Hello Everyone! I am moving from the south coast soon with my partner and little boy and we have narrowed it down to either Sheffield or Nottingham. I tend to favour Sheffield but I was wondering which city you guys consider to be the best and why. Which is the safest? Where has the lowest crime? Which has the best schools etc etc.
Also if we do go for Sheffield which areas are to be avoided at all costs? We would rather live in a smaller house but feel safe in our home and with the area than buy a huge house in the equivalent of Harlem!
I have lived in Birmingham before and hated it as the city is so grim. Would any of you say Sheffield or Nottingham are similar to Birmingham in anyway?
Sorry for all the questions but this is the first relevant site I have found and urgently need some advice.
Thanks!

Your most likely going to get biased answers seeing as this is a Sheffield Forum!

Anyway obviously I prefer Sheffield. I am a Sheffielder born and bred and I would never live anywhere else.

Sheffield is the safest large city in the Country. That's not say there isn't crime, far from it, but I feel safe in most parts of Sheffield.

Areas to be avoided in my opinion are Pitsmoor, Page Hall, Darnall and Firth Park. They are absolute slums. My granparents lived at Darnall and had to move because they got so much racial abuse. Yeah that's right, you get abused now for being English and living in England!!! Anyway that's another story.

I don't know wether or not Sheffield is like Brimingham because I've never been. Although I'm sure we don't have half as many shootings and ghettos, but I'm sure that will soon change.

Good luck with your move!

Hi,
I live in Sheffield but my sister was in Nottingham for four years so i know it pretty well. Nottingham is far prettier than sheffield in terms of the arcitecture in and around the city center. It's got some lovely big parks and lots of good shops. It was always a nice place to visit althoughh I have to say that Sheffield is a pretty good place to live. No other city can give you the best of both worls regarding it's proximity to a national park. There's a lot going on here and though it may look a mess in places it'll sort it's self out eventually. It's a realy friendly place to live. My parents moved here when me and my sister were kids and though upset to be leaving friends behind we were pretty soon happy to have moved. Kids love trees and we moved to a place where there were loads of them!

hey i wud say sheffield but my bf lives in nottingham and he said sheffield was a good place to live and thats coming from someone who doesnt even live in sheffield people are friendly in sheffield than in nottingham from what my boyfriend has told me about them in nottingham

I've lived in both Sheffield and Nottingham and prefer Sheffield.

I was born in Nottinghamshire, but regard Sheffield as my home; I've foudn Sheffield to be a more friendly place.

I have lived in both, really missed Nottingham when I first moved here. Notts definately has the city centre nightlife resturants and shops. However Sheffield is safer friendlier and better for kids, we live in Crosspool (S10) good skool catchment, good parks nice place to be. If you have a kid and go to Nots I would reccommend west bridgford, good luck

I moved to Sheffield from Birmingham, and have never regretted it. The main difference is the people - they are so friendly and helpful in Sheffield, and they even talk to you at the bus stops! To say nothing of actually stopping when they see you on the pavement by a pedestrian crossing - instead of you having to dash across and hope the cars will brake, which was my experience in Birmingham.

I've lived in Firth Park, one of the "absolute slums", for over 20 years and have some of the best neighbours imaginable. Yes, we have problems with druggies and dealers and burglars, etc. But like everywhere else, it's a small minority that cause the trouble. Most people are fine, and there's a sense of community in the area, that is probably lacking in the more "select" areas.

And I've never suffered any sort of racial prejudice because I'm white - we all seem to be able to get along fine, whatever colour we are.

Of course, I've never lived in Nottingham, just visited it and it seems nice enough, but I'd definitely recommend Sheffield.

Dozy

Ive worked in the gun capital of the country--- I mean Nottingham and the peopel there are pretty laid back.

I prefer Sheffield though, I love the city and the people but Im biased. I dont live there now but I miss it and its inhabitants- mad dogs the lot of them- immensely.

I lived in Nottingham for a while, just off mansfield road. I've been back a few times to stop at a freinds' place.

