Moving to Waterford

mangeybear

Greetings! I am an American being asked by my employer to take a two year assignment in Waterford. I've got a family, wife and three kids all under ten years old (the kids, I mean). I'm looking for advice on neighborhoods to consider, as well as schools. With the package I'm being offered, I'll have a bit of money to spend on rent, so I'd really like to hear about the nice areas.

With respect to the schools, we're Catholic, but I don't have a strong preference for religious schools, just somewhere that has a community built around it, that might make it easy for my wife and kids to make friends.

Thanks for any help and advice in advance.

johnnykilo

I can't really help you with schools, but I'm guess most people would agree that the Dunmore road area starting from the People's Park out is probably the nicest part of the city to live in (I know I'd like to live there personally). That being said there are plenty of other nice areas but that's the one that springs to mind. Tramore might also be an option, small seaside town about 10 minutes from Waterford City.

Not sure if you've searched this forum already but there's been a few threads about moving to Waterford in the past, so they might be worth a read too if you haven't already, although you might need to filter the Spankmemunkey posts :P )

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=78485465

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74582244

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70252180

Best of luck with whatever you decide!

Nypd

You can't go far wrong living on the Dunmore road,
I send my son to Scoil Lorcain in Johns park, very good primary school that has had recent investment so it's modern and very well kept.
Plenty of good sporting activities in the city to keep them occupied, my boy plays soccer with Villa FC they are great with the kids.
Waterford is struggling economically but there is a lot of local business people working hard on different projects attempting to raise the profile of the city.
All I can say is welcome to Waterford.

stefan idiot jones

+100 for Dunmore Road.

brinty

Mangeybear, welcome to Waterford. My wife and I also relocated to Waterford City and were in the same boat as you. We live on the Dunmore road and cannot recommend it enough. Has access to all of the facilities you will need i.e Shops, pubs restaurants, sports clubs etc. Schools - we're not at that stage yet, but there is a primary school close to Dunmore road in Ballygunnar. Theres lots of sports clubs in the vicinity too Ballygunnar GAA, Waterpark rugby club, Dunmore Badminton Club(i'm a member, so if you interested i can tell you more) St Annes tennis club, a couple of golf clubs..don't know about a soccer club but maybe other could help.

Glad to see you're not taking the oul Monkey too seriously....rarely has anything good to say about the city.

roxyworldgirl

Just to give you another option : slieverue area is a nice friendly area to grow up in ... Village community and good schools for your children
But still within five minutes of the town ...
I grew up on the dunmore road but feel its become overcrowded in the last 6 years or so

Minister

South Kilkenny may be worth a look. There are some nice houses in the Kilmacow/Mooncoin/Mullinavat areas that can be bought at value and would hold their price for your stay - should you decide to sell in two years - as well as some nice houses to rent.

South Kilkenny is nice and it easy access to Waterford, Kilkenny City, Shannon, Dublin, M9 motorway, 'touristy' attractions and N24/N25 main routes. Also it is out the country so it is super for kids and a lot goes on in local areas for families. You would be fine.

Forget about those who post concerning Kilkenny versus Waterford rhetoric. The most important thing is 'Welcome to the area', good luck and enjoy it.

There is one large house in the Mullinavat area that is for rent.....however, I am told it costs a fortune to keep warm. You will see it on www.daft.ie.

You will fit in to any community once you are friendly and cheery to your neighbours. Most people everywhere are good.

Please feel free to PM if you wish. I am a forty something male professional with three kids from 16 down to 11 if I can be of any assistance.

blankAs

Have you considered tramore, some seaside living!

duinegorm

You'd be better off living in Dungarvan. One of the best places to live in Ireland:

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/westport-pips-killarney-to-top-list-of-irelands-favourite-towns-28818790.html

Only a very short commute and great schools and communities. I moved from Waterford years ago and am so glad I did. Send me a PM if you need to know anything.

b0ardsUser

Nypd wrote: »

I send my son to Scoil Lorcain in Johns park, very good primary school that has had recent investment so it's modern and very well kept.

I wouldn't dream of sending a child to Scoil Lorcain while that excuse of a principal is still there.

I would suggest sending the child to St. Declans primary school opposite the Peoples park.

mangeybear

Wow, what nice feedback! I might PM some of you as we get closer, but for now, just a few questions for the group:

1. I'm having trouble understanding the school funding. If I pay taxes, are the schools free? Whether they are religious or not?

2. Anyone give me an idea of the costs of private healthcare? I'm not a snob about it, but would like to know what it costs.

3. Where do people shop for clothes? What's the equivalent of a Marks and Spencer?

mickyellow

mangeybear wrote: »

Wow, what nice feedback! I might PM some of you as we get closer, but for now, just a few questions for the group:

1. I'm having trouble understanding the school funding. If I pay taxes, are the schools free? Whether they are religious or not?

