Recently just started our family we have a 6 month old daughter and at the end of our 5 year mortgage term, I think we will be looking to leave London as the prices are too high and the cons by far out weigh the pros for me crime etc. Want to stay close to family so two of the options are Basingstoke and reading. Anyone live there and are they nice places to raise a family and a nice general feel. Still want decent shopping and cinemas,places to eat. Been looking into Basingstoke and from what I can see it looks good. House prices are much more affordable and looks good on paper.

To raise a family I'd move to Basingstoke.

Personally, I'd move to Reading. It's younger and has a lot going on for all the reasons listed below plus London Irish too.

However, my mates from Reading, despite all being pretty smart are generally lower achievers than my mates from Basingstoke. Reading's also got it's fair share of problems. Lots of drugs, and west reading is full of prostitutes.

Basingstoke is pretty dull, but it's got everything you need. It's only 20 minutes on the train from Reading and about 40 to Waterloo.

Thanks for the feedback guys. It’s hard to uproot everything so you really want to be sure before making a decision, lived in Wallington my whole life and my wife is from Purley so it will be a big change for both of us. Feels like reading has kind of become a mini London and has good transport links so the house prices have gone up. Trying to find the new London and jump in while the prices are affordable.

Give serious consideration to Newbury. Good road connections, and a more 'human' scale.
Satellite villages are lovely, and Hungerford, Marlborough and Winchester - all worth visiting - are all within 30 minutes drive.
The area generally is excellent for employment too.

Edited by Harpo (11 Mar 2020 1.42am)

You have some very good schools in your area and that tends to feed into the property market.

I lived in Chineham just outside Basingstoke for nearly 20 years until 2005. It was a delightful, peaceful and leafy location. Basingstoke was then a very pleasant town. Used to drive up the A33 to watch Reading now and then.

On a recent visit, I noticed much of what was then countryside along the A33 corridor has been developed and traffic is significantly heavier in the area. It seems to be the trend and a general blight of living in the south/ south east these days.

I recall, Basingstoke had a terrific leisure park and museum. The hospital and my doctor's surgery was excellent. There were lots of excellent pubs and eateries in the outlying villages. Only a short hop to get down the coast on the M3 for days out too.

Depending on your circumstances, I might suggest you look to the west of Basingstoke for somewhere to live as it is still relatively undeveloped.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt