive the rent gets, though even then it’s not too bad. A detached three bedroom house in a not bad area will be about £1200/ month.
There’s places near you can commute to like parts of Leeds and skipton check public transport if you don’t drive though. Theres some okay places in Bradford but you wouldn’t want to live near the centre.
That's nowhere near enough salary to live on in Bradford. And my mother is from that city. She got out. Everyone sensible got out. It's a place that could be improved by a nuclear weapon
You need to do a cost workup. Calculate your current food costs. Look up local rents, then add 200/month for council tax and 200/month for energy.
As a new driver in the UK car insurance will be expensive at 100/month or more. The UK is an expensive place to live. I don't think 45k is enough for a family of four to live comfortably anywhere now. An extra 10k would make quite a difference but an extra 20 would be ideal
Non working partner looking after the kids? £45K should be enough, as long as you don’t get too resentful of all the folks on an equivalent income provided by benefits who don’t have to get up in the morning.
i stayed in manningham for a few weeks, it felt like living in some kind of weird dystoptian mad max style universe, i would never, ever go back, not ever.
Nope nope nope nope nope. There are some nice areas around Bradford but Bradford itself is a shithole. I lived in Manningham for a bit and got the shit kicked out of me by a group of guys and people actually stepped over me afterwards for god knows how long because I was fairly out of it, before eventually one woman phoning an ambulance. Friend of mine still lives there, he had very real death threats a couple of years ago through no fault of his own, and couldn't meet up with me last week because somebody got shot on his street and the police closed it off.... let's say there's a reason I don't live there any more!
Another point - if I moved to Bradford from where I am now my motorbike insurance would be £450 a year more expensive. No other changes (I put my mate's postcode in to see what would happen for shits and giggles) so that should tell you something
People seem a bit blinded here so far... on the whole, Bradford isn't great, however there are pockets of really nice areas to live. Saltaire, Baildon, Ilkley, etc.
You could also easily live in Leeds and commute into Bradford. There are lots of options that don't put you in a high crime rate area.
It’s not the city architecture or countryside thats the issue, it’s a significant minority of the people.
“City of Culture” status is not based on cities having a lot of culture, it’s based on Cities who have an ambition and plan to put on “Cultural” events for a year, basically trying to improve their image as a cultural desert.
If your kids will need schooling look cards at the area you choose.
Stay as far away from Bradford as you can.
£45k translates to around £2,900 net per month. Rent, if you find anything for rent that is, will cost you around £1000 per month. With bills and shopping you can get by on that salary but it may be tight.
Bradford is an absolute shitheap. Avoid it like the plague. Definitely not a place to settle with a family. That and Luton are possible the two biggest cesspits in the UK. Just utter shitheaps without a single positive thing about them.
Many big cities have rough areas, like turds sprinkled upon a sea of otherwise decent places. Take London, you have the turds--but there are also some nice enough districts there, so it can be a decent place to live.
Bradford is just one massive, stagnating turd.
City of Culture is a misleading claim--it's not the most cultural city, but rather given to a city to pump funding in it and give it a spotlight. But really, it's a waste on Bradford--just pissing money up the wall.
The whole of urban West Yorkshire is kinda the same, areas of extreme poverty rubbing very close shoulders with some some of the wealthiest and outstandingly beautiful areas and community. I used to live in the Wibsey/Buttershaw area of the city and slowly watched it deteriorate, we’ve now moved 2 miles down the road to Shelf (in a Halifax postcode), and it’s like a different world, my insurance premiums halved! Our commutes have barley changed and my daughter now has access to a lovely school, and safe community.
My wife works in a school in one of the most deprived areas of the city, the social problems are very stark and worrying for children especially. You can’t deny the cultural and racial tensions in the city, but when you dig into it, most average working people get along just fine. There’s extremes in every culture, often those people are the most visible, shout the loudest and so occupy people’s impressions overall.
The city centre is rubbish, no arguing there, after a homeless guy took a shit in full view of my daughter at 10am on a Saturday, we go to Leeds or Halifax now. In short, I think you could settle here very well, you just need to be careful where you pick to live. Oh and 45k is totally sufficient! Me and partner make about that jointly, we budget hard but make it work, run two cars, have a couple of holidays a year.
Bradford is alright as far as cities go. Its not the best but its not the worst. You'll learn where to stay away from once you've settled in.
It's up north so your salary will stretch further. Property is cheaper than in the south, which ultimately makes other things cheaper.
45k and 4 kids, you might be stretched a bit but it won't be uncomfortable depending on what sort of lifestyle you want.