2. Anyone give me an idea of the costs of private healthcare? I'm not a snob about it, but would like to know what it costs.

3. Where do people shop for clothes? What's the equivalent of a Marks and Spencer?

1. schools are free. you could send your child to a private school and pay up to 7/8K per annum. unsure of private schools in the Waterford area. The majority of children in Ireland attend the public school system.

2. Private Medical Insurance varies. check www.vhi.ie or one of their competitors.

3. Regarding shopping for clothes etc, Waterford has a good choice. http://www.city-square.ie/ or http://www.waterfordireland.ie/shopping

Cabaal

mangeybear wrote: »

1. I'm having trouble understanding the school funding. If I pay taxes, are the schools free? Whether they are religious or not?

Majority of Schools are free for the most part, you'll have to of course pay for books, school uniforms (if the school requires them), and any extra activities such as swimming lessons that the school may organise, sporting gear etc which is all pretty normal.

Most schools look for some sort of "voluntary" fee at the start of each school year and this can vary alot from say 30e to 100 euro. This fee is used towards photocopying etc in the school towards classes.

2. Anyone give me an idea of the costs of private healthcare? I'm not a snob about it, but would like to know what it costs.

You may find this helpful, it also lists all private health care providers in Ireland
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/health_insurance/private_health_insurance.html

Compared to the USA health insurance is far far cheaper in Ireland. Even use of public health care is cheaper....for example if you go to Accident & Emergency (ER) you pay a flat rate fee of 120 euro regardless of if you have to get a broken arm fixed or get some stitches for a very bad cut.

Further charges can apply if you have to stay over night though..

A visit to a local doctor (GP) costs in the region of 50-60euro per visit.

3. Where do people shop for clothes? What's the equivalent of a Marks and Spencer?

Plenty of shops around Waterford and the South East region to choose from
As well as the links given for Waterford there's also for example Kilkenny (just a 30min drive) - http://www.kilkennyshopping.com/

So between all the places you can shop you'll be sorted for clothes

Baby4

This post has been deleted.

bullpost

I would second this.

But I'd look at Dunmore East as well. Tramore's got a good surfing community which might appeal to your kids but Dunmore East is a traditional fishing community with a nice beach. Both are a very easy commute to City.
Scale wise you'll probably find Ireland easy to get around. There's a motorway to Dublin - you get there in under 2 hours.

blankAs wrote: »

Have you considered tramore, some seaside living!

Ericaa

Taken from a similar thread:

x.revoLucian wrote: »

Hello, everyone!


This is a very interesting thread, and I simply felt compelled to give my own input; not for the sake of doing so, but to helpfully give Sarah a better perspective on the life decision that she and her husband would like to take.
I hope you read our posts, and hope you make the best decision for yourself. I wish you only the best of luck.


Myself, I have been living in Waterford City for the last eight years. Prior to that, I resided in South Amboy, New Jersey, a busy outpost of New York City. Before that, I got to experience a rural existence in a backwards Iowa farming town. And even further back than that, I spent my childhood in the second largest city of a Soviet Bloc nation. Apart from these, I got to witness many other places, and I feel enriched by my experiences.


Allow me to side with those on here who regard Waterford in a negative light. While it has, after these eight long years, granted me with a home and livelihood and many happy moments, it is still the worst place I have seen; no exaggeration.


You obviously want the nice things in life. There are many places in the world that will offer them to you and it is a good reason to move somewhere to find a good home, but I don't doubt for a second that Waterford isn't the right place. Let me list:

-Crime rate might be on par to other places, but why would an average crime rate attract anyone? I do not consider Waterford City safe, and it is becoming increasing difficult to avoid confrontation, harassment, and physical assault. I try to give to my community as much as possible, and I have not been able to avoid these things myself.

-Shopping is abysmal. Anything that is available is from last season or from previous lines. This includes electronics. If you want to stay behind the trends, be my guest and enjoy Waterford's fine shopping.

-Public transport might be fair, but is, just like most other things, becoming overpriced. As well as this, it does often happen that walking becomes a faster mode of transport. And, again, buses do seem to have a dangerous appeal as young men with nothing better to do seem to ride them for the sole purpose of looking for attention.

-Which brings me to this point; the people. While some may be warm and welcoming, most are just like the poor, bleak weather, which, while not the worst in the country, it is by far not the best you could hope for. The general public is cold, alienated, and detached, and extremely unreasonable and demanding if you work in the service industry, and won't help you if you are in need in my experience. Even after eight years and many acquaintances, I am not fully accepted by everyone.

