Moving to Ireland, wondering about Waterford..

Sagesilver4

Hello! My husband and I are planning on moving to (emigrating to) Ireland in the next 2 years or so, and Waterford caught my eye. I was wondering if anyone could give me some idea about living there - pros, cons, if it's a good place for folks like us to start out? We're both 23, he's an innkeeper and I run a shop overnight (the inn and shop aren't ours ). I'm a bit shy, but I love meeting new people, seeing new sights and exploring, and LOVE the outdoors. My husband is much more extroverted than I am, and also loves seeing new sights, meeting new people, etc., and loves a good time with his friends. Do you think Waterford would suit us? If not, have you got any idea where we should look?

Thanks so much! I can't wait to hear from you.

~ Sarah

byhookorbycrook

City or county?

tobey

waterford city is a pure dump with a huge crime rate and a drug problem which gets biggger month on month, go to west cork or evan cork city, all way better then waterford

MrJoeSoap

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

City or county?

Quite an important question there, Waterford county has some really beautiful spots but finding jobs mightn't be the easiest of tasks. Waterford city might have jobs, but not really the most beautiful place (although I do love it myself).

You could certainly do worse than Waterford county.

wellboy76

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

You could certainly do worse than Waterford county.

Yeah, cork!

abouttobebanned

tobey wrote: »

waterford city is a pure dump with a huge crime rate and a drug problem which gets biggger month on month, go to west cork or evan cork city, all way better then waterford

What a load of crap.

Don't listen to a word this clown says Sarah. It's no worse than any other city in ireland for crime. The vast majority of people living in Waterford will probably go their whole loves completely untouched by drugs and crime.

It's a coastal county that has so much to offer, if you're willing to explore!

S28382

Waterford is a beautiful place some lovely beaches and a nice mountain range (love hiking) ....as for the city its a dead place nothing happening there no more im a born and bred waterford blaa 28yrs there and i moved to kilkenny last year as waterford doesnt offer nothing anymore but hey never mind all that it is a nice place just a shame things have gone so quiet down there.

Sagesilver4

I was looking at the city, mainly because I'm not the richest person ever and it was the most inexpensive place I found. I definitely can't afford Cork or Dublin. About 750 € monthly is the absolute most we could probably afford for rent. I'm mostly just trying to figure out where is affordable for us. We're unfortunately going a bit blindly at this at the moment. Again, thanks for such quick and helpful responses! You're the best!

SillyMcCarthy

This country is f**ked!
Why on earth are you thinking of moving back here?
See sense my dear.
Put the bottle of wine down & step away from the fridge!

Sagesilver4

SillyMcCarthy wrote: »

This country is f**ked!
Why on earth are you thinking of moving back here?
See sense my dear.
Put the bottle of wine down & step away from the fridge!

Anything's better than this. I cannot leave here fast enough. My family traces back to Ireland, so I wanted to come there. I'd rather not go into all the things going on here that are motivating me to move, though, if that's alright. I'm trying to keep looking forward.

dlofnep

I'll offer you an objective view of Waterford.

Firstly - Despite what the above poster said, Waterford city is actually a really nice town. It's well kept, clean and the roadworks are generally good (once you avoid the quay). There's just enough to do here to keep you interested, and the county is big enough with lots of great sights to see.

We're on the coast, so there's lots of beaches.. Although, being Ireland - don't expect a tropical climate.. Although summer is generally mild enough. The county itself has lots to see - from old viking towers in the likes of Ardmore and Lismore, to the Comeragh mountains (if hiking and that is your thing). We have a great public library, and there's always groups of people that get together for an array of hobbies. I run an Irish language group for example - some of the guys in the group take part in mountain hiking, or tag rugby for fitness.. It all varies! There's a decent night life here too, enough pubs, clubs and late bars to give you a decent night out.

We're also only an hour or so drive from Cork or Dublin (with the new motorway), so if you ever need a day out in a bigger city - it won't take you long to get there.

Like any city - we have our crime, but to be honest - it's on par with any world town our size. I would say the bigger problem with Waterford at the moment is the lack of employment opportunities. Whatever about your economic problems in the US, Ireland's unemployment rate is much higher.

