Moving to Halifax/Huddlesfield area, PLEASE help!!

Been in Hebden 17 years and moved here for the off-road riding. It’s generally great, but you pay a big premium for housing. Mint trails everywhere from your doorstep, good cafes/cinema etc, well connected by train, and a lively little town, easygoing, tolerant and full of characters. Drawbacks are the crap weather, flooding, and it can feel a bit of a bubble in terms of demographics and attitudes. It’s also becoming slightly self-conscious, and turning itself into a brand. If I moved from here, I’d probably be looking at the Huddersfield area. A word on the flooding: finding a flood-free house is easy enough, but it’s only half the battle. When the flooding is bad, many of the town’s facilities are out of action for a while, and a bit of a collective ‘downer’ hits the town. Having said that, the community spirit here is quite amazing. Other bits of the valley enjoy some of the same benefits Hebden does – especially the natural benefits – but for less dosh on housing. Good luck!

One thing I’d add is, and it probably adds weight to the “rent first” argument, is try and visit the places you’re interested in on a crappy rainy (ideally) Sunday afternoon in February. Everywhere looks nice in the sun, few things look quite as grim as a West Yorks valley town in the gloomy rain…

I lived on the outskirts of Huddersfield for ten years. There’s some nice places round abouts but I never really acquired a taste for West Yorkshire. I subsequently lived in London for nearly twenty years before moving to North Wales about three years ago. The only other place we strongly considered moving to was in or around Skipton. It’s a lovely neck of the woods and you’ve got the Dales on your doorstep and the Lakes, Peak District and North Yorks Moors within easy reach.

@wynne – the north of England has changed an awful lot in the last 23+ years!!
we’ve got running water and allsorts now

Thanks, I still visit very often, and like I said there’s lots of nice bits – it’s just not an area/region that I’d want to live in. I’ve ridden round almost all of it, enjoyed racing cross in Piece Hall, watched films at the Elland Rex, been out all night in Leeds etc. I think for me it’s a bit too urbanised. Just an opinion to try and help the OP, not intended to offend.

As stated earlier in the thread, I live in Ripponden. I heard someone refer to it today as a “Poundshop Chipping Norton” 😀