-Best of all, many of these people you encounter will probably spend their evenings the only way available here. Conglomerating around the sweaty intersection of the few clubs and miserable, 'drown-your-sorrows' pubs we have. It is a view to behold as, at closing time, disorientated men and women pour onto the streets in a frenzy of sound and vomit, arguing, and desperate chasing of the hint of possibility of 'hooking up'; think MTV's Jersey Shore style but plethora of times sadder to look at.

-The streets are dirty, with locals having zero respect for throwing their garbage and cigarette butts on the pavement. It is a shabby excuse for a clean place to live.

-Also very concerning, the general state of the economy is poor, and finding a job is hard. I know places where this is worse than here, but I am uncertain of how much of an ordeal it might be for a complete outsider to pursue employment.

-I could keep going on, and on, and on, but for the time being, I will give one more, and possibly the most important example of why not to move here. If you have children, or ever plan on it, I will plead you not to consider Ireland. Let the abuse from the locals come at me, but I will say that the school system in this country is worse than that of a third world nation. If you bring up a child here, he or she is bound to become just like the locals are, and I would pity that. Children are not taught respect by the system. They are neglected and abandoned to fend for themselves. Which, sadly, leads to them using drugs, which are available to most with little to no effort. You can pretty much find drugs faster than a job, you might say. I am not saying every child is doing this, but it seems awfully widespread, far too much to make this city a place where I would consider raising a child.


If you agree or disagree with me, let me know, I do find everyone's posts here quite interesting.
Just out of curiosity, can anyone say that Waterford City is the best place to be in? Ever?
Sarah, I can think of many places where I would be much, much happier, and I'm certain that you can, too. Best of luck, and I hope your decision brings you joy.


Farewell.

seven_eleven

Nonsense ^
His post is far too pessimistic. Looks for everything and anything wrong with Waterford and amplifies it.

looksee

Goodness, what a very sad post. (the quoted post) If you have been sent to Waterford for your work there is not much point in saying you would be better off living in Galway!

Waterford has been very badly hammered by job losses, but on the other hand the City council are doing great work trying to make improvements, and succeeding, and opening new museums, there is a theatre, a good cinema and some decent restaurants.

Where you live does depend a little bit on where you will be working. Commuting down the Dunmore Road could be a bit of a nightmare as it can be slow during rush hours. There is some very nice housing etc around there though.

I live in Tramore which is a bit of a dormitory town for Waterford, but I like it as a place to live, I am near the middle of the town and it is both safe and peaceful. If you are going to the west side of Waterford to work it would be easier for commuting.

There is a lovely coastline, mountains and countryside within half an hour of Waterford city and in the south east generally lots of places to visit.

Max Powers

i never saw any posts by that die hard pessimist (xRevo Lucien)on here before, trolling? i find it pathetic either way. Sure there is unemployment and the weather aint great but sure you could say that about any place in Ireland. im sure the streets of New Jersey are spotless and everyone has a welcoming smile.

seven_eleven

Max Powers wrote: »

i never saw any posts by that die hard pessimist (xRevo Lucien)on here before, trolling? i find it pathetic either way. Sure there is unemployment and the weather aint great but sure you could say that about any place in Ireland. im sure the streets of New Jersey are spotless and everyone has a welcoming smile.

Its a post from last year some time.

Smiley Burnett

mangeybear wrote: »

Greetings! I am an American being asked by my employer to take a two year assignment in Waterford. I've got a family, wife and three kids all under ten years old (the kids, I mean). I'm looking for advice on neighborhoods to consider, as well as schools. With the package I'm being offered, I'll have a bit of money to spend on rent, so I'd really like to hear about the nice areas.

With respect to the schools, we're Catholic, but I don't have a strong preference for religious schools, just somewhere that has a community built around it, that might make it easy for my wife and kids to make friends.

Thanks for any help and advice in advance.

move to dungarvan.....you wont regret it!!!

duinegorm

seven_eleven wrote: »

Nonsense ^
His post is far too pessimistic. Looks for everything and anything wrong with Waterford and amplifies it.

I'd love to agree with you but there's very little that's not accurate in what was written.

Funfair

Ericaa wrote: »

Originally Posted by x.revoLucian
Hello, everyone!