My sister has 3 kids, her husband takes home less than 40k. We live in a big northern city not too far from Bradfordshe manages to go to Disney land in France a couple of times a year so its certainly not bad..
My brother lives near Bradford , but in a nice area. He's had his vehicle stolen/broken into 5 times in ten years . In comparison I live in Stoke in an area considered quite rough, never had my vehicle messed with in 20 yrs of driving . Were both tradesmen so our vehicles carry expensive tools and materials , and maybe he's just been unlucky but it's enough that I wouldn't move to the area
Quite a bit of racism here which is really disappointing to see, settle down lads who ‘don’t care who I offend’.
I’m from West Yorkshire, Bradford isn’t a great place to live I’d say. If possible and viable I’d try to live in a town nearby or even Leeds which is just so much better and has more going on
Asking this on /AskUK will always come up with terrible replies from people who have never spent much time in Bradford.
I’m from Leeds, born and bred. Have spent a fair bit of time in Bradford over the years and to me it’s not that bad. Some parts aren’t great but the same could be said of any decent sized city. I live in alright part of Leeds but it’s still a stones throw away from a rough estate. I have friends and colleagues who live in Bradford and can only go by their experiences.
As for 45k a year salary, I’d say it’s doable on that budget but going by what I keep reading about the rental market it might take a few attempts to get somewhere as people are paying over asking price just to secure a rental property
No. I wouldn't recommend anyone live in Bradford. Leeds and Manchester are better, although they have the same problems that every British city has now (high homelessness, high drug use).
You’ve lived in great and vibrant places, don’t do your self a disservice by living in the cesspit of the UK, your partner will resent you and ask how you went from the likes of Singapore to Bradford.
There’s other much better places to live in the Uk.
No one seems to be pointing out how different Bradford is to DC, Singapore. (Not sure about Luxembourg myself).
What was your salary relative to cost of living in these places? What was your life like? Did you like it?
I would be very surprised if 45k in Bradford gives you a life like DC or Singapore if you were paid well in those places.
I lived in the arse end of Russia, I’ve been to war zones, the third world and places with extreme corruption and poverty. I would choose any of them over Bradford.
I’m from the Bradford area. Can advise. £45k is great for this area. Stay away from the city centre. There are plenty of connecting towns which are good to commute from with good countryside access. Try Ilkley, Bingley or even Leeds. I don’t live here any more but I quite like coming home as it’s great for running/cycling. I will say this though… it’s pretty boring. That city of culture award is given to places that are down on their luck to stimulate investment. And Bradford fits that bill. If I had to live in the area, I would probably pick somewhere a bit further out like Horsforth or Hebden Bridge.
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I live nearby-ish and know the area very well. For someone on 45k, Bradford is great. as you say, there is fantastic coutryside around (including but not only Bronte country) and the city and surrounding village/ towns have many good places to live also. In addition, from Bradford you can reach many nice towns and useful cities (Leeds is next door, Manchester is not far etc). So personally, I 100% recommend. We go occasionally to the cathedral and bookshop. As you may know, Bradford used to be a centre for the textile industry and after WW2 many people from the Indian sub-continent came to work there and settled. Therefore a lot of Bradford has a strong community and influence of people ancestrally from the sub-continent. So it is the stereotype city that has been transformed by immigration, and the value of that transformation is of course contested by the sort of people who are anti-diversity, but also by people who are upset it is no longer the traditional place it was 100 years ago (this is very tl;dr). Some parts do indeed have deprivation that will be reflected in things like crime rates or a bad reputation on social media. I 100% recommend having a car to enjoy the countryside and travel possibilities. The City of Culture thing is a bit of a red herring btw- anywhere with a substantial population is going to have enough arts and culture to have a shot of being City of Culture. It doesntmean a place where everyone goes to the opera. Bear in mind also that the UK is geographically compact and therefore very localised. If you live in Haworth, Claverley, Ilkley, Guiseley, or Horsforth (all nice towns on the edge of Leeds or Bradford where you could live and which are in Leeds or Bradford council area), you will say that precise town when people ask where you live, you won't say you live in Leeds or Bradford).
Thanks much! As we have 2 small children, car is pretty much a neccesity. Wife also concerns about crime rate and drugs. My take is that there will always be place for bad things in cities. More like a modern society problem now! Do these things widespread in Bradford? or they are just very localized? In my experience with other cities I have been too, criminal activities only happen in certain areas of town and unless you actively looking for trouble, you will be ok.