That's not to say you won't be able to find work, it's around there - the more qualified you are the better chance you have. Although, as you are not planning to move for 2 years or more - we'll be able to gauge the economy alot better then, so keep an eye on it and see if it rebounds.

Ireland is a beautiful country, I love it. I've travelled across Europe, and I've lived in the US - So I'm qualified to comment on it.

SillyMcCarthy

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

Anything's better than this. I cannot leave here fast enough. My family traces back to Ireland, so I wanted to come there. I'd rather not go into all the things going on here that are motivating me to move, though, if that's alright. I'm trying to keep looking forward.

'Faraway hill are greener' as they say, but if you are serious I'ld live here
for a couple of months before deciding anything!
America is a big place & I'm sure there is plenty of room out there.
But good luck to you, what ever decision you come to.

eeloe

tobey wrote: »

waterford city is a pure dump with a huge crime rate and a drug problem which gets biggger month on month, go to west cork or evan cork city, all way better then waterford

Wow, the town and country is really going to strive with this type of a mentality isn't it?

Waterford is a great place to live, lots to do(if you have the right frame of mind) and lots to see, but it would all depend on if ya wanted to live in the City or County.

dark_shadow

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

Anything's better than this. I cannot leave here fast enough. My family traces back to Ireland, so I wanted to come there. I'd rather not go into all the things going on here that are motivating me to move, though, if that's alright. I'm trying to keep looking forward.

Sarah where are you coming from??

spankadamonkee

dark_shadow wrote: »

Sarah where are you coming from??

This is a long shot but if you look under her name it says Texas.:D

dark_shadow

spankadamonkee wrote: »

This is a long shot but if you look under her name it says Texas.:D

I never even noticed that ooops!!:p If I was blonde I'd have an excuse lol:D

fricatus

dark_shadow wrote: »

Sarah where are you coming from??

Says Texas in her location info...

OP, don't listen to any of that nonsense about Waterford being a dump and everywhere else being much better. After living in the UK, France, Spain and Dublin, I'm back living in Waterford, where I grew up, and I love it.

It has no more problems than any other small city, and in my view scores very highly for the things that matter to me: a good selection of nice restaurants and pubs, close to the sea and mountains, good access to Dublin (at long last) and a reasonable enough road to Cork (a very nice alternative if you want a day out in a bigger city).

On the whole it's a friendly place and most areas are safe enough. In some spots you might see a few "characters" hanging around, but there's little real danger there, and anyway, no city in Ireland is going to be any different.

The one real negative as has been pointed out is that employment opportunities are a real problem, but then that feeds through to a lower cost of housing, which, if you can find a job, is good news for you!

Best of luck in whatever you do!

ILoveShoez

abouttobebanned wrote: »

What a load of crap.

Don't listen to a word this clown says Sarah. It's no worse than any other city in ireland for crime. The sat majority of people living in Waterford will probably go their whole loves completely untouched by drugs and crime.

It's a coastal county that has so much to offer, if you're willing to explore!

I totally agree, I'm from Cork myself and I love Waterford City and don't think I'll ever move back to Cork.

paul the great

OP how far back did you trace your famiy? You'll have a very difficult time getting a visa for Ireland in the present climate. If your Irish ancestry goes back to your granparents you can claim Irish citizenship and get an Irish passport (Or any other EEA country or Switzerland).

Spadzy

Hi
Dont come near waterford, it is the most depressing city in Ireland IMO! There has been no progression in building or updating this city for years,not to mention the amount of scumbags in the city!
Cork would be a much better bet, a much better city, and if you did feel the need to come to waterford you would only be a Hour and fifteen min's drive away. Believe me 1 day in waterford will do for you.

Tim the Enchanter

Hi Op, i would try to ignore the negative comments here about Waterford, its just the same as any other town or city in the country.

I know you said you were looking at the city but for a budget of €750 you have some excellent options in county Waterford like the Dunmore East, Woodstown areas which are only a 20min drive from the city

E.g

Dunmore East
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1138525
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1144096
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1048702

Woodstown
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=938860

MrJoeSoap

+1 for Dunmore East, one of the most beautiful towns in the whole country.

Sagesilver4

paul the great wrote: »

OP how far back did you trace your famiy? You'll have a very difficult time getting a visa for Ireland in the present climate. If your Irish ancestry goes back to your granparents you can claim Irish citizenship and get an Irish passport (Or any other EEA country or Switzerland).