Myself, I have been living in Waterford City for the last eight years. Prior to that, I resided in South Amboy, New Jersey, a busy outpost of New York City. Before that, I got to experience a rural existence in a backwards Iowa farming town. And even further back than that, I spent my childhood in the second largest city of a Soviet Bloc nation. Apart from these, I got to witness many other places, and I feel enriched by my experiences. In other words your a Pensioner


Allow me to side with those on here who regard Waterford in a negative light. While it has, after these eight long years, granted me with a home and livelihood and many happy moments, it is still the worst place I have seen; no exaggeration. Each to their own I suppose


You obviously want the nice things in life. There are many places in the world that will offer them to you and it is a good reason to move somewhere to find a good home, but I don't doubt for a second that Waterford isn't the right place. Let me list:

-Crime rate might be on par to other places, but why would an average crime rate attract anyone? I do not consider Waterford City safe, and it is becoming increasing difficult to avoid confrontation, harassment, and physical assault. I try to give to my community as much as possible, and I have not been able to avoid these things myself. Reading what your writing here I'm guessing you like Confrontation

-Shopping is abysmal. Anything that is available is from last season or from previous lines. This includes electronics. If you want to stay behind the trends, be my guest and enjoy Waterford's fine shopping.

Most kids I know have Iphones, Xbox, playstation with the latest games so where your getting the above from is anyone's guess

-Public transport might be fair, but is, just like most other things, becoming overpriced. As well as this, it does often happen that walking becomes a faster mode of transport. And, again, buses do seem to have a dangerous appeal as young men with nothing better to do seem to ride them for the sole purpose of looking for attention.

Bus prices I'm guessing is somewhere between €1.50 and €3.00 for local stops which is hardly over priced. As with the attention seeking kids you seem to have a habit of attracting confrontation.

-Which brings me to this point; the people. While some may be warm and welcoming, most are just like the poor, bleak weather, which, while not the worst in the country, it is by far not the best you could hope for. The general public is cold, alienated, and detached, and extremely unreasonable and demanding if you work in the service industry, and won't help you if you are in need in my experience. Even after eight years and many acquaintances, I am not fully accepted by everyone. I can see why..

-Best of all, many of these people you encounter will probably spend their evenings the only way available here. Conglomerating around the sweaty intersection of the few clubs and miserable, 'drown-your-sorrows' pubs we have. It is a view to behold as, at closing time, disorientated men and women pour onto the streets in a frenzy of sound and vomit, arguing, and desperate chasing of the hint of possibility of 'hooking up'; think MTV's Jersey Shore style but plethora of times sadder to look at. I'm guessing you work in Abrakebabra and have to put up with the drunk idiots that come in at 2am to come out with the above statement

-The streets are dirty, with locals having zero respect for throwing their garbage and cigarette butts on the pavement. It is a shabby excuse for a clean place to live.
Total crap I work early mornings and see the streets being cleaned and even power-washed at the intersection you mentioned above. The city might not appeal to everyone but dirty it's not.

-Also very concerning, the general state of the economy is poor, and finding a job is hard. I know places where this is worse than here, but I am uncertain of how much of an ordeal it might be for a complete outsider to pursue employment.

Your not being victimised here as the same applies to everyone not just so called outsiders

-I could keep going on, and on, and on, but for the time being, I will give one more, and possibly the most important example of why not to move here. If you have children, or ever plan on it, I will plead you not to consider Ireland. Let the abuse from the locals come at me, but I will say that the school system in this country is worse than that of a third world nation. If you bring up a child here, he or she is bound to become just like the locals are, and I would pity that. Children are not taught respect by the system. They are neglected and abandoned to fend for themselves. Which, sadly, leads to them using drugs, which are available to most with little to no effort. You can pretty much find drugs faster than a job, you might say. I am not saying every child is doing this, but it seems awfully widespread, far too much to make this city a place where I would consider raising a child.

Would you prefer they grew up like yourself i.e. miserable and sad? Our schools are the most modern in Europe and our education system is also on par with our neighbours in the UK.




If you agree or disagree with me, let me know, I do find everyone's posts here quite interesting.
Just out of curiosity, can anyone say that Waterford City is the best place to be in? Ever? I can think of many places I'd rather live but if you asked the local in any city he also could name a few he'd rather live. The grass always looks greener on the other side...

Farewell.:

Goodluck

kensutz

Ericaa wrote: »

Taken from a similar thread:

And instead of quoting a post that very few people have seen, why not give your own opinion? :rolleyes:

duinegorm

kensutz wrote: »

And instead of quoting a post that very few people have seen, why not give your own opinion? :rolleyes:

Was it not a good idea to post the thoughts of an American who had moved to Waterford on what he thought of the place. Especially seeing as a fellow American wanted to know about the area.

Ericaa

Max Powers wrote: »

i never saw any posts by that die hard pessimist (xRevo Lucien)on here before, trolling? i find it pathetic either way. Sure there is unemployment and the weather aint great but sure you could say that about any place in Ireland. im sure the streets of New Jersey are spotless and everyone has a welcoming smile.

