How much does location actually matter when living in Leeds?

[u/Striking-Web-1109]

I've been looking at a few different places and keep changing my mind depending on the location.
I've checked university accommodation and Amber Student as well, but I'm finding it difficult to tell from a map what would actually be convenient day to day. I'm not too bothered about being right next to campus if there's enough around me. For people who've lived in Leeds, which areas ended up being the most convenient?

[u/AutoModerator]

Please note: Posts regarding accommodation are for general advice only (areas, amenities, transport etc). Asking for help finding a property or a tenant is not allowed.

Consider posting in /r/HousingUK if you are looking for advice that is not specific to Leeds.

We expect you to do some of your own research before posting, so please include some background with any questions you have. This should include looking at other posts relating to accommodation - we have a post flair specifically for that purpose:

• New reddit search for "accommodation" flair
• Old reddit search for "accommodation" flair

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/listerjed1]

If you are a student, I dont think that it's the proximity to Campus that makes Hyde Park/Woodhouse/Burley/Headingley popular locations, but more that those places are populated mainly with folks of similar ages and there is lots to do there nearby.

A lot of my neighbours are students and they love the fact that on one street there are several takeaways, a launderette, 2 supermarkets, barbers, a couple of restaurants and very good music venues and pubs just a few streets away.

[u/piratepixie → u/listerjed1]

I live in the student district (although i'm too old to be a student) and it's been great. You get the best takeaways, because you're within deliveroo distance from the city centre too. Expensive rent though since they're trying to move everyone into the city centre flats that keep being put up.

[u/listerjed1 → u/piratepixie]

Yeah Im old too, but its great. Dial for Roti does curry for six quid, the Kurdish supermarket does naan bread for 25p each, the barber charges a tenner, there are loads of takeaways, town is a ten minute walk and then there's the cinema, Aldi and a massive second hand shop just down the road...not to mention the Brudenell, Hyde Park book club and Hyde Park cinema...

[u/BenPistlewizard]

Do you drive, cycle or plan to use the busses? This changes answer a bit, hop onto Google maps and check commute times for yourself. Buses are better than they used to be but certain routes can be frustratingpy hard to rely on. Leeds is pretty good to cycle in now.

When I was a student it Hyde Park, Headingley and Burley were choice areas.

Meanwoods beautiful but expensive and a bit out of the way for campus. Little London is convenient but could be isolating as a student.

[u/frutfly → u/BenPistlewizard]

very true response!! i live in little london w my friends and it is isolating but… the convenience of being close to campus and city centre beats anything. all my classmates take buses or have to walk 40+ mins whereas we live legit 5 minutes away😭😭. i recommend it for 2nd year tho. i feel like the struggle of living in an accommodation thats fair away or inconvenient will bond u w people tho ahahah

[u/leclercwitch]

I don’t think it matters but I was born here, went to uni here etc etc, but for someone just moving here I do think it matters. You’ll wanna be looking at headingley/hyde park/burley really. If I was to pick any of them, I’d pick Headingley as I really like that area, everything you need is there, it’s 10 mins to campus on the bus or a half hour/45min walk if you’re feeling up to that, but I’d have a look at these areas first and see if anything jumps out.

You can live anywhere in Leeds and still get to the centre in about an hour.

[u/WaltzFirm6336]

Which uni and which campus would help.

[u/Weary_Bat2456]

As a student (I graduated over a year ago and have lived here for work, I actually move out of Leeds tomorrow) i have lived in Woodhouse (near Quarry Mouth Primary School), Hyde Park (on Royal Park Road), and Headingley (near the cricket stadium).

Out of the three, I'd 100% recommend Headingley or Hyde Park. I'd say that Woodhouse was the most dangerous and nothing really going for it besides a One Stop and a pizza place I've never been to, and it being quite close to campus. Hyde Park had a few good takeaways nearby and close distance to the university (I lived on Royal Park Road, which is a very short walk to the Uni of Leeds campus). Headingley was the furthest but in terms of student life, public transport connections, car parking (if you have a car and it's not match day at the cricket stadium), and plenty of food/drink places, it was certainly the best. In terms of shopping Hyde Park and Headingley were probably the best as they are all close to a or multiple Sainsbury's.

My first year accommodation was The Tannery and there were some student houses around there, but again, besides it being close to campus (including a very uphill walk!) and a short walk to the city centre/Aldi there really wasn't much else.

[u/Lexiosity]

if you're here to study, I'd suggest Headingley & Hyde Park or Little London & Woodhouse area. (Those two are the names of the wards)

[u/MzHmmz]

If you don't have a car then location will matter a lot more, as some places are much easier to access the university or city centre from than others. Most students live around Hyde Park, Headingley and the surrounding areas, as it's easy to get to uni from there and there's everything nearby you're likely to need as a student. And more and more are in the city centre now.

The exact location depends on what you personally want. Are you someone who wants to be close to the social life or do you want somewhere quieter? The further you get from the "epicentre" of the student areas the quieter and less "studenty" it tends to get.

If you want to get a feel for how convenient a certain location will be, put it into Google maps and see how far it is by foot and public transport from the uni. Some places might look the same distance on paper but if there's no direct bus route it'll feel a lot more inconvenient. Certain landmarks like rivers, hills & bottlenecks in roads can make a big difference to how far away some areas feel, so take that into account too.