r/manchester 1d ago

Places to live in Greater Manchester

Hello everyone!

I wanted to ask, what are some safe places to live in Greater Manchester for minorities? My wife and I were looking at some houses over the weekend near Shaw/Moorside and noticed there were quite a few St George's flags around, now there's nothing wrong with the flat itself, but how it's being used in the current climate made us feel a bit unsafe (we're from South East Asia).

So I wanted to ask if anyone had any opinions on places around the city that would be appropriate for minorities where we don't feel like we might be at risk of anything?

Thank you for your time!

0 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

16

u/drivingagermanwhip 1d ago

I think the vast majority of the people in this subreddit are very much against the white nationalists and also want to be positive about their areas so you're not going to find many saying "oh yeah my neighbourhood is full of racists avoid".

1

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

Yeah, that's true! Thank you!

1

u/drivingagermanwhip 8h ago

For clarity, I'm white, but if I were you I'd look at local businesses, community spaces etc. to see if there are aspects of the area that make you feel like the place could be home. It's unlikely to be a straight more flags = more racism thing. I grew up in Stoke on Trent and there were definite issues with racism; but having later lived in wealthier areas London and Cambridge a noticeable thing was that my friendship groups got way less diverse. My friends wouldn't be vocally racist but also didn't really know anyone who wasn't white on a personal level and their preconceptions about non-white people on the occasions they met them were kind of anyone's guess.

26

u/Riceballs-balls 1d ago

I can promise you, reddit is not real life. Do not worry about flags despite what all the losers in this reddit say about them.

1

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

I'm glad it doesn't mean what I think it does (or it could), but like some others suggested I'll do more research on the crime in the area and that should give a good idea!

3

u/ratsrulehell 1d ago

In my part of Rochdale I haven't seen any England flags

2

u/FormerLlama 1d ago

Everywhere is suitable for all ethnicities. Good people , like idiots, are everywhere. Depends on your budget, the type of housing you are looking for?

Perhaps say something about what other things you are looking for. Is good schools important? Doctors? Nearby bars/restaurants?

2

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

That's really good to hear!

We're mainly looking for something that's close to nature (which is why we're looking closer to the peak district), while having close/easy enough connections to get into the city

1

u/FormerLlama 10h ago

If you have a car then all of Greater Manchester is a possibility. I have colleagues in Manchester who commute to work from Macclesfield, Hartford, and some further away (Blackpool for heavens sake!).

If you have to rely on public transport then look at the tram and bus links as a starting point.

Just considering around Manchester (not even Greater Manchester really) I like the Altrincham, Sale, Timperly, Didsbury corridor. Lots of local shopping, restaurants, bars, good schools, doctors etc but I am considering things from a family needs perspective.

2

u/OchitaSora 1d ago edited 22h ago

Dickheads are everywhere. You can use the crime map to check individual areas to see if they're dickish enough to act on it.

1

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

Will do! I'll do more research on the crime stats! Thank you!

2

u/not_r1c1 1d ago edited 1d ago

I was near Salford Precinct yesterday (an area that many people, including lots who have never been there, would describe as 'rough', a s***hole, etc) - a small shop round there was selling England and United Kingdom flags very prominently. All the staff in the shop were of South Asian heritage. If the flags being prominently displayed are intended to exclude people of different ethnic backgrounds, then it's not having much success....

In general, don't believe everything you read online. 'Safety' is subjective (sometimes people are 'a safe area' as a euphemism I think, although not always for the same thing) so go and visit some places, see how you feel. But base it on actual experience of the area, not just the opinions of people online - who may be experts on the area and have well-informed views, or may just be repeating what someone else told them 5 years ago based on something that person heard in a pub once, etc... And some crimes are committed round the corner from expensive flats in the city centre or in leafy suburbs, whilst some people live in 'rough' areas their whole lives and never have an issue.

If you want a proxy for 'how much do people in general think this is a good place to live?', the prices and rents will tell you that. If you have specific questions about things like crime statistics, etc, you can find that sort of thing online (the ONS census data is a good place to start, but there are also things like Crystal Roof, which probably give an oversimplified view of an area but might be easier to use).

1

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

Thank you! I'll check out the census data and crystal roof (really cool website by the way!)

1

u/InternalEquipment148 1d ago

Everyone is at risk of something everywhere I'm afraid, all you can do is minimise your own risk.

2

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

Yeah, that's part of the reason I wanted to ask, to understand the areas that might not be suitable for us, but looking at the replies, it doesn't seem to be quite as simple as a binary answer, so I'll do more research into the areas for sure. Thank you!

-2

u/SC_W33DKILL3R 1d ago

Try Chorlton, not seen one flag

7

u/I_am_Cockers 1d ago

One hanging outside the house opposite The Beech

1

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

We'll check out Chorlton too, thank you!

-1

u/TangerineNo1942 1d ago

Prestwich! Plenty of green space nearby (Heaton Park, Drinkwater etc), nice little cafes and wine bars.

1

u/Fit-House7942 11h ago

Ah! We'll have to check out Preswich too! Thank you!