No, he's definitely not a troll.

kensutz wrote: »

And instead of quoting a post that very few people have seen, why not give your own opinion? :rolleyes:

Well, as duinegorm pointed out, it seemed like a good idea to post the thoughts of someone who has lived in America.
As for my own opinion, it almost matches his word for word.

Funfair wrote: »

Goodluck

It's funny how assuming you're being, if you knew this person, you'd be shocked at how wrong you are.

johnnykilo

Ericaa wrote: »

No, he's definitely not a troll.


Well, as duinegorm pointed out, it seemed like a good idea to post the thoughts of someone who has lived in America.
As for my own opinion, it almost matches his word for word.


It's funny how assuming you're being, if you knew this person, you'd be shocked at how wrong you are.

The OP isn't asking should they move to Waterford! They're moving here for work regardless and they were asking where in Waterford they should move to. You're completely missing the point with the quoted post from x.revoLucian!

duinegorm

johnnykilo wrote: »

The OP isn't asking should they move to Waterford! They're moving here for work regardless and they were asking where in Waterford they should move to. You're completely missing the point with the quoted post from x.revoLucian!

He doesn't have to live in Waterford City. He can live outside it and have a short commute. Your completely missing the point that there is more to Waterford than it's city and there was nothing wrong with someone giving the opinion that they thought it was best avoided.

stefan idiot jones

Shame on you Mangeybear for looking for help.

Another thread ends in chaos.

duinegorm

stefan idiot jones wrote: »

Shame on you Mangeybear for looking for help.

Another thread ends in chaos.

It's not exactly "chaos" to be fair. Bit of an over reaction to a bit of debate.

johnnykilo

I never suggested the OP couldn't live outside Waterford, if you look at my first post in this thread I actually suggested Tramore as an option!

If you look at the context of the thread in which x.revoLucian made the original statement, he was advising people to choose another city in Ireland apart from Waterford. As already stated the OP will be at least working in Waterford so I'm guessing they're not going to want to commute from Cork, Galway or Dublin every day.

Anyway I doubt moving to Tramore, Dungarvan or somewhere in South Kilkenny is drastically going to fix the issues raised by x.revoLucian. I don't think any of those places have radically different crime rates, better shopping than Waterford, improved and cheaper public transport, more nightlife options etc...

Ericaa

johnnykilo wrote: »

I never suggested the OP couldn't live outside Waterford, if you look at my first post in this thread I actually suggested Tramore as an option!

If you look at the context of the thread in which x.revoLucian made the original statement, he was advising people to choose another city in Ireland apart from Waterford. As already stated the OP will be at least working in Waterford so I'm guessing they're not going to want to commute from Cork, Galway or Dublin every day.

Anyway I doubt moving to Tramore, Dungarvan or somewhere in South Kilkenny is drastically going to fix the issues raised by x.revoLucian. I don't think any of those places have radically different crime rates, better shopping than Waterford, improved and cheaper public transport, more nightlife options etc...

Actually, he was advising the other poster to avoid Ireland altogether if at all possible, but that's for another thread.

I posted what he said because it seemed like a valuable viewpoint from someone who is well travelled, rather than the biased opinions of us Waterford people.

While I admit that quoted post goes outside of what the OP is asking, it might be a good thing for them to consider before moving here.

Adyx

Funfair wrote: »

Goodluck

Who exactly were you responding to with that ignorant reply seeing as the op hasn't been on since September? Now while some of that post is a slight exaggeration, there is some truth to it. I love living here but let's face it: shopping isn't great, some of the streets are filthy and in my experience you are better off walking than relying on the bus. That said, it's no better or worse than any where else in this country.

gw80

Ericaa wrote: »

Actually, he was advising the other poster to avoid Ireland altogether if at all possible, but that's for another thread.

I posted what he said because it seemed like a valuable viewpoint from someone who is well travelled, rather than the biased opinions of us Waterford people.

While I admit that quoted post goes outside of what the OP is asking, it might be a good thing for them to consider before moving here.

`

you seem to have a bad view of waterford but im sure if you went to live in a small village in the middle of Ireland somewhere it wouldent be long before you started missing the easy access to beaches, 24hour shopping, 24hr garages, and the "awfull" nightlife,.

duinegorm

gw80 wrote: »

`

you seem to have a bad view of waterford but im sure if you went to live in a small village in the middle of Ireland somewhere it wouldent be long before you started missing the easy access to beaches, 24hour shopping, 24hr garages, and the "awfull" nightlife,.

How about a village or town right on the beach. I suppose it would be tough though when you get the urge to do your shopping at 4 in the morning and fill the tank with petrol. I can't believe I never missed that when I moved away.

