Brighton Travel Forum

Hello all,

First post, so be gentle. My wife and I are planning on moving from Toronto CA to Brighton in August; i'm taking up a teaching post in Crawley and she's got a UK passport, so work isn't really an issue. We're moving because the teaching post is pretty wonderful and I've always wanted to live by the sea. Plus, everything that I've read about the city has gelled with our personalities. My only concern is that the bulk of the material to which i have access is pumped onto the net by some tourist commission or another. So...

We would both appreciate an honest appraisal of life in Brighton. Ups and downs. Things we should look out for as well as things we should look forward to. I know that some feedback from actual residents would make us feel a lot more secure in a decision to move.

I should say that we lived just outside of Reading last year, so we're not entirely unfamiliar.

Also, any advice on areas to start looking for flats would be wonderful.

Thanks!

Brighton is a beautiful city with a lot of wonderful things to do and see...it's quite a tourist spot especially in the summer. Brighton also has a huge gay population. If you are not used to that - you are in for quite a culture shock. If you have been to SanFransico and have experienced that crowd there and have had no problem with it - you won't find anything different about Brighton.... I'm just jealous you'll get to live by the sea and in the UK!

It's a very nice place although i prefer living in the surrounding villages. My favorite is Rottingdean which is just in 15-20 minutes of driving away from Brighton. Brighton itself has all possible entertaining sights you can imagine which makes it noisy, young, active, fun, but when you have family and children you are looking for something more quiet. One thing is certain: you won't be bored here. The sea views, the cliffs and the souther downs are beautiful. They just take my breath away. As for the property information, try this
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/home.rsp/svr/1005

Good luck!

Hi there

You are coming to what I belive to be the nicest city in the UK.
Life is pretty relaxed here with plenty to do should you feel energetic.
Like any city, it takes a while to get the feel, howver hard you try, and the feel here is pretty chilled out with a strong sense of community.

If you want some less touristy Brighton tips (there are some tourist things, but they are things that we actually do, so!) - please visit my Brighton pages where there are tips on transport (+ cab numbers), good restaurants etc...
Another very good guide to buy once you are here, is The Juicy Guide.
Written by a friend of mine, it details schools, restaurants, organisations, estate agents ,things to do, business etc etc in a non biased and amusing way and I still use it on a regular basis.

Either way, there is something for everyone here and I'm sure you will enjoy living in the city (which is actually Brighton adn Hove now b.t.w.)

The Juicy Guide :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/190332002X/202-7126840-9077467

ps i don't find it noisey here at all, and I am a parent.
We 2 mins out of the center and it is peaceful.

Hi,

I'm from Brighton. Very happy to see you'll be moving there and positive comments from other people. I can see you're looking for some disadvantages as well. I'm trying very hard to think of some but there's really not too much wrong with the place.

The biggest downside might be the price of buying or renting a flat. Are you planning to drive to Crawley or take the train? The train takes about 40 minutes from Brighton station so you might want to live walking distance from there.

North Laine is a nice area with lots of shops and cafes. Just a few minutes walk to the station too. I like the Brunswick area of Hove but it's a bit further. Places in Kemp Town are a little cheaper and that area is a lot nicer than it used to be.

Rough idea of prices.. a nice one bedroom flat in a nice area might cost about 600 pounds per month to rent, or 150,000 to buy. But if your budget is a bit lower you should find something ok.

Would be very happy to give you more info so send me an email if you have more questions.

Please don't live in Crawley. :-)

Chris