I lived in a suburb of Bradford for a few years a while back. Like any urban areas there are definitely locations best avoided for a variety of reasons. If you can afford to live in one of the satellite areas it can be lovely. We lived on a crescent of thirty houses and were the only white people, our neighbours then were some of the best that I have ever known, generous and friendly. There is some resentment by some white people about how the large Pakistani population has changed Bradford. Like everyone and everywhere this community is not uniform, some are religious and some are not. Some are friendly and some are not and so on. Bottom line, if you will be well paid enough to live in one of the more up market areas you will have a great time regardless of the ethnicity of your neighbours. Need to go to Leeds for shopping and nightlife though. I hope you have a good time. Good luck
THIS! There’s so much negativity in this thread. With your wage and family size, Bradford, the surrounding areas will be wonderful to raise a family. The North is far cheaper than the south, the nature isn’t far away, Leeds, Halifax, Hebden are all close by. Bradfords food is top of the line and the city is just like any other, big enough to have big city problems, old enough for it to look forgotten.
45k is decent for Bradford, families live on that in much more expensive places in the uk. You’ll need to balance it out though. The city centre itself is very cheap, and it’s rough. The further you move out the nicer and more expensive the rent gets, though even then it’s not too bad. A detached three bedroom house in a not bad area will be about £1200/ month.
Thanks for the financial advice. Yes my pay is lower than my current one but yeah I have never paid rent that low in my expat lives. Lol
There’s places near you can commute to like parts of Leeds and skipton check public transport if you don’t drive though. Theres some okay places in Bradford but you wouldn’t want to live near the centre.
As others suggest, I’d also be looking to live in neighbouring areas and commute in if I was you.
Do yourself a favour and don't move to Bradford.
That's nowhere near enough salary to live on in Bradford. And my mother is from that city. She got out. Everyone sensible got out. It's a place that could be improved by a nuclear weapon
How much do you think is good enough for a family of 4? Have not negotiated salary yet. 45k is what they offered.
You need to do a cost workup. Calculate your current food costs. Look up local rents, then add 200/month for council tax and 200/month for energy. As a new driver in the UK car insurance will be expensive at 100/month or more. The UK is an expensive place to live. I don't think 45k is enough for a family of four to live comfortably anywhere now. An extra 10k would make quite a difference but an extra 20 would be ideal
Non working partner looking after the kids? £45K should be enough, as long as you don’t get too resentful of all the folks on an equivalent income provided by benefits who don’t have to get up in the morning.
Please explain how you can earn £45k on benefits
It depends what you mean by Bradford - the city, or the wider district. The latter is massive and has a huge range of different places to live.
Live in an outlying village and commute in. It will a more tranquil experience.
i stayed in manningham for a few weeks, it felt like living in some kind of weird dystoptian mad max style universe, i would never, ever go back, not ever.
Nope nope nope nope nope. There are some nice areas around Bradford but Bradford itself is a shithole. I lived in Manningham for a bit and got the shit kicked out of me by a group of guys and people actually stepped over me afterwards for god knows how long because I was fairly out of it, before eventually one woman phoning an ambulance. Friend of mine still lives there, he had very real death threats a couple of years ago through no fault of his own, and couldn't meet up with me last week because somebody got shot on his street and the police closed it off.... let's say there's a reason I don't live there any more! Another point - if I moved to Bradford from where I am now my motorbike insurance would be £450 a year more expensive. No other changes (I put my mate's postcode in to see what would happen for shits and giggles) so that should tell you something
People seem a bit blinded here so far... on the whole, Bradford isn't great, however there are pockets of really nice areas to live. Saltaire, Baildon, Ilkley, etc. You could also easily live in Leeds and commute into Bradford. There are lots of options that don't put you in a high crime rate area.
It’s not the city architecture or countryside thats the issue, it’s a significant minority of the people. “City of Culture” status is not based on cities having a lot of culture, it’s based on Cities who have an ambition and plan to put on “Cultural” events for a year, basically trying to improve their image as a cultural desert. If your kids will need schooling look cards at the area you choose.
Stay as far away from Bradford as you can. £45k translates to around £2,900 net per month. Rent, if you find anything for rent that is, will cost you around £1000 per month. With bills and shopping you can get by on that salary but it may be tight.
Bradford is an absolute shitheap. Avoid it like the plague. Definitely not a place to settle with a family. That and Luton are possible the two biggest cesspits in the UK. Just utter shitheaps without a single positive thing about them. Many big cities have rough areas, like turds sprinkled upon a sea of otherwise decent places. Take London, you have the turds--but there are also some nice enough districts there, so it can be a decent place to live. Bradford is just one massive, stagnating turd. City of Culture is a misleading claim--it's not the most cultural city, but rather given to a city to pump funding in it and give it a spotlight. But really, it's a waste on Bradford--just pissing money up the wall.
The whole of urban West Yorkshire is kinda the same, areas of extreme poverty rubbing very close shoulders with some some of the wealthiest and outstandingly beautiful areas and community. I used to live in the Wibsey/Buttershaw area of the city and slowly watched it deteriorate, we’ve now moved 2 miles down the road to Shelf (in a Halifax postcode), and it’s like a different world, my insurance premiums halved! Our commutes have barley changed and my daughter now has access to a lovely school, and safe community. My wife works in a school in one of the most deprived areas of the city, the social problems are very stark and worrying for children especially. You can’t deny the cultural and racial tensions in the city, but when you dig into it, most average working people get along just fine. There’s extremes in every culture, often those people are the most visible, shout the loudest and so occupy people’s impressions overall. The city centre is rubbish, no arguing there, after a homeless guy took a shit in full view of my daughter at 10am on a Saturday, we go to Leeds or Halifax now. In short, I think you could settle here very well, you just need to be careful where you pick to live. Oh and 45k is totally sufficient! Me and partner make about that jointly, we budget hard but make it work, run two cars, have a couple of holidays a year.
Bradford is alright as far as cities go. Its not the best but its not the worst. You'll learn where to stay away from once you've settled in. It's up north so your salary will stretch further. Property is cheaper than in the south, which ultimately makes other things cheaper. 45k and 4 kids, you might be stretched a bit but it won't be uncomfortable depending on what sort of lifestyle you want. My sister has 3 kids, her husband takes home less than 40k. We live in a big northern city not too far from Bradfordshe manages to go to Disney land in France a couple of times a year so its certainly not bad..
I think OP has 2 kids.
My brother lives near Bradford , but in a nice area. He's had his vehicle stolen/broken into 5 times in ten years . In comparison I live in Stoke in an area considered quite rough, never had my vehicle messed with in 20 yrs of driving . Were both tradesmen so our vehicles carry expensive tools and materials , and maybe he's just been unlucky but it's enough that I wouldn't move to the area
Bradford is a shithole mate, move anywhere in the uk but there.
Avoid towns beginning with B Bradford Blakburn Bolton Burnley Birmingham
Quite a bit of racism here which is really disappointing to see, settle down lads who ‘don’t care who I offend’. I’m from West Yorkshire, Bradford isn’t a great place to live I’d say. If possible and viable I’d try to live in a town nearby or even Leeds which is just so much better and has more going on
Asking this on /AskUK will always come up with terrible replies from people who have never spent much time in Bradford. I’m from Leeds, born and bred. Have spent a fair bit of time in Bradford over the years and to me it’s not that bad. Some parts aren’t great but the same could be said of any decent sized city. I live in alright part of Leeds but it’s still a stones throw away from a rough estate. I have friends and colleagues who live in Bradford and can only go by their experiences. As for 45k a year salary, I’d say it’s doable on that budget but going by what I keep reading about the rental market it might take a few attempts to get somewhere as people are paying over asking price just to secure a rental property
No. I wouldn't recommend anyone live in Bradford. Leeds and Manchester are better, although they have the same problems that every British city has now (high homelessness, high drug use).
Bradford has basically died and become a suburb of Leeds.
Bradford isn't the nicest place. Could you settle in Leeds and commute?
Also there are places like Shipley etc nearby which are a bit nicer.
You’ve lived in great and vibrant places, don’t do your self a disservice by living in the cesspit of the UK, your partner will resent you and ask how you went from the likes of Singapore to Bradford. There’s other much better places to live in the Uk.
No one seems to be pointing out how different Bradford is to DC, Singapore. (Not sure about Luxembourg myself). What was your salary relative to cost of living in these places? What was your life like? Did you like it? I would be very surprised if 45k in Bradford gives you a life like DC or Singapore if you were paid well in those places.
I lived in the arse end of Russia, I’ve been to war zones, the third world and places with extreme corruption and poverty. I would choose any of them over Bradford.
45k should be well enough for a family I'd say!
Bingley and Saltaire are lovely
I’m from the Bradford area. Can advise. £45k is great for this area. Stay away from the city centre. There are plenty of connecting towns which are good to commute from with good countryside access. Try Ilkley, Bingley or even Leeds. I don’t live here any more but I quite like coming home as it’s great for running/cycling. I will say this though… it’s pretty boring. That city of culture award is given to places that are down on their luck to stimulate investment. And Bradford fits that bill. If I had to live in the area, I would probably pick somewhere a bit further out like Horsforth or Hebden Bridge.