Ericaa never said anything about moving to a village in the middle of nowhere by the way. Also, is that the best you could come up with about Waterford city? Easy access to beaches and shopping at night?

gw80

duinegorm wrote: »

How about a village or town right on the beach. I suppose it would be tough though when you get the urge to do your shopping at 4 in the morning and fill the tank with petrol. I can't believe I never missed that when I moved away.

Ericaa never said anything about moving to a village in the middle of nowhere by the way. Also, is that the best you could come up with about Waterford city? Easy access to beaches and shopping at night?

of coarse not duingorm, there,s plenty more but these would be some of the first things you would miss,not everyone is tucked up in bed at nine every night,some of us have a life duingorm.

Iv been in a few situations where having these places has been very handy,

it just annoys me when people say nothing but negative things all the time about waterford,they should look at what they have and not what they dont have.

and "by the way" no need to be so tetchy, calm down for yourself

nialeon

Guys this thread has popped up at a great time... I would like to let the OP know that there is a site under devolpment and will be launching very soon with all the information he is looking for..it will have info from schools, childcare, doctors, recreation, sports clubs, youth services.. all information will be found under there specific neighbourhood tab.. when I have the offical launch date I will post here.

duinegorm

gw80 wrote: »

of coarse not duingorm, there,s plenty more but these would be some of the first things you would miss,not everyone is tucked up in bed at nine every night,some of us have a life duingorm.

Iv been in a few situations where having these places has been very handy,

it just annoys me when people say nothing but negative things all the time about waterford,they should look at what they have and not what they dont have.

and "by the way" no need to be so tetchy, calm down for yourself

Gy80. I am perfectly calm. I have to laugh when I hear someone from the city assume that it is so important to have 24 hour shopping. It's not important at all. If you, Gy80, had to do without it you would, perfectly fine. I did without it before I moved to Waterford city and after I left and so do most people in this country. What do you mean by "tucked up in bed at nine every night"? Do you think there's nothing to do in the villages and towns of Ireland after 9 every night? That there are no shops open until late? That there are no pubs, nightclub, societies, GAA clubs, Theater's, concerts etc. etc. Your sounding like someone who has rarely ventured outside the city walls.

duinegorm

nialeon wrote: »

Guys this thread has popped up at a great time... I would like to let the OP know that there is a site under devolpment and will be launching very soon with all the information he is looking for..it will have info from schools, childcare, doctors, recreation, sports clubs, youth services.. all information will be found under there specific neighbourhood tab.. when I have the offical launch date I will post here.

That sounds great. Who's behind the site?

Dicky Pride

A better time would have been when the site is actually available.

nialeon

duinegorm wrote: »

That sounds great. Who's behind the site?

Waterford Area Partnership & City Council , we are also getting community organisations involved and we offer them to take a course were they can devolpe a webpage for there organisation, all which will be linked to the main portal.

angelfalling

I'm American and living in Waterford 7 years. It's taken me that long to settle (and I'm easy-going and pretty adaptable). I have two small children, one in school, in the Educate Together which is a secular school with an ethos not unlike a typical public American elementary school.
I would suggest not coming at all, but if its only 2 years, its an experience at least! If you can get away with living in Dungarvan, for go it. Kilkenny, even. Otherwise, don't go anywhere other than Tramore or in Waterford city somewhere like the Dunmore road or near People's Park/Newtown.

I won't go on a diatribe about the city or Ireland, its easy to find those threads. You will find social life very different in Ireland in general as well. If your wife is American, she might find it tough making friends like the sort of friends she has at home. Customer service is terrible or non-existent (compared to what you are used to. Eating out is expensive and not very good. You will miss a lot of things after the rose-tinted glasses wear off (and they wear off fast). There is a great community called "Americans Living in Ireland" that you will enjoy. I will warn you, though, there are hundreds of members and a large, large percentage are not enjoying their experience and would leave if they could. There is a defensive attitude if you try to talk the negatives, so I won't go on and on. However, to add lastly, the weather is atrocious and about 75% of the reason I can't wait to emigrate (but I have a milestone of a house around my neck, so that's down the line). Feel free to PM me if you have any American-Ireland questions.

Funfair

Adyx wrote: »

Who exactly were you responding to with that ignorant reply seeing as the op hasn't been on since September? Now while some of that post is a slight exaggeration, there is some truth to it. I love living here but let's face it: shopping isn't great, some of the streets are filthy and in my experience you are better off walking than relying on the bus. That said, it's no better or worse than any where else in this country.

Rich a barman complaining about dirty streets while he serves drink to the masses who fall out pubs like his and creates the dam mess..

Ericaa

gw80 wrote: »

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you seem to have a bad view of waterford but im sure if you went to live in a small village in the middle of Ireland somewhere it wouldent be long before you started missing the easy access to beaches, 24hour shopping, 24hr garages, and the "awfull" nightlife,.

