Where I live

I too live in a small seaside town on the coast road with the sea opposite our row of eclectic houses including a pair of Edwardian houses two pairs of 1950's semis one of which is ours, a bungalow, a rather ugly 1970's house and a fairly new terrace of town houses. We are very friendly with our neighbours either side and say good morning to others in the row. Beyond that is a small caravan park, one of many in the area both large and small, then 2 miles of open road to the next village.
The High St. is a 20min walk but sadly these days not worth visiting. Our nearest large town is a 20min drive on a good day !
They are building more and more housing estates on what were very pleasant green areas but there is not the infrastructure. In the summer the area can often be grid locked with people coming to their caravans or just day trippers to the beach.
I've lived here all my life and it's great apart from the traffic. We do have a good community spirit.

I live right on the outskirts of a large town in the East Midlands, once well known for our shoe making. In fact James Bond wears a pair of our shoes!

Where I live was once a separate village, but over time has become part of the town. However it still has a village atmosphere, and it is difficult to go out and not see someone I know. Especially as I have taught at two of the local schools.

We have a very old village centre with independent shops, a bank, opticians, doctors surgery, bakery and a church dating back to the 12th century, and a modern church in the newer part of the village. Because the village is spread over a wide area there are four primary schools and a large secondary school. Several new estates have been built over the years.

My house is in a quiet small close, built nearly thirty years ago, on the site of an old quarry. We bought the house from new, and there are still four of the original buyers here, so I know my neighbours well! I can be in open countryside in less than 5 minutes, but am lucky enough to have a bus stop 100 yards from my front door. The nearest large supermarket is just a 10 minute bus ride away, but there are two or three smaller ones much nearer.

There is plenty to do in the area with good walks on my doorstep, and lots of different activities, including yoga, book club, craft groups, and a gym. I don't often go into the main town centre especially since the pandemic. Like many others it has lost a lot of its shops including M&S, BHS and Debenhams, but there are still a few good independent ones. We used to have a thriving market, but it is now half the size it used to be.

I can't see myself moving anywhere else; I have good friends and neighbours and family live nearby.

I’ll give you a clue to where I live: the longest pier in the world.
We might not have the best beaches but I can get to the airport ( if I wanted) in 15 mins but can also get to London in under an hour.
Obviously a very diverse population and that goes with the choice of food in restaurants and food shops. Our Chinese supermarket is amazing.
Retail shopping is rubbish but that doesn’t worry me.
We have always had a very lively live music community within the pubs and clubs.
I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

I live in an industrialised town which grew from mining and shipbuilding. However Northumberland has the most beautiful countryside not more than 20 mins away, we have castles, unspoiled beaches, ancient woodland and lovely small towns with independent shops. My own street is semi detached council and ex council houses. I've lived in this area all my life so I know people, their parents and grandparents. Most people keep themselves to themselves, my neighbour on one side works away during the day, the other side are retired and I never see them. I'm lucky that I've got a supermarket within walking distance and good bus links, should I need one. We are also getting our train sevice back after being closed since the sixties. Not a bad place to live at all

JaneJudge

Blinko, you know they have built a designer outlet village off the M6 toll too? also you know there is a poem about the Earl and the end of the industry? IT'S HERE

I recognise a lot of descriptions off this thread as we have moved around a lot. I live in the middle of nowhere

Thanks for the link, JJ

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202111/medium-16767-bridge.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202111/medium-150526-7-1.png

These 2 pics demonstrate the difference between then and now outside our house, except that the recent pic doesn`t show all the cars

Like agnurse, I am in western Canada, but on the north coast of BC. The town has a population of around 12,000, and the nearest town is 140 km away, so we are quite self sufficient. We are surrounded by the ocean and coastal rainforest, and yes, we do get a lot of rain.

My street overlooks the harbour, which is major hub for imports and exports with cargo ships. This was once known as a fishing and canning town, with many people working in the industry. Unfortunately the fishing industry is now very small, supporting only a small portion of the local population. The main industry is the container port, grain elevator and coal exporting facility. It is very much a working/transportation hub, but we do have access to pristine forest and coastal waters.

Our street is mainly 70's era housing, most quite plain, but multi-storied to take advantage of the harbour views. There is the odd craftsman-style of house built in the early 1900's, and most houses are made with wood. I believe there are only 5 houses in town made with brick.

We have a good local bus system, and it takes me only 15 minutes to walk to downtown. A lot of shops have closed over the last 20 years like so many small towns everywhere, so on-line shopping makes up for any shortfalls, but most basics can be purchased here.

We have a wonderful community, with many clubs and organizations, and live in a nice neighbourhood where we know almost everyone. Sometimes I long for a larger community and not to be so isolated, but we are able to take our vacations to get a taste of city life if needed.

