All,

Is anyone here familiar with Leeds area in England? There could be a possiblity that the company I'm currently working for will move us over there.

I've been doing research, a lot of research, in the area and basically i'm divided if I should do the move.

We have two newborn twin boys so schools will be a top priority in a few years.

I'm looking for local knowledge of the place and any pro's or con's... Anything is helpful!

Kris

Your possibly having to move from the Caribbean to Yorkshire, you have my deepest sympathies....

Yeah, the weather isn't looking all that great... averaging > 20 days of rain a month all year long.

It won't be like home as snow is rare there... but if i'm not at work or at home, i'll probably be at a local pub anyways ;-)

No hurricanes. . .

I would watch the ' The League of Gentlemen ' for indepth research into Yorkshire Derbyshire area of North England.

Leeds? I've lived there and it's a terrific place!
Not a parent so can't help you on schools, but it's part of the Leeds-Bradford urban conurbation and only 30 miles from the big city of Manchester. (you have to remember you can fit the whole of England in a corner of Texas) There are bound to be good ones within reach.
Climate is mild. maybe a few days of snow a year usually. You are right next to the Penine range of hills for walking. and surrounded by beautiful countryside. Leeds is small enough to live in the countryside and commute easily to the centre. Northern English are noted for their friendliness.
Leeds has a war museum and Bradford is a film fans mecca with an IMAX screen, museum and plenty of ridiculously cheap good Indian eating places.
You are well sited for transport being on a motorway and main railway route.
Sushi

I've done some work in the UK and have friends who lived near leeds (and now live near me) - and no offense to any UK members - no way I'd move to the UK.

Especially if I had kids who would be of school age in the next 5 years.

Why is that?

From a backpacker's perspective, Leeds seemed a pretty nice place some years ago. Relatively quiet and laid back. And obviously the Royal Armouries museum is a major attraction if you're even remotely interested in arms and armor. I think the kids would love it.

Manchester and Liverpool were different, though. With much of the once thriving industry in ruins both cities were in a state of decay sort of when I was there. Also, an unusual percentage of not quite so friendly people (gangs) in the street. My travelling buddy and I nearly got in a fight in Manchester (we kept a low profile all the time and were never looking for trouble). Liverpool wasn't much better, you could definitely see there was a serious drug problem.

At least that was my experience as an outsider on a brief visit something like 5 years ago. All in all, I'd probably rather live somewhere further south if I could choose freely. Or some place in Scotland. Never mind the weather, that is one of the few places in the world where I really did feel welcome and comfortable.

My maternal grandparents came from Leeds around 1910, so it's probably changed a bit.

The worst private (read: public) schools in Britain are probably better academically than the best public schools here, but the social problems are probably much the same. You might want to consider homeschooling, which is perfectly legal there.

You'll have to give up some of your EDC, though. And from what I read, there is NO 'Castle Law' of any type there. If someone wants to trash your car or your place, there isn't a thing you can do about it. One of my crews (recent ex-military) said Britain is a criminal's dream because you just have to stand there and take it.