I do, and I wouldn't like it there either.
Well for one, I have lived five minutes away from the beach for the past 13 years, yet I haven't gone there regularly in at least six.
I don't have access to 24 hour shopping, as that would need 24 hour buses.
As you can guess from the last sentence, 24 hour garages are no use to me.

Funfair wrote: »

Rich a barman complaining about dirty streets while he serves drink to the masses who fall out pubs like his and creates the dam mess..

What are you on about now? Lol.

Adyx

Funfair wrote: »

Rich a barman complaining about dirty streets while he serves drink to the masses who fall out pubs like his and creates the dam mess..

Oh really? How many drunks do you see down on the Quays? You seem completely focused on that one section of town. There are other dirty street you know. I suppose I'm to blame for all the chewing gum and cigarette butts am I? Besides, according to you there is no mess so it's not rich of me at all.

pharmaton

Signed up specifically to respond to this thread. I don't really want to turn anyone away from my home town but there are a lot of things that others might not find so great about Waterford, it really depends on your experience and what you make of it but the same could be said about anywhere. I've lived in the Dunmore road/Newtown area for over a decade and even when I speak to other Waterfordians I feel like we're living on different planets sometimes. They don't see the things I do and I don't get to experience the things they do, I didn't realise just how much until the last few years when things started going downhill. I'm going to big up my pov so brace yerselves.

I live in a very quiet residential area within five minutes of the city centre, shops, schools and places of worship. (of all denominations) I don't drive but I'm on several handy bus routes. There are so many local amenities I couldn't list them all, gyms and leisure centres, libraries, theatres, galleries, coffee spots, river walks, ...it is endless. I walk through the peoples park every day, I have to if I want to get where I'm going. I firmly believe living here gives me a greater quality of life and even when I've been unemployed I still managed to be somewhere that doesn't make me feel like crap. I could get up and be somewhere relaxing and imo beautiful within five minutes and take in a coffee. (a luxury on the dole)

I can understand the point of view of Americans who have come here and found that the Irish aren't really a hundred thousand welcomes in real life, they are friendly but in a fairweather kind of way, there are very few I would trust generally and in Waterford at least there appears to be a healthy tradition of taking exception to anyone who has something you don't have. (I don't want to use the B word) Hell, I find Irish people difficult!

But you don't have to succumb to the Irish mentality. There is definitely a place here for you and your family, just choose wisely and it really could be a great experience. Best of luck

looksee

pharmaton wrote: »

Signed up specifically to respond to this thread. I don't really want to turn anyone away from my home town but there are a lot of things that others might not find so great about Waterford, it really depends on your experience and what you make of it but the same could be said about anywhere. I've lived in the Dunmore road/Newtown area for over a decade and even when I speak to other Waterfordians I feel like we're living on different planets sometimes. They don't see the things I do and I don't get to experience the things they do, I didn't realise just how much until the last few years when things started going downhill. I'm going to big up my pov so brace yerselves.

I live in a very quiet residential area within five minutes of the city centre, shops, schools and places of worship. (of all denominations) I don't drive but I'm on several handy bus routes. There are so many local amenities I couldn't list them all, gyms and leisure centres, libraries, theatres, galleries, coffee spots, river walks, ...it is endless. I walk through the peoples park every day, I have to if I want to get where I'm going. I firmly believe living here gives me a greater quality of life and even when I've been unemployed I still managed to be somewhere that doesn't make me feel like crap. I could get up and be somewhere relaxing and imo beautiful within five minutes and take in a coffee. (a luxury on the dole)

I can understand the point of view of Americans who have come here and found that the Irish aren't really a hundred thousand welcomes in real life, they are friendly but in a fairweather kind of way, there are very few I would trust generally and in Waterford at least there appears to be a healthy tradition of taking exception to anyone who has something you don't have. (I don't want to use the B word) Hell, I find Irish people difficult!

But you don't have to succumb to the Irish mentality. There is definitely a place here for you and your family, just choose wisely and it really could be a great experience. Best of luck

This is a very good post. The bolded bit is especially true. I have lived here over 40 years and any close friends I have are not Irish. Not because I have gone out looking for other nationalities, but because they are the only ones who have shown any interest. It can be a good place to live, but I agree you will have to work hard at finding friends.

