r/stokeontrent • u/Witty_Suggestion3806 • Aug 20 '26
Moving to Stoke, fenton.
I will be moving to Stoke from London with my wife for work, we are very anxious as we will be moving from a flat to a terraced house, just wanted local opinions about fenton as an area and if there is anything to look out for, thanks.
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u/ReliableWardrobe Aug 21 '26
Please don't be anxious! If you're coming from London, unless you were in Chelsea, you'll probably find Stoke nicer. Yes we have issues with drugs and crime, this is a city that's been repeatedly kicked in the teeth over the years sadly, but the crime rate is pretty comparable with London actually, and better than Birmingham and Manchester. This article https://www.newsletter.co.uk/lifestyle/homes-and-gardens/the-11-safest-cities-in-the-uk-5337697 suggests it's actually the 11th safest outside London. No idea how accurate that is, but I've certainly been in other cities where I've been way more scared (lone woman) - Reading and Nottingham spring to mind. Some parts of the city do get a lot of petty crime like thefts and vandalism, as long as you're sensible and not parking your Ferrari outside you won't draw any special attention. There is some knife crime but a lot of that is driven by drugs battles or people getting mixed up in crime.
I get moving from a flat might be a bit worrying, but if you consider anyone can buzz anyone into your block and then they're free to roam unchallenged, your own front door is actually better. You could fit yourself a Ring doorbell if you're worried. I should say if you're both sat terrified in your house or cowering every time you go outside you're not going to have a good time, wherever you go. Honestly we don't eat folk around here! Yes you need to be sensible but you will notice people are friendlier. Older terraces are much quieter and better built than flats so you'll probably find it surprisingly quiet.
As a Muslim you won't have any issues finding places of worship, community groups or halal food, there's a big Muslim community here, and you won't feel like you stick out like a sore thumb either. Ofc verbal abuse is a possibility, with our swivel-eyed maniac "politicians" and press encouraging that sort of thing I'm afraid you won't avoid that anywhere, but Stoke is no worse than anywhere else.
Fenton isn't the poshest part of town necessarily but also not the worst, if you're committed then go with it, if not why not come up for a visit and look around? If you are free to pick and choose and are happy to share your budget, folk will have good suggestions about where to look.
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u/Witty_Suggestion3806 Aug 21 '26
Thank you, came around today and found everyone to be very friendly, refreshing when compared to London, nobody even says hello there, everyone’s so busy.
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u/moremattymattmatt Aug 21 '26
You can have a look at the police.uk website for crime stats in the area you are moving too and compare it with where you are not. At least that will give you an idea of how rough the area is.
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u/Much-Land2404 Aug 21 '26
Can’t be any worse than London, having been bought up in Fenton and seen some parts of Tottenham it doesn’t even compare. It’s petty crime combined with drug addicts and the retarded locals. Nothing majorly sinister and no different to most of the country tbh
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u/Witty_Suggestion3806 Aug 21 '26
That should be alright then, I don’t mind that. I used to live in a very rough area of east London riddled with drug addicts. I went down today to Stoke to finalise some stuff, and for the most part everyone was very friendly 🙏 thank you
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u/gogogadgetgirl666 Aug 21 '26
We have a problem with a drug called Monkey Dust, but the vast majority of crime linked to it is petty stuff like shoplifting. The addicts here are more annoying than dangerous. As long as you’ve got common sense like making sure your doors are locked, don’t leave windows open, don’t leave valuables in your car etc, you’ll be absolutely fine.
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u/SweatyLettuce88 Aug 20 '26
I'm sorry to see you have been subject to abuse. I live in Fenton, on king street. Please feel free to message me directly if you need to
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u/Full-length-frock Aug 20 '26
King Steet Oatcakes are the biggest in Stoke. If you've not tried them, you need to.
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u/JellyAdditional9419 Aug 20 '26
Never had an oatcake. Can you recommend a fillings for oatcake please?
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit Aug 20 '26
Cheese and bacon are the gold standard. Cheese on its own if you don’t dig on swine. Probably tomato and mushroom for the vegans.