I found it to have a "harder", less friendly atmosphere than Sheffield;- I mean, 20 years ago, the nottingham buses had the "bulletproof" screens on buses around the driver. (scary, even then!!!!!)

the shopping in Nottingham is ok. They have a pretty park called the arboretum, reminiscent of Sheffield's botanical gardens

Overall, I much prefer Sheffield, it's got a safer feel, a friendlier atmosphere, it seems "greener", and more "open", here.

I moved to Sheffield 6 years ago from down south and I dont regret it one bit. Theres good and bad to every city, but Sheffield has the atmosphere of a town, not the big city it is. The people in the main are warm and friendly and if you do make the move you will be welcomed I am sure.

Good Luck whatever you decide:thumbsup:

I was born in Nottingham and lived there half my life - it's a fine city with a lot to be said for it, but I love Sheffield and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I agree with those who say that Sheffield has a friendlier feel to it, but there's more to it than that.
From where I live here, I'm fifteen minutes by tram from the city centre, but also a fifteen minute bus ride from some glorious open country, with walks as fine as you'll find anywhere. Sheffield is home.

I was bored and bred in Nottingham, and moved to sheffield 4 years ago. They both haev their perks, and it is hard becasue i lived ina very different environment in nottingham to the one here.

Safetly wise sheffield is meant to be safer, but I have seen a lot more violence here than in nottingham.

For a night out neither particularly float my boat, but then I don't really know what would, I'm 22 going on 102.

For shopping definitely nottingham, sheffield got killed by meadowhall, which is also crap, although I think Sheffield is starting to fihgt back, so in a few years, who knows.

I think the public transport is much better in sheffield, but I lived in the stick in nottingham and near the centre here.

The climbings much better here!

Not much more to add really.

A better title (to endear yourself and get more responses) would have been which is better - Sheffield or Nottingham :rolleyes:

A better title (to endear yourself and get more responses) would have been which is better - Sheffield or Nottingham :rolleyes:

lol

I'm a Sheffielder (originally from Newcastle).
Wouldn't like to say which areas are worst, but I think out west is generally nicer, further from the M1, the prettier. Plus you get taken to hallamshire (far better) instead of Northern general hospital if you're ill.

Can't really comment on Nottingham too much as I've only been there once or twice. I seem to remember you don't get any change on the buses, but everyone seemed quite nice.

lol

I'm a Sheffielder (originally from Newcastle).
Wouldn't like to say which areas are worst, but I think out west is generally nicer, further from the M1, the prettier. Plus you get taken to hallamshire (far better) instead of Northern general hospital if you're ill.

Can't really comment on Nottingham too much as I've only been there once or twice. I seem to remember you don't get any change on the buses, but everyone seemed quite nice.

I agree, the west is the best! (and if house prices are a guide to desirability- which lets face it, they do) then the west is the best. But on another post the OP seems to feel Rotherham 'more affordable'. Ah well..

I've just realsied I wrote I was bored and bred in Nottingham, totally not what I meant, its not boring at all (when not until you've been there a good 18 years), needless to say, I meant born and bred

Hi I am a Sheffield Lad who left in 1965 to join the army at 17 and my last posting in 1990 was to the Nottingham Army Careers Office as the senior recruiter, a job I carried out for 10 years retiring from service life and becoming a tutor in 2000. I have remained in Nottingham as I( bought my house here but all my family still live in Sheffield. The 17 years I have spent in Nottingham have been fantastic. The careers office is in the city centre so I know all about the night and inner city life and yes Notts is the best and people come in from all over the east mids for a night out here. It has a fantastic river and canals, loads of parks and great countryside. The schools are as good here as they are in Sheffield and it also boasts an excellent hospital in the Queens Medical Centre. That said I always return to Sheffield to watch the Owls and always feel safer there than I have ever done in Notts. My eldest son is a police officer in Notts and the tales he tells are horrendous. The night life scene over the weekends being so good also brings in the bad and fights are a regular feture all over the city centre at the weekend. All in all both cities offer there good and bad points - Why dont you rent in both cities in turn and make your mind up then.