It has been modernised somewhat since dad sold it…

We live in a large post industrial northern city - recently named the greenest in the country. We certainly have more than our fair share of wonderful green spaces. We used to live in a suburb four miles from the city centre, but moved about eleven years ago to an estate of modern houses on the edge of the city. We belong to one county, but if we fell out of bed and rolled a few yards down the road, we would be in another!? Rather than “little boxes on a hillside” the houses here are all different in size and in design, and it’s a very pleasant place to live with a good mix of age groups. Our immediate neighbours are a lovely young couple with small children, other neighbours have school age children and there are retired couples like ourselves. Transport links into the city are very good, with both tram and bus having frequent services. It used to be a coal mining area but there is little evidence of that now apart from odd bits of preserved industrial architecture, like the old winding engine house deep in a local woods which is in the process of being restored.

Our estate was built on land that was once a farm, and many of the old fruit trees have been retained as part of the landscaping. We are, in fact, surrounded by farms and arable land so we enjoy seeing the farming year go round; wooded valleys, with miles of walks from the front door (I said I wouldn’t move to anywhere we couldn’t find a good walk without taking the car out), and a lovely country park, also built on a former mining site, with lots of wildlife, and activities available for energetic types! The next village to us has a Norman church that was dedicated in 1100 AD. It has a wonderful original Norman arched door. Perhaps I ought to stop marvelling at the outside and get to know more about what goes on in the inside!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202111/medium-250545-62da7b93-f05d-4c7a-b2bd-03b95b75290e.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202111/medium-690619-d15058df-27bf-4e5d-8b49-1a29f983b08d.jpeg

Not where I live now but only about 30 miles away. The house was a six bedroomed guesthouse in the summer and me and my brother slept in garden sheds, literally! My dad sold that house in the late 60s for £6000, the beach is where myself and my brother used to go every day in the summer, jumped over the wall from the house ran down the fields and spent glorious summer days on that beach. It’s where I’m being scattered ?

Great thread, I love hearing where everyone lives.
agnurse Canada sounds fantastic, I've always wanted to go there
Luckygirl so pleased you are happy in your new home, you have been through such difficult times.

I live in a small pretty village in SW France, no other English people here permanently. We have great neighbours always ready to help. It's very quiet, no public transport and very little traffic apart from tractors. The commune keeps the area clean and tidy, everyone has animals chickens, horses, sheep, dogs etc it's a delight to be here. Just a niggling concern about what will happen if we are unable to drive.

I live 15 minutes from that designer outlet janejudge,tbh,it`s not that great.imo.

What an interesting thread but I am beginning to feel like a stalker.
Am trying to work out if I live very close to one of the posters!
Well I know I do but haven’t worked out if she is east or west.

We live in Yorkshire in a Victorian house that’s part of a conservation area a 15 minute walk from the City centre.

We have a beautiful walled garden that’s private, the house is full of original features and is over 3 floors.

We are in two minds wether to stay or sell and move closer to the Yorkshire Dales where we have a holiday let, the thought of another move is daunting.

Terraced house small village in Scotland

We live in a modern house in a medium sized village.
Semi rural and on the edge of a forest, that was extremely well visited from far and wide during the lockdowns.

The village's claim to fame was that it was once for a very short time the Capital of England.
We have a Norman Church a which has arrow sharpening marks on its outer walls.
The church is what you see first from most directions as you enter the village.
It looks lovely when lit up at night.

Our road is quite long, but because of an odd layout there is only 6 houses in our little bit.
Our neighbours are lovely.

We live a hop step and a jump from a picturesque canal and not far from the river.

On the canal we have a lovely Swan family and a whole host of water birds both on the canal and the river.
We have a large Wednesday and Saturday Market and once a month farmers market.
We don't have a livestock Market now, so longer see people getting on the train at our little station clutching Carriers with live chickens.
However we do still have auctions at the market and have featured on several antique programmes.

In spring we are visited by Mr and Mrs Duck who seem to enjoy snoozing under our Cherrytree.
We also have a partridge that I think is in hiding from the local shoot.

I know that I am not alone, when I say that we are so lucky to live here (21 years),
The same is often said by others on our village facebook.
Along with beautiful photos.

What I am most proud of his how the villagers came together during the pandemic.
Our Methodist minister was truly wonderful opening up the Church Hall for sewing machines and the machinists to make PPE and masks .
Organising food and medicine deliveries.
And does countless other things to help anyone in our village and surrounding villages.
She is one inspirational lady who is still providing help where needed.

I could go on but don't want to jinx it

I live in Greater London, it ok, I live in a long road of 1930's terraced and semi houses. It has no nice views, and is typically Suburban. We are near a Park, a School, and we have good transport links. I have local shops and towns nearby.
It's a bit soulless in my opinion but suits all my needs. I can be in Central London by train in 30 minutes, the coast in a hour. I drive and have motorways nearby.