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US. I'm going to apply for a green card and go from there. I'll be finding work before I find a place to live, and go from there. I'm planning on having a bit of a commute, but that's nothing new to me, so it's not a big deal. How does transportation work there anyway? I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

Max Powers

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

Most people do have cars but public transport is there if needed. Its not great but adequate for getting around most places. Even villages further out like Dunmore east etc would have a regular enough bus service for getting into town in morning and home again after. Taxis are always available (except pub/club closing time at 2-3am at weekend). It would be expensive to taxi out there though regularly.

I have lived in the US and other places in Ireland, I always wanted to come back to Waterford, its small compared to Dublin, Dallas etc but it has everything you want, a small but good arts scene, plenty of beaches, mountains and is a good base when in Ireland (motorway to Dublin means you can be up there in about 1.5 hours, Ireland is tiny so nowhere is that far away especially compared to a state like Texas)

Funfair

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

Have you being talking to a leprechaun Nearly Everyone in Ireland has a car a good % of familys have 2..

jimbojazz

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US. I'm going to apply for a green card and go from there. I'll be finding work before I find a place to live, and go from there. I'm planning on having a bit of a commute, but that's nothing new to me, so it's not a big deal. How does transportation work there anyway? I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

True, we were in bits when the donkey died and had nothing to pull the cart but my brother being a fine size of a man volunteered to take over the duties - to be honest we'd have been lost without him especially with the well for the water drying up and us having to trek for miles to the next one in snow and ice................if only we had cups to drink from

nkay1985

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US. I'm going to apply for a green card and go from there. I'll be finding work before I find a place to live, and go from there. I'm planning on having a bit of a commute, but that's nothing new to me, so it's not a big deal. How does transportation work there anyway? I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

That will pretty much only apply to Dublin but, even at that, more people will have cars than not. Everywhere else in the country, almost everybody has cars. Most families have two cars. Public transport is fairly limited.

I personally can't imagine not having a car anyway so I wouldn't see that as a major downside.

Heathen

Im from Dublin, lived there my whole life and was happy enough..

A job i was working for moved to Waterford City and me and a few other decided to move here with it..

That was 12 years ago and i am happy out living here.. everything i need is here, i have made some of the best mates anyone could find on the planet!
Mountains are beautiful, Countryside is minutes from your door, Beaches are a short drive, Nightlife was great, and will be again in a few years once the employment issue gets dealt with..

The only people that badmouth Waterford for things to do are the people with lack of imagination, cos im finding new things all the time and have been for 12 years so far.. I am very proud of Waterford and im saying that as a Dub!

H

Heathen

Heathen wrote: »

Im from Dublin, lived there my whole life and was happy enough..

A job i was working for moved to Waterford City and me and a few other decided to move here with it..

That was 12 years ago and i am happy out living here.. everything i need is here, i have made some of the best mates anyone could find on the planet!
Mountains are beautiful, Countryside is minutes from your door, Beaches are a short drive, Nightlife was great, and will be again in a few years once the employment issue gets dealt with..

The only people that badmouth Waterford for things to do are the people with lack of imagination, cos im finding new things all the time and have been for 12 years so far.. I am very proud of Waterford and im saying that as a Dub!

H

That being said... stay clear of "seanybiker" one of Waterford City's more undesirable residents

H

Sagesilver4

Max Powers wrote: »

Most people do have cars but public transport is there if needed. Its not great but adequate for getting around most places. Even villages further out like Dunmore east etc would have a regular enough bus service for getting into town in morning and home again after. Taxis are always available (except pub/club closing time at 2-3am at weekend). It would be expensive to taxi out there though regularly.

I have lived in the US and other places in Ireland, I always wanted to come back to Waterford, its small compared to Dublin, Dallas etc but it has everything you want, a small but good arts scene, plenty of beaches, mountains and is a good base when in Ireland (motorway to Dublin means you can be up there in about 1.5 hours, Ireland is tiny so nowhere is that far away especially compared to a state like Texas)

Haha, thank goodness I asked! That was what the tourist pages told me.. should've known not to trust those. :P

abouttobebanned

Can you post a link to this tourist page?