Ipswich
It's been a few stressful days as we've begun to look for housing. We started with almost no context, so we've had a steep learning curve. We didn't even know what we needed at first. And there's a lot of local information to be learned - where the good and bad neighbourhoods are; how well-served a community is by bus and train. But every person we talk to is giving us a better picture of what to expect and how things are.
That said, I'm pretty sure we're going to live in Ipswich, for a number of reasons:
- Availability. Looking for furnished housing in the Colchester area got us just a few matches; in Ipswich there are dozens of furnished houses and flats, and landlords are almost always willing to furnish an unfurnished property, adding just 50-100 pounds per month to the rent.
- Affordability. Ipswich rents are maybe 20% lower than in the Colchester area. Rents go down in distance away from London, and this is east of both Colchester and London.
- Distance from Colchester. This puts us not only in a different city, so we don't have to worry about Sarah being classmates with some of Margo's clients; we're even in a different council (Suffolk instead of Essex). Yet we're still a half-hour drive away along a major road (not a freeway - a "dual carriageway"), about the same distance as most other communities around Colchester (Sudbury, Coggleshall/Braintree, Harwich, Clacton, Chelmsford/Witham).
- Rail proximity. Where Colchester is 50 minutes from London, Ipswich is only 10 minutes further. It's on the main line, and it's one of the express stops, which makes it far faster than any of the other communities nearby, barring the ones earlier up the line (Chelmsford, Marks Tey). I probably won't be able to walk to the station, but there is excellent bus service.
- City size. Ipswich is larger than Colchester, which gives us more opportunities for dining, culture, shopping, and entertainment. Sarah will have more opportunities to make friends. I'll have more coffee shops, record stores, newsstands, and pubs to explore. Ipswich also has a large port and marina on the river cutting through town, yet is not far from the coast; most of the other nearby communities don't have this.
- Contracting opportunities. I've found several contracts in Ipswich that I'd qualify for; none of the nearby communities do. If I'm fortunate, I may never have to commute to London.
The only downside we can think of is that, with a larger city and more available schools, there will be more variety in school performance across schools, and it's unlikely that Sarah can be placed in one of the better ones on such short notice.
We're scheduled to look at several properties this Saturday, and with all the available choices, we're feeling pretty good that we'll have a new address soon.
That said, I'm pretty sure we're going to live in Ipswich, for a number of reasons:
- Availability. Looking for furnished housing in the Colchester area got us just a few matches; in Ipswich there are dozens of furnished houses and flats, and landlords are almost always willing to furnish an unfurnished property, adding just 50-100 pounds per month to the rent.
- Affordability. Ipswich rents are maybe 20% lower than in the Colchester area. Rents go down in distance away from London, and this is east of both Colchester and London.
- Distance from Colchester. This puts us not only in a different city, so we don't have to worry about Sarah being classmates with some of Margo's clients; we're even in a different council (Suffolk instead of Essex). Yet we're still a half-hour drive away along a major road (not a freeway - a "dual carriageway"), about the same distance as most other communities around Colchester (Sudbury, Coggleshall/Braintree, Harwich, Clacton, Chelmsford/Witham).
- Rail proximity. Where Colchester is 50 minutes from London, Ipswich is only 10 minutes further. It's on the main line, and it's one of the express stops, which makes it far faster than any of the other communities nearby, barring the ones earlier up the line (Chelmsford, Marks Tey). I probably won't be able to walk to the station, but there is excellent bus service.
- City size. Ipswich is larger than Colchester, which gives us more opportunities for dining, culture, shopping, and entertainment. Sarah will have more opportunities to make friends. I'll have more coffee shops, record stores, newsstands, and pubs to explore. Ipswich also has a large port and marina on the river cutting through town, yet is not far from the coast; most of the other nearby communities don't have this.
- Contracting opportunities. I've found several contracts in Ipswich that I'd qualify for; none of the nearby communities do. If I'm fortunate, I may never have to commute to London.
The only downside we can think of is that, with a larger city and more available schools, there will be more variety in school performance across schools, and it's unlikely that Sarah can be placed in one of the better ones on such short notice.
We're scheduled to look at several properties this Saturday, and with all the available choices, we're feeling pretty good that we'll have a new address soon.
posted by Michael Nelson at 10:05 am
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