Moved from Redcar to Darlington

[PhilP1903]

I have lived in Redcar for the majority of my 53 years , moved there when i was 12, had a couple of years in London , couple in Holland and a year or so back in Cheshire (where i was born), but my darling wife who is Northern Irish had become more and more dissappointed with the town and its fair to say so was i. The town centre has few decent shops, a fair few closed , a fair few £1 shops and a lot of charity shops so to do any decent shopping other than food meant going elsewhere. The people you meet around town are in the main depressed, depressing, rude and ignorant and not a pleasure to deal with. The bus drivers are exceptionally rude and ignorant and shop staff are not much better.

The town centre on an evening is even more depressing with an overabundance of kebab & pizza shops and pubs, the clientele of which become more and more unsavoury and aggressive the later in the evening and week you go and by saturday night it gives the impression of a mini hell. So after reasonable consideration and Finally selling our house we had the option to move.

We finally decided that we would move to Darlington as my wife had lived there before and liked the town. I agreed to give it a try and see how things go, being a bloke did not want to give in too easily.

Well after being here 4 months i can honestly say WHAT A FLAMIN DIFFERENCE. i know that the 2 towns are generally very different in their history and make up but really the difference is amazing. The town centre is large reasonably well laid out has a large choice of store covering most types of purchse required, and plenty of specialist shops tec in close proximity for purchase of less usual items. The pubs etc are friendly and pleasant even on an evening and we feel safe in the town centre evenm at 1am on a saturday night with quite a few beers inside us.

The biggest difference is the people, they actually smile in the street, the chavs move out of your way and say please and thank you etc. The buses run according to the actual timetable , the bus drivers are CHEERFUL AND HAPPY AND POLITE.

All in all Darlington is a world away from Redcar, not only does it have better transport links (Main Trainline, A66, A19, near Airport) but it has a far more casual and laid back atmosphere. basically it is a far far nicer place to be.

There are some very nice people in Redcar but unfortunately there are far more people there that are not nice.

R.I.P. REDCAR

Rock On Darlington. :):)

[FUBAR]

Congratulations on the move I am pleased to see your so enthusiastic and satisfied with your choice must be such a relief. I am looking for somewhere at moment ironically being from NI and living in Holland at moment but its throwing darts in a map at moment trying to decide where :(

[MudPuppy]

Glad you're happy with your new town! I used to live just down the road from you (Northallerton) and use to go up to Darlo regularly. It's a nice little town

[Captain Scarlet]

Where I spent my early years until we moved to Carlisle with my Dads job. Must go back and pay it a visit.

[PhilP1903]

Well tbh i was a bit dubious when the wife first suggested Darlo but it really is a very nice town.

[Jim H]

You are right about Redcar town centre. Lots of charity shops and 'virtual shops' where ones have closed. The only good thing is the beach and Lemon Top Ice creams. Having said that, the promenade is all a mess because of sea defences and the building of the 'Vertical Pier'. 99% of residents didn't want it and I think it will look like a giant helter-skelter. I suppose the only other plus side is the Steel works next door has given me employment since last August.

I've not really been to Daro before. I've once worked in a factory in a industrial estate on the outskirts of it (Faverdale), which seamed a nice area.

[All torque]

Redcar is now a hole to what it used to be. I used to think Darlo was until I was there last week with the wife (transfered her care from James Cook to the Memorial Hospital). Had a walk around the town centre - really supprised to how much its changed.

[The Muppeteer]

Darlo is still the only place anyone has ever tried to kick in my car window as I drove past. Predictably a ****ed up moron who thought my ancient Polo was a taxi. Most of the Teesside towns are holes unfortunately, but Redcar has definitely nosedived in recent years. The only good thing about Teesside is the parmo.

Living these days in NI, I have to laugh at your wife's impressions of the town. She hasn't been home much obviously. Small town NI has to be seen to be believed.

[PhilP1903]

Darlo is still the only place anyone has ever tried to kick in my car window as I drove past. Predictably a ****ed up moron who thought my ancient Polo was a taxi. Most of the Teesside towns are holes unfortunately, but Redcar has definitely nosedived in recent years. The only good thing about Teesside is the parmo.