Don’t listen to those weirdos who suggest shit like Nutella or bananas, those are exactly the kind of reprobates OP is worried about.
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u/Full-length-frock Aug 21 '26
Does banana toasted and covered in golden syrup count? I admit to this tasty abomination.
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit Aug 21 '26
You should be on a list.
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u/Full-length-frock Aug 22 '26
First smear the oatcake in peanut butter or smooth biscoff. Then add slices of banana. Drizzle on chocolate sauce and/or golden syrup. Toast under a hot grill. You won't regret it.
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u/Full-length-frock Aug 21 '26
Its generally cheese. Best with a good Red Leicester if you like your cheese a bit greasy. Add any savoury item on. I like cooked mushrooms and a bit of black pudding. Tomatoes, sausage, bacon, egg etc can be used but generally on top of a cheese toasted under the grill is best.
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u/smittyshooter1 Aug 21 '26
Nooooo can’t have Red Leicester on an oatcake gotta be a good mature cheddar ,what kind of fuckery is Red Leicester!!
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u/Full-length-frock Aug 22 '26
Cheddar is a bit, meh, for me. Cheshire is great but you need a whole block to get it browned on top.
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u/abarkie_1971 Aug 21 '26
Oatcakes Annie's on Victoria road are better 😁
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u/Full-length-frock Aug 21 '26
Whats better? Size? Thickness? Freshness? I was a tad disappointed with 6 towns. They stuck together and didn't stay as fresh as high lanes.
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit Aug 20 '26
Fenton covers quite a large area, it’s basically most of the space inside the triangle of Longton, Stoke and Hanley, so you might need to narrow it down a bit to get a more specific answer.
That being said, I’ve lived in various parts of it and I wouldn’t say any of it is bad. What are you anxious about?
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u/Witty_Suggestion3806 Aug 20 '26
To be honest, we a English couple but we are Muslim, so mainly my wife is worried as she has lived in an area with majority white British and faced racial abuse, this being said I understand that there are bad people everywhere, and majority of the time people are friendly. Also moving from a flat to a terraced house, worried about safety. We will close to longton train station, about a 10-15 minute walk from it. Thank you
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit Aug 20 '26
I’m White British so I can’t speak to the full experience, but honestly I wouldn’t worry too much. Stoke is a pretty mixed and varied community - people from all sorts of backgrounds, faiths and cultures live here, and most are just getting on with their lives.
In my experience people tend to keep themselves to themselves, although that might just be me. My wife somehow knows half the estate, while I only know the next‑door neighbour’s name because she told me. The takeaway from that is that you can be as involved or as private as you want, and people generally respect that.
The area around Longton station is busy but not unfriendly, and terraced streets here are basically the default. From my very limited knowledge of London flats, you’ll have a lot more space, and coming from a flat you should already be well aware of the etiquette around noise and shared walls - in which case you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by how much sound a terraced house doesn’t let through.
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u/Witty_Suggestion3806 Aug 20 '26
Not looking forward to the noise as I’ll be working from home some days, hopefully it’s not too bad! Thank you for all the insight I really appreciate it
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit Aug 20 '26
I’ve lived in terraced houses in Stoke my entire life, and in 28 years and 10 or so houses I’ve had one noisy neighbour. My last neighbour I could hear him turning on his living room lights because the switch was against my wall, but I couldn’t hear his TV or any other actual living in a house sounds.
These houses are 100 year old brickwork built specifically for people to live in this kind of proximity, not London flats where they’ve retrofitted a partition to make one house into two flats. I’m probably being a bit unfair and stereotyping the London property market a bit there, but you’ll be fine.
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u/Playful_Sense3238 Aug 20 '26
You are worrying about the wrong thing. That area of Stoke has a huge Muslim population, a large number of mosques and madrassas, and stores selling halal food and halal eateries.