Pmaher

Any Waterford people I've met are all the same: starting rumours and avoiding each other. Even other people I've met who moved there to work say it's a dump. Full of ex-factory workers and bitter older people bad-mouthing each other. Famous Waterford phrases: "Don't be smart" and "Stay away from him boy". No-one in the rest of Ireland gives a **** about Waterford. And unlike other nearby counties no-one from Waterford brags about living there.

pharmaton

Pmaher wrote: »

Any Waterford people I've met are all the same: starting rumours and avoiding each other. Even other people I've met who moved there to work say it's a dump. Full of ex-factory workers and bitter older people bad-mouthing each other. Famous Waterford phrases: "Don't be smart" and "Stay away from him boy". No-one in the rest of Ireland gives a **** about Waterford. And unlike other nearby counties no-one from Waterford brags about living there.

It's probably fair to say I'm a bit of a loner in my own way. I find my happiness is not dependent upon any circle of friends in general. While I meet people and know people through work and organisations, I don't especially socialise with my colleagues a whole lot but I find it easier to live outside the confines of the tribe when the area you reside allows for it. I occupy myself doing things I like to do and of the list of amenities I mentioned in my previous post, I participate in pretty much all of them albeit usually by myself. I go to the gym and I swim, I walk my dog and have coffee, sometimes I meet people and stay for a chat, go to an event or visit a gallery but I'm entirely comfortable doing these things by myself too.

I realise doing this in other parts of the city might not be as feasible, that in the more densely populated communities people are much more reliant on each other for support and reason and while in good times those communities can be a great asset to be part of, its evident in todays post celtic tiger/facebook era that they can be detrimental to growth and development both personally to individuals and to a stagnating environment in which they live and work if they have nothing to positive to offer.

It's probably wiser then to take responsibility for our own wellbeing and happiness and if it's lacking to do something about it ourselves. (instead of sitting around complaining about it!)

mangeybear

Friends-

I really appreciate the feedback here, good and bad. I have received multiple pm's offering more information, so I really am impressed with the outpouring of offers for help. I would like to contact every person that has offered. However, I fear that I would be repeating myself many times, so I'm going to ask a few followup questions, but please feel free to answer privately.

My biggest concern is that my wife won't enjoy it. I think once my kids are engaged in their school, they will find someone at least who shares their interest. My kids are shy, but generally they find a friend whenever they go somewhere new. I'm not quite sure whether being American will help or hurt their efforts to make friends, but I expect it should help, unless we invade another middle east country in the interim.

My wife is also shy, and she will be staying home with the kids, but she likes to talk, and eventually makes friends that she spends a lot of time with. Here in Southern California, we generally make great friends of the parents of our kids friends. Do you think that happen in Waterford? Myself I've lived in Belgium, Switzerland, and (briefly) the UK. I found people generally friendly in all (except maybe Switzerland), but I don't think people are as likely to invite you into their homes as we Americans are. That might be difficult for us.

The next one is trivial by comparison: we are total wine snobs. We have wine tastings with friends, and enjoy wine every night at dinner. I like beer as well, especially cask-conditioned ale (though I'm not fond of stout, sorry!), but wine is special to us. I know well that Europe has many many fine wines, but we've been surrounded by California wines, so we wouldn't know how to buy wine in Ireland. Are their clubs or tasting rooms in Ireland?

I thought that I had more to ask, but I guess I don't. Again, many thanks for the help.

MB

O Riain

Pmaher wrote: »

Any Waterford people I've met are all the same: starting rumours and avoiding each other. Even other people I've met who moved there to work say it's a dump. Full of ex-factory workers and bitter older people bad-mouthing each other. Famous Waterford phrases: "Don't be smart" and "Stay away from him boy". No-one in the rest of Ireland gives a **** about Waterford. And unlike other nearby counties no-one from Waterford brags about living there.

Jaysis boy you've some chip on your shoulder. I went to W.I.T. and any of the students I know, particularly from wexford, kilkenny, tipperary, cork but also limerick, galway, kildare and wicklow absolutely love the place. It's got some of its drawbacks no doubt as does every place but I think for its size its a great place even despite the neglect we've suffered over the past number of years. One thing that Waterford has over any other city is that it has beaches with waves 10 minutes out the road, granted they're not the best but it beats having to drive over an hour for a surf, people need to utilize the sea more for recreation.

If its rumours and bitter old people your worried about then you might aswell tell the OP to avoid Ireland altogether. This is not someting unique to Waterford and if you were anyway clued in/not completely and utterly bitter against Waterford you'd realise this.

Generally I've found two types of people who complain about the place, one being the narrowminded and bitter south kilkenny/south east tipperary heads but they are few and far between. The other type I've found to complain are the guys who just never fit in for whatever reasons, I guess some places are just not kind to some people but that could happen anywhere and is no reflection on the place itself.

All in all I think Waterford is a great place and I've been all over the world. Its no Sydney, London or San Francisco, but its not meant to be, its a small city, with a rich history that has some great characters and people should accept it for what it is and should realise this.