Living these days in NI, I have to laugh at your wife's impressions of the town. She hasn't been home much obviously. Small town NI has to be seen to be believed.

Hi Muppeteer, i did not mention my wife's opinion as regards town's in NI, she loves going back home, Belfast is an incredible vibrant city and Portstewart, Portrush and the surrounding area is a beautiful place to be.

I agree that most Teeside towns are bad, but not all of them.

Oh and Darlington is NOT in Teeside it is in County Durham.

[spinna]

I agree that most Teeside towns are bad, but not all of them.

Oh and Darlington is NOT in Teeside it is in County Durham.

Teesside with 2 s's, isn't a county anyway, it's just a regional label.

Cleveland no longer exists as a county now - just the post office use it. (Even for me and i'm 5miles inside the County Durham border.)

So are Redcar and Boro technically North Yorkshire now?

[spinna]

Oh and another thing, like you say Darlo is not part of Teesside, unlike Boro, Stockton etc, but it is part of the Tees Valley with them - Bonkers

[PhilP1903]

Yep Spinna i agree, whole system of regional names in this area is generally at best confusing and at worst moronic. LOL

Oh and as far as redcar are concerned as they are officially not part of cleveland or Teeside they have been given permission to use "North Yorkshire" as part of their postal address. FFS just even more confusion.

[spinna]

Yep Spinna i agree, whole system of regional names in this area is generally at best confusing and at worst moronic. LOL

Oh and as far as redcar are concerned as they are officially not part of cleveland or Teeside they have been given permission to use "North Yorkshire" as part of their postal address. FFS just even more confusion.

Indeed

I live in Sedgefield, County Durham but my address is Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland with a Teesside PostCode.

Makes perfect sense to someone I guess.

[Jim H]

Yep Spinna i agree, whole system of regional names in this area is generally at best confusing and at worst moronic. LOL

Oh and as far as redcar are concerned as they are officially not part of cleveland or Teeside they have been given permission to use "North Yorkshire" as part of their postal address. FFS just even more confusion.

I'm confused now, I thought Redcar was in 'Redcar and Cleveland' or is that something different?

P.S. Its Teesside (Tees side) with two S's not Teeside.

[PhilP1903]

The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees Valley economic area. It is represented in Parliament by Ian Swales (Liberal Democrat) for the Redcar constituency and by Tom Blenkinsop (Labour) for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

The district was created in 1974 as the borough of Langbaurgh, one of four districts of the new non-metropolitan county of Cleveland. It was formed from the Coatham, Kirkleatham, Ormesby, Redcar and South Bank wards of the county borough of Teesside, along with Guisborough, Loftus, Saltburn and Marske-by-the-Sea, Eston Grange and Skelton and Brotton urban districts, from the North Riding of Yorkshire. The borough was named after the ancient Langbaurgh wapentake of Yorkshire. On 1 January 1988 the borough was renamed as Langbaurgh-on-Tees.

Cleveland County was abolished on 1 April 1996, with its districts becoming unitary authorities. At this time Langbaurgh-on-Tees was renamed Redcar and Cleveland. Cleveland County was a two-tier local authority, with the county council being superior to its four districts, of which Langbaurgh-on-Tees was one. Upon becoming a unitary authority, Langbaurgh-on-Tees (renamed as Redcar and Cleveland) acquired all the full rights and duties as a county, whilst retaining the same boundaries as before.

The Borough Council's town hall is situated in Teesville, on Fabian Road. The Council also has offices in Redcar at Kirkleatham Street and in Guisborough.

In 2002, the borough transferred its council housing stock of over 10,000 homes to an independent housing association established for the purpose: Coast & Country Housing Limited.

[spinna]

I'm confused now, I thought Redcar was in 'Redcar and Cleveland' or is that something different?

P.S. Its Teesside (Tees side) with two S's not Teeside.

So you can have up to three 'tags', which may can be the same or completely different!

Postal County

Actual County

and Unitary Authority!

Confused at your regional identity much

[The Muppeteer]

It's why the world labels you collectively as Smoggies - saves on any confusion caused by government tinkering. ;-)