Where to live in York?

York is like any major tourist centre - in the summer it will be heaving, but it is a small price to pay for living in or near such a historic city. One of my best friends lives in one of the many lovely outlying villages, and my son lives in another. There are some smashing local GNs who will be well placed to advise you ?.

There is residents parking in areas near the walls. The terraced properties do not necessarily have gardens. The street in which I lived many years ago (Belle Vue Street,) had reasonable gardens and the bus services were OK. It's a lovely place to live, still go back quite often.

Thanks both - very encouraging!

DS and family live in York. Driving around there are very few areas you should avoid. On the avoid list, I would put the university area. DS's MiL has watched as the university has got nearer and nearer. More and more of the houses on her very pleasant estate are being bought up for student housing and the noise at night is getting worse. Tang Hall is also a bit iffy. The town centre has beautiful houses,but they are very expensive as are a lot of the villages. Clifton is close to town but very pleasant, Acomb has a wide range of houses and its own bustling shopping area. In fact most areas in York are pleasant it is a toss-up between how much you want to pay against how much space you want

Not in the flood prone areas might be a good start.

DBil and DSiL live in a lovely village to the north of York. It has a lovely community spirit and is in the midst of fabulous countryside with lots of walks.

Why not get a short term rental in the area and try it out?
York is a great city however the traffic is a nightmare and as Nelliemoser pointed out some areas are a flood risk.
Have you thought about Harrogate? It has a lot York’s qualities but with a better choice of housing. Transport links are excellent and the surrounding countryside is beautiful.

Please be careful and check if properties of interest are in flood area of York, as York is prone to flooding

Why would you even consider moving to a new area without having researched it thoroughly yourself and decided which areas you liked or disliked, which were safe? Public transport, private parking and tourist flow might also be fairly easily investigated.

Err, I would have thought this question was part of the OP's research?

I have a daughter who lives and works in the centre of York and I myself have had a holiday home in Harrogate for many years (now sold)
Both areas have stunningly beautiful parts but, of the two, Harrogate would be my choice. Near enough to York but slightly quieter in the summer months.
You'll love it.

Knspol by asking questions on this forum from people who have lived or currently live in the York area EllenT is doing research! At the moment she is thinking of a move and asking advice before deciding. I don't imagine for one minute this is the only place EllenT is asking questions or researching facts she's probably just hoping for some honest feed back from people that do know the area first hand.

I wish you all the very best in your retirement move, but please consider this. In general, people have very unrealistic views of their probable/possible likes and needs in 15 years from the present. Health can turn on a sixpence. Please consider proximity of good services and the physical layout of your new home. Don't imagine that you will find it easy to move if your needs change. I have seen it so many times that friends have found their 'dream house' in retirement only for it to turn into a nightmare. Think what you would do if neither of you could drive, or if one of you couldn't manage stairs etc.

Will definitely research the flooding issue and think about Harrogate as an alternative - though York's mainline train links are a big plus. Thanks for all the helpful advice. We're having a weekend househunting/exploring soon and as Missfoodlove suggests, may rent for a while - might have to do this anyway as coordinating a sale here in Scotland and a purchase in England isn't easy...

When we move we always rent first so we don’t get into the stresses of completing on same day and also to get to know an area better.
My DH and I we’re talking about moving to York when we retire! So interesting to read these posts.

Myym this forum proves my point, we all have vastly differing opinions on anything and everything so why would a person rely on the opinion of others when considering such a major transition? What one person considers an OK area may be far removed from someone else's view of a place to live. Personal investigation is the only way.

I would say Huntington/strensall/haxby/wigginton , all sort of villages with plenty to do for the retired in them , excellent for local shops, drs, bus service 10-15 mins into the city centre , you don't want to be too close to the centre with all the students hen and stag parties etc ..

York is lovely. Lots to do, and very pleasant. Mainline train links are exceptional e.g. London in 2 hours.
The traffic on the ring road is a real pain though so I would say you want to be inside that (though as others have said there are many lovely little villages outside e.g. Haxby, Kirk Hammerton etc). Flooding is definitely something to watch for - underground car parks in blocks of flats (e.g. the lovely old converted warehouses near the river) can be a problem.
If you are interested in something different, there is a new housing development called Derwnthorpe, near Osbaldwick, set up by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, where 40% of the properties are owned and run by them as family oriented social housing and the rest is privately owned. The house designs have won awards and are quite radical, may not be to everyone's taste I suppose, though the insides of them are amazing, and they are designed to a standard which means they can be adapted as life events happen e.g. they have level thresholds, wide doorways, knock-out panels in ceilings and floors ready to accommodate a lift, wide parking spaces etc.
Bishopthorpe area is quite trendy and might also be worth a look. Hope this helps.

Lovely as the Centre of York is, it floods horribly. So you would have to be very careful not to buy any house near the Flooding. The problem is that it will affect your transport arrangements even if you yourself don't flood.
We were at the Grand in York Christmas 2015 and getting across country to get back home was a nightmare of closed roads. If you had to get to hospital in a hurry then you would have needed a helicopter.
Harrogate doesn't flood and it has a beautiful Centre and lots of lovely terraces close to the Town. Parking is a bit if a problem as you have to pay to park outside your door.

York is a great city. Unfortunately councillors and planners have yet to find a solution to the flooding problem which is serious. Not just serious but will get worse due to increasing rainfall over all the river catchments.

We've been in York during flooding and it would be a worry for us if we lived there. Flooding was made even worse recently because of decisions made without the knowledge of the likely outcome in the way the existing flood "prevention" was overridden.

I expect residents of York can give much more detailed information and explain the severe difficulty due to the topography of the area.

ellen the Environmental Agency hold the flood information. Very important that I would think!,

What an excellent idea to use this site for in depth discovery of the yays and nays of a prospective move. I will remember this. Well done to EllenT for thinking of it. Hope you receive lots of seriously constructive tips and end up happy wherever you move to. Good luck with such an important decision.

I live almost exactly between York and Harrogate and visit both on a regular basis. Given the choice, I think, I would choose an outlying village (or small town) as both York and Harrogate have horrendous traffic problems. The house prices in both can be high too. I’m thinking of Wetherby, Boston Spa, or even Ripon.
There are some lovely places with good facilities and often good public transport or your could visit York on the ‘park and ride’ system which is so much cheaper than parking in the City.
Wherever you choose I hope you enjoy living in Yorkshire much as we do.

Ddad lives in Dringhouses area of York & it’s great- near enough to the centre to be easily accessible by bus or walking. It’s got the Park & Ride a stone’s throw away, with a big Tescos, but smaller shops on the road into York.