Is West Bromwich A Good Place To Live?

West Bromwich is a medium-sized town that is sandwiched between Wednesbury and Birmingham. The town is home to a large number of working-class members who work in the city or the adjacent regions but choose the town for its lower cost of living. In this article, I will explore the town to find out if its quality of life, infrastructure and safety to help you decide if it is a place you can settle down.

Is West Bromwich A Good Place To Live? Yes, the town is an excellent place to live whether alone or with a family. It has an adequate network of roads serves it, there are plenty of amenities such as schools, markets and hospitals around the town and it has a pretty high population, which would serve as a market if you started a business in the town

The area around West Bromwich and the surrounding cities have several opportunities for entrepreneurs and people looking for a warm environment to settle with their families. I would like to give a detailed look at all the areas you may need to have information about in the area. I have taken time to interact with people and get accurate information on the town. Read on to get a firsthand feel of the town and learn about exciting things that only the inhabitants of the area know about.

In this article you will find out:

Is West Bromwich a Good Place to Live?

The town also has a large market where farmers bring fresh produce. People come from the surrounding areas to purchase farm produce. This makes the town a good place for people who are looking for a healthy diet. You will find several people doing outdoor exercises such as jogging, especially early in the morning.

The town enjoys a rather vibrant social life with an abundance of clubs, restaurants, public recreation areas and cinemas. The evenings are vibrant with youths going for karaoke nights and live performances from local, national and international artists. Several of the cinemas opened their doors as early as the 1900s and have been a major attraction to the town. In addition, the town is home to West Bromwich football club, which has cult-like support at home. Most of the youth and middle-aged adults support a team in the mainstream leagues across the UK.

Several schools serve West Bromwich. They range from primary to the college level. It has 21 primary schools, five secondary schools and The Central Campus of Sandwell college, which has an enrolling capacity of over 5,000 students. This college offers over 30 different courses that include engineering, dental surgery and education, among others. The schools are dispersed across the town to make them accessible from various neighbourhoods.

There is a well-coordinated policing unit in the town. However, the town gets pockets of crime from time to time. Most of these incidents are petty crimes that include shoplifting, pick-pocketing and bicycle theft. Over the last decade, it has seen a reduction in serious crimes such as burglary, sexual offences and murders. Today, the town is relatively safe with fewer crimes per 1,000 people that larger towns of Birmingham, Blackpool and Middlesborough. The police force is also quite responsive and fast in combating crime in the area.

West Bromwich has several neighbourhoods. The best of these neighbourhoods include Great Barr, Greets Green and Hately Heath. They have low crime rates and rather green and quiet outdoors. On the other hand, Guns Village, Hill Top and Charlemont are some of the worst neighbourhoods with high crime, low employment rates and pollution.

Residents of this area can travel using an extensive network or roads or the Midland Metro tram that has seven stops in the town. The Sandwell and Dudley railway line is also nearby. Britain’s M6 Motorway passes through the town with several junctions and dual carriageways. There is also a bus service that connects the town to major towns in the Midlands region.

Is Bromwich a Good Place to Work?

West Bromwich has largely grown as an agricultural-based town since its formation in 1862. With time, several factories set shop in the town. Despite the general decline in the number of factories in the area, the town still has a sizeable number of factories that offer employment to people as far as Birmingham and Wednesbury.

The town has yet to recover from the effects of the recessions that have hit it in the mid-1970 and late 2008 that led to the closure of several stores. Currently, the unemployment level in the city is around 20% with a large number of people opening up businesses within the town. You can work at any of the factories or businesses around the town. Also, you can start your business in the town and the nearby neighbourhoods.

The largest employers in town are located in the New Square shopping complex and Queen’s Square shopping centre that has attracted retailers such as JD Sports, Next, Odeon Cinema, Tesco Extra superstore and Primark, among others. Sandwell College and the rest of the education centres also employ a large number of workers from the region. Leading manufacturers in the area include CBS Packaging, Formbend Ltd and Axalta Coating Systems.

