Armidale, NSW 2350

Basically, if you love the outdoors and/or the arts, have kids and want a reasonable mortgage, then Armidale is about as good as it gets in NSW.

I have lived in a few places in NSW (public servant) - Sydney (Surry Hills and Haymarket), Wollongong (Thirroul, Russell Vale), north coast (Tweed Heads and Grafton) and the Riverina (Hay, Finley, Coleambally). We moved here (January 2017) for the opportunities for our young family. Excellent public schools, a huge number of clubs and community groups, lots of cultural opportunities (especially music), affordable housing, lots of parkland, surrounded by national parks and an easy drive to the coast. Summer is great here if you love the outdoors. Despite the locals complaining about how hot it has been this year, I have been spending all day on Saturday's and Sundays outside without melting (mind you, we did spend the last 4 years in Hay where you have weeks on end over 40). If your the sort of person who can take a cold winter for an enjoyable summer, then it's ideal. In terms of winter, all I can say is I expect a high power bill. When we were here last winter house hunting it was pretty cold at night (-10) but the days were on par with riverina temperatures.

I'm not sure about it being snobby here. Everyone seems pretty friendly. It is certainly more friendly than any metropolitan area. I have not felt unwelcome at any of the events and groups I have attended.

In terms of shopping, it has 95% of what you would need in a year and it is not hard to get a decent coffee. If shopping is your thing, then you would be doing some traveling, as you would in any country town.

If you are in the market for a house I would suggest north over south. It is 80-100k cheaper, houses are newer and it is quieter. As well, there are a lot of young families on this side of town.

In terms of night life, I can't say much because I have young kids, but it seems on par with Wagga. Once the uni kids are in town it seems to have plenty on in the pubs.

There are also a lot of great places to visit for day trips and weekends in the area.

I have been in Armidale a little over two years now (after moving from a large Metropolitan City) and have to say it is fantastic place to be so long as you are prepared to put effort into getting involved with the community. People are inveriably warm and quite polite and to date I have not experienced anyone being unfriendly.
As others have mentioned the Council has been less than proactive in attracting businesses to Armidale and that significant projects were diverted to other centres which was quite short sighted. However, there is a balance required as some of these projects would have been to the detriment to the environment or would have have placed stress on Armidale water supply. The Council does need to become more proactive in attracting business which in turn will assist in building employment away from education and government.
Armidale is a great place for kids to grow up as they can roam a little wild and be children by riding bikes and spending time outdoors. My children have settled well and both have made good solid friendships and I know they would both be reluctant to leave.
Armidale has great sporting facilities for a city our size and if there is any passing interests in the outdoors there are numerous National Parks and Mountain Bike tracks. For people who love being outdoors it is fantastic.
The winters are very cold and the cost of power quite prohibitive but hey that is life there are always concessions to be made. I for one would prefer to put a few additional layers of clothing on rather than sit in traffic for an hour and a half. Life is for living and living here has enabled me to spend more time with my family which is without far more important than a large power bill once a year.
For those considering the move, I would recommend coming and exploring first (we did). It is a unique place but does not suit everyone. Like all small cities shopping and dining experiences are limited. If you are coming from a larger city and expect people to be instantly pleased you are there then you have come to the wrong place. If you come to Armidale with the view point of getting involved, investing in understanding people and what they have to offer then you will have a fantastic time. My neighbors are fantastic and we see each other regularly whilst walking the dogs.
Also it is a pretty safe town where reported crime has been falling which in comparison to its peers is unheard of. Armidale has seen the four most common criminal acts fall 52% since 2006. The town had a crime problem and between the Council and Bernie Shakeshaft (founder of Backtrack) has worked to remedy it.
Like life in general you get out of it what you put in.

I lived in Armidale years ago and now finally doing a review. It initially didn’t start well but luckily I met some lovely people and felt my life finally turned. It has all the conveniences of the he city like doctors, barbers/hairdressers, dentist, mechanics. As well as the major shops like Woolworths and Kmart. Surrounded by other beautiful New England region country towns there are always great hikes and wildlife to see. It’s a university town so there are also a lot of great activities to get involved in. The train to Sydney is great and the drive to Tamworth. There are good restaurants there and they can be found in bowls clubs and pubs. Sounds strange but Thai and Indian restaurants rent out the spaces so there’s a great variety available.The only reason I moved was because of family in Queensland. It’s not for everyone but it did work out for me.

Finally giving a good review, just have to find your place.

I’ve lived in Armidale for two years with my young family. We moved from southern Sydney two years ago looking for a change and cheaper housing. My job fortunately means we can live practically anywhere so we chose Armidale based on what we valued. We like milder weather, we valued the good churches here and thought my professional skills would be helpful.

We love the community, the amenities, the schools and the general vibe. Could do with a few more varied places to eat and more shops.

Yeah no thanks

We recently moved to Armidale, and found it to be a refreshing experience and would encourage anyone considering moving here. It is easy to get around the town, the people are friendly, and the climate is welcoming and accomodating.

Armidale has all the facilities that a family could need, and we are really enjoying our time here. Traffic is very light, and the 50 Km speed limits make it very safe.

My Family and I could live here for the rest of our lives.

