Is Crawley A Good Place to Live?

Although Crawley is majorly composed of cheaply-built post-war housing, the town centre is thriving with numerous chain stores and restaurants normally found in modern towns. Moving to Crawley, UK is worth considering because the house prices are not too bad, the schools are great, and employment opportunities are in plenty.

Is Crawley a good place to live? Crawley is a post-modern looking town in West Sussex, England that has for some decades been very popular with new immigrants from Eastern Europe, Africa and South Asia. This town offers high employment opportunities, good quality of life and a convenient transport system.

Whether you have been offered a job in Crawley or are just thinking of moving to the UK, you have landed on this blog post because you want answers to some questions. Does Crawley have bad neighbourhoods? Are the schools good? What transport means are there? Read on to get more information.

In this article you will find out:

Those searching for a comfortable commuter town in the UK to live in, Crawley is worth considering. It is in West Sussex and investing in real estate properties here is a smart idea. Just like in any other towns, Crawley has some good and bad neighbourhoods. Some of the best neighbourhoods are Three Bridges, Maidenbower, Tilgate Park, Worth and Pound Hill, while some of the worst neighbourhoods are Broadfield, and some parts of Bewbush.

Crime levels in Crawley are relatively higher than the average crime rate for the Sussex force area. Crawley Town Centre and Broadfield are the most crime-filled areas in this town, while Gossops Green has the lowest crime levels.

Crawley has several primary schools, secondary schools and colleges. Schools such as Maidenbower Infant School, Manor Green Primary School and Pound Hill Infant Academy have been given an “outstanding” rating by Ofsted. The Bewbush Academy, Broadfield Primary Academy, The Brook School and Desmond Anderson Primary Academy among other primary schools have been given a “good” Ofsted rating. Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Ifield Community College and Manor Green College are also considered “good” by Ofsted.

People moving to Crawley will appreciate the fast train lines in the town. The mainline train station is in Three Bridges. From Three Bridges, Maidenbower or Pound Hill, commuters can easily travel to London via train in less than an hour. This English town is also home to Gatwick Airport, which is one of the busiest international airports in Britain. There is also a good local bus network that connects Crawley Town Centre to surrounding suburbs.

Social life in Crawley is fairly lively. It is not easy to get bored while here because the town has lovely parks, a wide range of shops in the city centre and leisure centres. There are also many restaurants, pubs and upscale eateries in this English town where families can bond and have a great time.

Is Crawley a good place to Work?

Crawley is among the best places in the United Kingdom to earn a living as a local or as a commuter. Salaries for workers in Crawley are similar to those of London workers, but mortgage repayments and living costs are significantly lower in Crawley, contributing greatly to its high ranking.

The biggest employers in this town are Thales, Virgin Holidays, Surrey Aero club, Easyjet airline, Nestle, TUI Travel, Tescos, Royal Mail, and Crawley Borough Council. Thales is UK’s 2nd largest defence electronics supplier and its employees more than 2300 people at its Crawley base. Virgin Holidays is among the most well-known companies in this English town with over 1100 employees.

Surrey Aero is the world’s largest single-runway airport and it employs more than 2,500 employees. Easyjet airline, which is owned by the famous Sir Stelios Haj-Ioannou is operated from Gatwick Airport. This company has over 3,700 staff members, including jobs for at least 700 pilots and at least 2,000 cabin crew members.

This town enjoys really high employment levels and there are many great employers in or adjacent to the town. The unemployment rate in Crawley is 3.7% which is very low because most people are easily able to find full-time jobs.

The average salary in this English town is £27,099. The most popular job types are Software Developer, IT, Operations Manager and Project Manager which pay annual salaries of between £28,966 and £40,711.

Is Crawley a good place to buy a House?

For those thinking about moving to the UK to buy property, Crawley is worth considering. Properties here have relatively good value. Though the city centre is an unsightly concrete precinct with some post-war houses, there are some good neighbourhoods with great houses. Buying a home here is usually a really good investment.

