Considering moving to Newcastle-upon-Tyne?

Question

In the next few months I will be having to move from where I am currently based in the Midlands to somewhere else... I recently struck up a friendship with an old mate and there have been hints that a move to newcastle would be a good idea.

Now this is what I want to know - what is the city and place like these days, I know its come a long way and is very developed but hows the job market - I would be looking for a pt supplemental income, as I work for myself - but like the security of a wage.

How expensive is it? what would I be looking to pay for a flat, in a decent lively area? How much is a pint?? Is it still dodgy at night time, does it still have a fighting reputation?

what are the nice areas to commute from into the city? just general info really... like to know it from horses mouth as it were rather than some website?

Answer 1

evryone is really friendly, honest you would really like it here!  We have a big town centre where theyere are lots of high street and designer shops, and we have some of the best schools in england!  Jesmond is probably one of the most desirable places to live, although it is quite expensive because it is right next to the river tyne (quayside).  But also Gosforth is very nice and there is a metro station that goes straight to town for just £1.  And we do NOT have a rubbish football team!

Answer 2

the football team is rubbish

Answer 3

The city is great, and i'm not just saying that because I live there. It's easy to get to anywhere you want to go, there's loads of places to go from Newcastle easily - like the beach, shopping, clubbing, the countryside - whatever you want is in reach basically.

I'd say Newcastle is averagely priced, but it depends where you're looking at. If you want trendy, upper priced living you should look at the Quayside - the place to be. There are flats there near the Baltic or Spillers Wharf which are quite exclusive. Otherwise good places to live would be Gosforth or Jesmond. They are both safe, trendy and quite exclusive areas but you can get  good priced accomodation if you look around - obviously there are the cheaper areas. In Gosforth i'd reccomend Kenton as it's not the most expensive area but it's a good location. If you're younger however, I'd say Jesmond was better as that is a more lively place. Osborne road is often visited on a night out (though it's more classy rather than rowdy).

I don't think Newcastle is particularly dodgy at night times, I feel safe everywhere really, though if you're worried about that then avoid china town and the west end. Generally, theres usually always people about, so you're pretty safe.

Areas to commute from - Gosforth.

Answer 4

i live there just email me and i will give you my msn or just email you to tell you all about it and if you dont believe me then check my profile

Answer 5

You're wrong maca..... they're not that good!

Answer 6

The job situation is better in Newcastle than in other parts of the north east, but it's still way behind the likes of Manchester and of course London/South East. I'm not sure how it compares with the Midlands.

Now if you just want part time, min wage work you should have no problem, but any sort of highly paid or secure job will be hard to find unless you have specialised skills. A search of the job websites should give you a clue as to what to expect.

As for what the place is like, well it has good and bad areas like any other city, really. The city centre is very nice, as are the northern suburbs like Gosforth and Jesmond, but the East End and especially West End can be a bit rough. Jesmond is trendy and popular with students, and has lots of nice restaurants and bars, whereas Gosforth is more of an "old man's" suburb with less going on.

Areas of North Tyneside like Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, Shiremoor, Benton can be nice places to live, whereas Longbenton, North Shields, Howdon, Wallsend can be a little rougher but still OK. Certain areas like Meadow Well in North Shields should be avoided completely. All of these areas are linked to Newcastle city centre by the Metro - the journey time is typically 15-20 minutes or less, and an annual pass for the Metro only costs something like £400-£450.

Don't try to drive into the city centre, unless you're a m*******t or your employer provides a parking space for you. The Metro is fast, cheap and convenient, and even the buses are not too bad here.

Parts of the city centre are dodgy on a night time at weekends, but this hasn't really changed in decades.

Rental costs vary hugely, though as with most northern cities there's a HUGE surplus of city centre new-build flats (supply massively exceeds demand) so you should be able to negotiate a really good rent on one of these. Don't pay £700 or whatever ridiculous rent the letting agent is asking for it. Newcastle is not a rich place and I reckon if you're paying more than £500 a month for anything with less than 3 bedrooms, you're paying far too much.