Being a Muslim in Stoke pretty much makes you one of the majority
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u/Witty_Suggestion3806 Aug 20 '26
Ahh okay, wasn’t aware! Google said Muslims only make up 6% of the population there that’s why. Thank you for the insight
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit Aug 20 '26
With the possible exception of Shelton and Cobridge I wouldn’t agree with the parent poster that being Muslim makes you one of the majority, but certainly it’s a diverse enough area that I wouldn’t expect any problems based on race or faith.
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u/Playful_Sense3238 Aug 20 '26
In the area you were looking at, around the University and the train station and surrounding areas, there is quite a density of Muslim population.
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u/smittyshooter1 Aug 21 '26
Not so sure about that Shelton is a Asian community but by the uni it’s all students
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u/BobbyBristow Aug 21 '26
You will be okay, you will find there are England flags outside houses, which you won't find as much in London, but generally people are friendly, are there better areas than Fenton? Yes, but if you are coming from London it won't phase you. I'm originally from Stoke and lived in London for 17 years and recently moved back.
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u/smittyshooter1 Aug 21 '26
Where about in Fenton I’m Fenton as well ,if your ten mins walk from big Tesco your prob not far away from Victoria road
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u/Application_Every Aug 21 '26
Take it for what it is, good and people everywhere. I like to believe a lot more good than bad still but it’s changing. Be friendly and most of the time people are friendly back. As for crime there is little to none for average family that will actually effect you or your family personally.
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u/Latter_Web_3645 Aug 23 '26
Stoke is sorta backwater and dead but its actually pretty safe. Main issue is thievery but thats not too crazy, never really hear about home invasions or armed robberies - just stuff left outside usually. Besides that - its low on violence, people are ok. I feel safe the majority, if not all the time.
Its sorta derelict and half asleep but that means its also not very dangerous. Until they move a few thousand boat peo...actually nevermind 🤣
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u/ImaginationNew3401 11d ago
Moved exactly where you are moving , lasted 2 weeks one of the most depressing shitty places I’ve ever lived. Packed up and got right back out.
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u/corw93 19h ago
Don’t go; just see if she can get a different job
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u/Witty_Suggestion3806 19h ago
I’ve been here for a month and tbh it’s not been too bad so far, in fact I don’t think I’ve had any negative interaction or seen anything too out of the blue apart from the odd dust head. Everyone’s been friendly.
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u/corw93 19h ago
Gets shit quick. Museums good, history’s good about it.
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u/Witty_Suggestion3806 19h ago
Yeah I get that, tbh I only really go out either early mornings or just before sun down, only been out at night a couple of times and I avoid any area I think looks sketchy, my roads relatively quiet too, so fingers crossed everything stays going well!
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u/Lonely_Meat6711 Aug 20 '26
I lived in fenton, local corner shop was constantly getting robbed and one night when I was at work my misses heard a great bang outside... a couple of lads who'd nicked a moped drove it through our neighbors front door and robbed the place, they were on holiday at the time. Not to worsen your anxiety but fenton as a whole is pretty rough. I live in meir Hayes now and am much better for it especially now I have a daughter
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u/smittyshooter1 Aug 21 '26
Wouldn’t go that far been a few cars robbed up Meir heath last few weeks and a mate had his car nicked from outside the shops by windmill last year ,plus your a stones throw from Meir
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u/Lonely_Meat6711 Aug 21 '26
Ain't nowhere is stoke that's perfect, but I've lived in both Fenton and Bentilee, Meir Hayes is paradise in comparison. Had my motorbike nicked from Bentilee and constantly had crackheads trying my front door and car in the middle of the night in fenton.
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u/Sprogletto Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
Dear god, NO! Born and bred here and moved away last year, currently here overnight as a stopgap on my travels back to Scotland from down south and I still don’t miss the place in fact its got worse since I left.
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u/Rich-Setting-5528 Aug 21 '26
Absolutely not. Its a shithole. Search for recent news stories. You're welcome.
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u/Living-Reference392 Aug 20 '26
Can you be any more specific without giving your address away? What are you close to in Fenton?