Maidenbower, 2 miles west of Crawley town centre, is a suburb neighbourhood of older family homes where a 3-bedroom house would cost about £440,000. There is a scenic countryside in neighbouring High Weald and there are several good schools such as Maidenbower Infant, The Brook School and Oriel High School.

The average property price in Crawley is £338,728. In terms of property types, flats have an average price of £208,165 and terraced houses have an average cost of £281,988. A 5-bed house can cost about £500,000, a 3-bed home can cost £350,000 and a 1-bed house can cost £180,000.

Average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the town centre is £935 and £833.33 for one that is outside the centre. Monthly rent for a 3-bedroom apartment in the town centre is £1,475 and £1,233.33 for one outside the centre.

Rent for a 5-bed house can go for as high as £550pcm. Price per square meter to purchase an apartment in the town centre is £3,652.50 while the price per square meter to purchase an apartment outside the centre is £3,168.

Is Crawley a good place to Retire?

For affluent retirees, Crawley offers a really attractive destination. This English town has many desirable neighbourhoods and great transport links. Medical care here, often a great concern for the elderly, is of high quality and the amenities are fantastic too.

West Sussex region is one of the best destinations for retirees to live because of Britain’s south coast sunshine and the great healthcare system. It offers an excellent blend of historic towns, interesting villages and eye-catching countryside. Add in an amazing coastline, low crime levels and good life-expectancy, and it is crystal clear why West Sussex is a popular retirement hotspot.

Older home buyers are usually offered significant discounts; therefore it is well worth considering Crawley for a retirement property.

A 5-bed property can go for as low as £500,000, a 3-bed can cost 208,500 and a 1-bed house can cost £112,500.

The average rent for a 1-bedroom property is approximately £786pcm, £1,252pcm for a 3-bedroom property and £ 1,261pcm for a 5-bedroom property.

The most expensive properties in Crawley are situated in Three Bridges, Maidenbower and Roundhill. The Tailgate neighbourhood offers more economical property choices.

Is Crawley a good place to Visit?

Crawley is an amazing English town with a deep past. This town is based on several themes: adventure, nature, places and good eateries.

The biggest, most stunning and popular park here is Tilgate Park. This park has 3 lakes, one of which is the scenic Tilgate Lake. Filled with nature, visitors can find a golf course, Go Ape, which is a playground for children, and the Walled Café. Tilgate Park is a family friendly park filled with plenty of animals and fresh air.

Buchan Country Park is a dog-friendly park in Crawley that has a dog dip. Local residents usually visit this park in the morning hours to walk their dogs. There is also a large lake where people fish and several areas designated for afternoon picnics. Here, it is possible to spot adders, dragonflies, grass snakes, night jars and great-crested grebes.

The Hawth is a great place for music lovers. This theatre hosts local talent shows in a comfortable environment with accessible amenities. Tickets are availed at reasonable prices and drinks can be bought within the theatre during a show. The theatre also has an onsite café for those who want to munch.

The George Hotel is a nice accommodation place for visitors. It has a rich and interesting history and has been featured in several novels and paintings. There have been some reports of hauntings in this hotel which makes it a very attractive spot.

Crawley also offers the County Mall Shopping Centre which has a huge variety of shops. From chocolate shops, footwear and clothing stores, coffee shops, play spots for children and more, families and other groups of people can find something exciting to do here.

People looking for adventure will love Southern Pursuits. Situated in Tulley’s Farm, there’s a wide range of heart-pumping activities and events for grownups here. Such activities include archery, shooting, throwing axes, hover crafting and quad biking. Southern Pursuits organises and hosts several events from team building exercises to parties, to make the place more exciting and memorable to visitors.

Sports lovers can visit the High Sports Crawley Climbing Centre, which is located in K2 Leisure Centre. Beginners of all ages will love the fun heights of these walls, and there are more challenging heights for advanced climbers who want to experience a higher level of difficulty.

Is Crawley A Good Place to Live﻿?