Moved to Cowgate

[u/No_Locksmith_7310]

My girlfriend is from Cowgate and I moved up here last month from the West Country. Saw a lot of bad stuff about it online, but I've found it quite a friendly place in the day and pretty quiet at night. Is this really one of the worst areas of the city? The council estates back home are a lot worse...

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[u/Alternative-Hold-608]

It’s definitely lower end of the league table but there are worse places nowadays.

[u/Super_Chayy]

Some areas have reputations that stick for decades even though they're generally fine, parts of Newbiggin Hall & West Denton big examples of this.

This may be useful, or terrifying, but you can view Northumbria Police crime map on their website. You get the idea of where the problems are from that map, Spoiler, Cowgate is not good but if you zoom in you'll see its mainly 2 specific areas.

These bad rep areas were generally low-value, less affluent, high social housing areas back in the day or still are. Over time it seems better long-term tenants and owners have started to cluster together, the reputation just never shifts.

however, there are still pockets of idiots in most of these places... you just have to hope they don't affect you.

way I see it, if no one nice ever takes the chance living there, it'll never change...

[u/Afraid_Number8620]

Born there back in the 80s it was a rough place then. It’s slightly rough still. But it’s like anywhere you go ya always get the bellends

[u/RogerRottenChops]

I lived there for a couple years; hated it. Reputation well deserved in my opinion.

[u/Erudus]

Used to live there from 2009 to 2017 and at first, we had some terrible experiences living there at the beginning, but near the end of living there I had no complaints, lovely neighbours and no real trouble.

[u/Double_Pirate85]

i feel this way about walker - got told lots of stuff when i say i moved there but everyone has been really lovely (except the flags from recent days)

[u/PMc1666 → u/Double_Pirate85]

I drove up Hexham Ave this morning and was surprised there wasn’t more flags. I think I counted 3 and 2 were covering the bedrooms of 1 house.

[u/monotone2k]

You couldn't pay me to live there. There's the radgies on their electric bikes, sofas dumped in front yards, and travellers using the greens near the golf course. Location wise, you also have the eejits bombing up and down Ponteland Road at 60mph at all hours - though that's not necessarily a problem caused by the locals.

If you want to play a game, get on the X78 bus from the city centre and see if you can guess which passengers are going to get off at Cowgate versus those getting off further up (Kingston Park, Ponteland, etc).

[u/Geordienemisis → u/monotone2k]

The idiots bombing up & down Ponteland Rd obviously don't all live in Cowgate. I think you're remembering the old place about 20 yes ago.

[u/Biggeordiegeek]

The council put a lot of money into it and it’s a lot better than it was 20 years ago

But the reputation sticks

I am from Benwell and lived in Walker for a bit, both of those areas are far far worse and haven’t improved a bit

That said, at least they aren’t Scotswood

[u/obliviousfoxy → u/Biggeordiegeek]

I wouldn’t say Walker hasn’t improved at all, Walker has had actually one of the highest amounts of regeneration in the Newcastle area, they basically rebuilt most of the pottery bank and to be fair a lot of it’s quite decent down that way, they’re rebuilding more and more

Walkergate is now also a very sought-after area to live in and so are some parts of Daisy Hill even.

[u/lichenihil → u/obliviousfoxy]

I can tell you personally from Daisy Hill, no it's not, most of the areas still horrible and anti-social not to mention neglected. Not quite what it was but still wouldn't wish it on an enemy.

[u/obliviousfoxy]

Cowgate is not really very nice, but I wouldn’t say it’s like scary or dangerous. I’ve been through there many many times before and visited people there before, I’ve never really felt that unsafe there, I’d be lying if I said I was not a little bit more cautious than usual in some parts of Cowgate, but for the most part, as with everywhere, if you keep to yourself, you are much less likely to be in the firing line. most crime in general is not random, most people know the person they’re victimising.

[u/obliviousfoxy → u/obliviousfoxy]

put it this way though, Cowgate is not by any means one of the first places I would consider to move to, but it wouldn’t really be the end of the world to me if I had to live there.

my friend lives in Daisy Hill, and despite its reputation, where she lives is extremely friendly and they love their home and have no problems.

if you lived in this sub, you would think that Fenham is like the worst place in the world that you could end up, but Fenham is a really popular place to live and loads of people want to live there, I personally wouldn’t have any problem at all living in Fenham.

[u/Current-Fig-1074]

I've been spending a lot of time in Sunderland personally, always heard it was rough too but apart from getting started on by a chap of about ten I haven't had any bother, so far, a big fella shouted something outside Tesco to his mate and then apologised to me, didn't even try to attack me when I responded with a Geordie 'nee bother' haha, I get more aggro in town than anywhere else. Same with Byker and Walker, everyone says they're rough but I think if you don't run in certain circles you'll be more or less alright. I live in a posher area and we probably get as much bother here as you would in a council estate, if you're raising a family it might not be the best place but I feel like it's usually the rebellious teenagers who make these places seem worse than they are, adults generally know how to adult regardless of where they live, it's just a minority that never stop being turds. 

[u/No_Locksmith_7310]

Thanks everyone for your comments! It was interesting learning a bit about the area and how it has changed. Sounds like I've moved to the area when it's generally on the up. I've noticed they're fixing up Wingrove House at the moment, as well as the PDSA, which is nice. You get wronguns everywhere and luckily Newcastle seems to have a lower density of them than a lot of other places.

[u/sadlerandthorning]

I lived on the edge of Cowgate for 10 years. It was more 'odd' than rough. You'd go past a few houses that were really nicely kept, one that's a dive then one with a horse grazing outside. Never had any issues other than a noisy neighbour for a couple of years. I'd had one of those when I lived in Gosforth, so not a reflection on Cowgate

[u/Benjamin-108]

Newcastle is the main is rather friendly and welcoming, people nowadays are just snowflake, Karen’s or overly concerned with others, nowt can be done