We lived in a nearby village for 25 or so years then upped sticks to France for three years, came back and bought this semi derelict old farmhouse four years ago, now a well insulated, warm and spacious property. Only a few miles from where we were so we know almost everybody. We are not so involved in village life now we’re out in the sticks.
Just mix with old friends in each others homes or gardens.
Have half of our family nearby and pre covid had lots of friends from far corners of the earth to stay.
We have a good sized garden with trees that grow straight up, very unusual for Anglesey, thanks to the care of previous generations.
We recently acquired a neighbour who purchased the even more derelict house next door. She’s very nice, has a huge amount of work for a single person.
We’re a mile from the beach, the terrain is slightly hummocky so nice for walks. Surrounded by sheep and cattle, a few horses here and there.
We’re now closer to another village with a pub but we haven’t tried it out yet.
We’re only about 5 miles to decent shops and 6 or 7 in either direction to a touristy beach with lots of restaurants and cafes.
We can see the sea from our windows and at night the twinkling lights of Holyhead and the ferries crossing to Ireland.
There is a bus passing twice daily but again we haven’t tried it out.
While we’re fit and healthy we may stay a while longer and enjoy ourselves here but on the other hand the idea of a lock up and leave type of flat and a bolt hole in the sun has been discussed recently.
I’ve enjoyed a little peep in to other lives. Especially city life which I haven’t experienced for many years.

We moved here about 8 years ago, for various reasons, and chose carefully. We downsized from a 5 to a 3 bedroomed house, though there is a downstairs room with loo and shower which could become a bedroom if required. Two of our bedrooms are our studies.
It is an 8 minute walk to the town centre, 10 minutes back as it is slightly uphill, so I may catch the bus if I have shopping to carry. The town has an independent Greengrocer, butcher, baker, handyman shop, small department store, two small supermarkets in the centre and two on the edges, plus a couple of convenience stores, weekly market and monthly farmers’ market, post office, library, health centre, two chemists, card shops, dry cleaners, gift shops, endless hairdressers, nail bars, coffee shops and eateries. The banks have all closed. Parking can be tricky as people drive in from housing estates and nearby villages.
Transport links are excellent. Buses every 10 or 15 minutes into the city, train to the city or to another larger town on the East Coast main line. Easy 20 minute drive to two major national routes. And only 10 minutes to my daughter. A long way from the coast, but some lovely countryside around.

In many ways it is a good community, lots of clubs and organisations, leisure centre and a new one being built. A group of helpers did a sterling job during the pandemic and one lady still carries on organising various trails for families ( scarecrow, Halloween etc) The health centre is inadequate for a growing population, as are the schools. There is a certain unruly element, young lads riding bikes through the pedestrian area or in the middle of the road, and an increasing amount of minor crime, especially as there is no police station.
Our house is on a road parallel to the main road( there is a by pass, so it is only local traffic) and 100 m from the bus stop. We only know the immediate neighbours, but it is a community of all age groups. I enjoy watching the world go by, and am glad we chose this house rather than one we looked at nearby in a dull cul-de-sac.

Good to hear you both like your new home Merlotgran and Luckygirl

I live in a converted Victorian stable yard which sits round a courtyard and is surrounded by gardens and paddocks. It still has a wing of stables with beautiful ironwork and some of the bedrooms have lovely round windows. We moved here for the equestrian facilities over 20 years ago but also fell in love with the gardens. We are 2 miles from the little riverside town and depending on where I am I can see the Malvern Hills, Bredon Hill or the Cotswolds in the distance. It's a very friendly area with some farms, small holdings, a few houses (mostly Victorian or older) and a couple of 70's bungalows. I know everyone and have some good friends locally. Most people have dogs and we have lots of footpaths. Despite being rural we are not isolated, although public transport is pretty non existent, we have good road and rail links and easy access to several large towns/cities. Our GP surgery is outstanding! I can't imagine living anywhere else although my husband wants to downsize as the place is bigger than we need and I keep my horse on livery now.

I live in a 1970's semi with a green opposite in a small triangle of houses in a large town in North Essex.
Our house is a stone's throw from the town park which contains a Roman Wall, a Norman Castle and has a river flowing through it. The town centre is the other side of the park.
We are within walking distance of everything we need but it is amazingly quiet most of the time.

We live in a suburb of Birmingham. We have been here over 40 years and have no wish to move. We had the same neighbours for 40 years until the house next door was sold recently. The new neighbours seem nice and are very quiet. Our house is a small, semi in a fairly long road. We have a long garden and directly at the back of the house is a canal. There is a large willow tree on the canal bank which gives us a lovely outlook.
We are within walking distance of supermarkets, bus stops and a railway station. Birmingham city centre is a short drive away, and so are 3 small towns. We have a diverse mix of families in our road and the area is very quiet.
There is some lovely countryside and National Trust properties not too far away. It suits us (although my friend who lives in Devon says she feels sorry for us living in Birmingham ).

After reading the nice comments about lovely neighbours I think I had better pack up and move.

I live a few miles away from kitty in the small university town she mentioned.

When we came back from Holland we could choose where we wanted to live - back to London where we still had a house or where we are.

We chose this area because it is a small town surrounded by lovely countryside. The roads are still relatively quiet and the town offers all we could want.

The view from our windows is over the hills and woods.
The town market was voted the best in the country a while ago and I love the diverse characters who live here.
When I pop into town I often meet people I know and if I want countryside there are fields at the end of our road.

We have two buses into town every half hour and there are good hospitals within half an hour. There is also a fast train to London.

Pleased to hear you are settled Merlot it must have been quite an upheaval.