On average, workers in the town earn £25,270. The teachers take home about £14,208; software developers get £27,587 while operation managers make an average of £36,240. The rates compare with most those of most employers in the larger Birmingham area.

Is Bromwich a Good Place to Buy a House?

House prices across West Bromwich vary according to the neighbourhoods in question. Most of the homes in many of the neighbourhoods are either flats, townhouses, semi-detached homes or terraces. The average for a three bedroom flat in Great Barr and Greet Greens is about £170,000 with a semi-detached one going for £192,000 and a terraced one going for over £260,000. Besides, the averages for single bedrooms are around £70, £100,000 and £120,000 respectively. Five bedroomed houses go for about £500,000 for a fully detached house and £325,000 for a semi-detached house.

If you would like to rent in any of these two neighbourhoods, the average rent per week for a five-bedroom house is £350. You will part about £180 for a three-bedroomed house and £120 for a single bedroom house for a similar duration. Greet Green and Great Barr are some of the best neighbourhoods in the town.

In Guns Village and Charlemont, the average prices for a one bedroom flat are about £99,000 while a semi-detached three-bedroom house goes for about £200,000. A fully detached five-bedroom house goes for about £400,000. There are fewer five-bedroom houses in these areas compared to other house sizes.

If you would like to rent a five-bedroom house in either of the town, you will part with an average of £280 a week. The rent for a three-bedroom semi-detached home is £120 and £75 for a single-bedroom house a week. These two are some of the worst neighbourhoods to live.

Is Bromwich a Good Place to Retire?

The average age of residents in West Bromwich is 44 years. A good number of retirees are located on Great Barr, Greet Greens and Charlemont areas. Among the three areas, the best place for the retirees is the Greet Greens while Charlemont makes the worst neighbourhood due to high population, fewer amenities such as parks and exercise areas, higher pollution and noise due to a large number of young people.

On average, it will cost you around £240,000 to purchase a semi-detached three-bedroomed house. A five-bedroom house goes for about £450,000 while a single bedroom house goes for about £140,000. Weekly rent prices for the same units go for about £180, £300 and £100 respectively.

If you would like to retire in Charlemont, the average price of a three-bedroomed, terrace house is about £241,000, a five-bedroom fully detached house goes for about £337,000 while a single bedroom flat goes for about £110,000. Average weekly rent for a single bedroom house is £100. A three-bedroom weekly rent is about £150 while that of a five-bedroom house is £250.

House prices vary according to location, closeness to the road, availability of parking space and yards and amenities such as swimming pools, landscaped outdoors and balconies.

Is West Bromwich a Good Place to Visit?

There are several places of interest and tourist attractions in West Bromwich town. Some of the landmarks date as early as the late 1800s. Also, there several natural wonders and man-made attractions scattered across the city. Here are some of the most famous landmarks and sights.

Oak House Museum

The museum is a 17th century half-timbered home that is believed to have been owned by a farmer.

Dartmouth Park

This is a landscaped park, which includes a large open public park, splash-pad play area and lots of floral displays during Spring.

Dudley Canal

This is one of the interconnected canals running through England and Wales. The waterway is navigable and you can enjoy water sports in some parts of the canals.

Sandwell Valley Country Park

The park is a combination of woods and farms. It is run by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and located along the River Tame. One of the entrances to the park is the Sandwell Park Farm, another landmark in West Bromwich.

Holy Trinity Church

This historic religious center is a parish of the Church of England and was completed in 1852. It has a nave, aisles, a north porch and a southern entrance.

In addition to the above, you can watch a game at The Hawthorns Stadium or take your kids out at Merry Go Round park at Garrett Street. There are several restaurants and clubs where you can enjoy live performances, watch your favourite English football team play or take cold Irish beer.

Is West Bromwich A Good Place To Live?﻿