Hamilton (as a place to live)

[stevejan]

Taffy
Wondered if you could give us some basic info on Hamilton as a place for a family (2 boys 8 & 10). Steve is going through an interview for a job based there and it's not been a place we had thought of going to! We previously liked the idea of living near the coast (Steve is also being considered for a job in Bay of Plenty). So what has Hamilton got to offer :question

[SteveyC]

Taffy and Welshgirl and MB eventually. What more do you need ;D

[stevejan]

Well now you come to mention it...................!!! (is that a good thing or a bad thing [smiley=icon_eek.gif] - only joking guys).

But we'd still like to know what it's like to live there :-?
Jan

Hamilton is great if you take the time to look around.

Most people get a bad impression of Hamilton if coming down from Auckland way as the whole road down to the city centre looks industrialised (even though its mostly shops and car sales, they look more like factory units!).

It has a population of around 200,000 (4th largest city in NZ), but you wouldnt think so! 5 minutes in any direction takes you out in to amazing countryside if you get fed up of city life.

There's only 1 or 2 suburbs in Hamilton that are not so good, where the schools are not so great and there is a lot of state housing, the rest is pretty much nice to very nice! The lowest decile of the schools around us in Hamilton north is 7, with the others being amongst 7,8,9 or 10.

House prices are still lower than most other large cities, but are catching up fast so at the moment make very good investments.

When you settle in to Hamilton, you start to find just how friendly folks are here. When compared to the other close cities of Auckland and Tauranga, Hamiltonians are certainly the friendliest bunch.

It's growing fast, and many kiwis have said to me that Hamilton will be 'the place to be' in the next few years, with great job opportunities, entertainment etc, due to it's excellent central location.

Nearest beach is about 30 minutes drive (Raglan) or less if you know some country backroads!

All in all, poor Hamilton is not considered by many immigrants as a place to settle as it's not coastal. We didn't like it when we first saw it, and now we don't want to live anywhere else!

Hope that answers your query :icon_biggrin:

[netchicken]

The best thing about Hamilton is its central location to much of the North Island, Scribe a 2 hour travelling circle around it and you get Rotorua, East coast, west coast, Auckland, Coromandal. etc.

[MotherBear]

Nearest beach is about 30 minutes drive (Raglan) or less if you know some country backroads!

All in all, poor Hamilton is not considered by many immigrants as a place to settle as it's not coastal.

'In New Zealand, you are never more than 130 km from the sea! The country's coastline stretches a vast 18,000 kms!'