Visited a few times as I almost moved there to study, happy I didn't. I don't fancy frostbite and it seems pretty dead. Most of the reviews seem to indicate its a town full of church-going Hyacinth Buckets'. I can't really comment on that but I wouldn't be surprised.

Ended up studying elsewhere and eventually bought a house closer to the coast, Bellingen to be specific. Even though it's smaller than Armidale it packs a much larger punch in the culinary, arts and cosmopolitan stakes. Probably why Armidale is much cheaper to buy a house.
But I suppose if you couldn't afford to be nearer to the coast and you don't mind the bitter winters, Armidale would do.

nice place

I moved there and moved away again. Armidale is the only town in Australia where the cafes close early on the weekend. And when I say early I mean midday on a Saturday and not open at all on a Sunday. WTH? The weekends are the busiest trading days for a food business and essential if you want to cash in on any kind of tourist trade. Tourists generally aren't visiting Mon-Fri. What food outlets there are, are under the impression they are the most hipster and happening thing in Australia. Even though a menu consisting mostly of Turkish bread hasn't existed in any cafe since the 90's. In their defence you can find a decent coffee in town just don't go looking for it on the weekend. The more ordinary eateries are still serving Coles white sliced for toast. The one and only pattiserie charges you $6.50 for an eclair just because it has berry coulis in it. The local bakery is serving packet mix delights from the 1970's.

It has the usual lineup of shops, which is to say every major franchise discount store, Bunnings & McDonalds. It's sadly lacking in any kind of boutique or artisan shopping especially if you are not a 60yr old female. The mall is a ghost town any day of the week and the eastern end of it is home only to Real Estate agents probably because of the cheap rent. I currently live in a town with less than half the population and easily 3 times as many things happening in it.

Armidale is a very sleepy, staid country town where nothing ever changes. If you ever wondered what living amoung a large community of academics, and healthcare workers is like, move there now. Otherwise there are many other places with better employment prospects, more happening culturally and a livelier community. Armidale isn't a tree change town, Sydney people aren't flocking to the cheap real estate and starting artisan boutiques. That's happening in Bellingen & Dorrigo. The entire CBD looks like it had it's last upgrade in the early 80's. There's been zero investment in public parks or infrastructure and the entire time I was there I encountered zero advertising for the local events even though I was signed up to the local FB groups. I received more advertising about things happening in Glenn Innes for goodness sake. If this town wants to do anything except slowly die, it needs to send some representatives to anywhere on the coast and have a look at the jam packed events calendars and the amount of advertising going on.

We moved to Armidale as a family 8 years ago. Our children spent their latter primary school and high school years here, and have each successfully obtained steady employment and trade training here with no problems. The public schools they attended left a lot to be desired (they lacked adequate communication and the staff are both incompetent and judgmental). Each of our children (now adults) has faired much better after leaving school and obtaining employment. All of them successfully found work in retail, hospitality, and trades/building industries in Armidale within a month of completing school, with one attending university. My husband and I have found steady ongoing work here in our fields (we both have a Masters level of education) and have been better off financially here than any other place in which weve lived. I would however say it is more difficult to establish yourself as a sole trader if you are new to town, but that would apply to most towns. There are a lot of churches for the religiously minded but they are more religious than useful. They tend to be cliquey and unfriendly (we have tested most of them). You wont find it easy making friends in the churches unless you live up to their lofty expectations. And if you dont go to a church, if not for the presence of religious buildings, you would never know there are even Christian people in the town. They do not seem to do any community involvement or outreach so unbelievers or people of other faiths can quite easily get along without ever knowing the Christians exist outside of their religious buildings. Crime does exist here with house break ins and it is highly recommended that you have good security around your home (though this tends to ebb and flow and seems to be due a handful of people who eventually get caught). Ive lived all over Australia though and it seems much the same as anywhere else. The bogans do let the town down (they seem to be most of the negative reviewers who have posted previously) as they expect everything to be handed to them without effort. Well it doesnt matter where you go in this world, if you are not prepared to educate yourself in a trade, industry or higher education then you have to settle for the lower rung on a capitalist ladder. Thats the nature of Western Civilisation. You have to work and make an effort to get what you want. We rented for a few years before buying. Our rent was reasonable for a nice home on a large property with very friendly landlords. We have now purchased and are very happy with our home. We are in town in a good area and can enjoy a mostly quiet home life where we can have visitors or keep to ourselves as we choose. Life is what you make it, and that applies to wherever you choose to live.

Pros: small town with most of what you need in retail, food, and health with larger regional centres within an easy few hours drive.
Good surrounds of natural beauty, national parks,
seasons,
rural,
climate,
opportunities for personal growth ,
higher education,
trade opportunities,
work is easily found for those with the skills/and or qualifications or for those with the right attitude (same as anywhere else),
our neighbours are friendly and community minded,
and we have found it better for our personal economics than any other place weve lived.

Cons: theres a handful of people who hate hard working high achievers and who think theyre entitled to either mock you or steal from you.
Public schools are low quality and private schools too expensive.
The towns roads are rough and the council does not seem interested in fixing them (many dirt roads outside town are smoother than the town roads).
Fuel prices are high but a good independent local service station offers cheaper fuel and is well known to many locals.