alicel5

My partner and I have been living in Newtown for the past 5 years or so, and have found it pleasantly exceeding our expectations. Previously we were living in the North Shore - but wanted a change of scene.

There seems to be a lot of folks at our stage of life (young professional couple with 2 kids (3 and a baby) living here, amidst the population of young professional singles and students.
There is a great community feel, with Inner west mums that support each other, help take turns with babysitting, take kids to the park, exchange baked goods, etc. Surprisingly good childcare options.

We've discovered the streets are actually quite adorable to walk about in, lined with terraces with a lot of character, more trees and leafiness than we had given it credit for!
There are such great parks (Sydney Park, Enmore Park, Camperdown Park are the notable ones), all within walking distance - perfect for entertaining the kids, going for a run or having a picnic.
There is an eclectic mix of interesting things to do (open mics, comedy nights, live music, exhibits etc), places for brunch, second-hand bookshops, cheap ethnic food... someone else might also love the craft breweries/pub scene (but I'm not much of a drinker).
Being close to RPA Hospital and Sydney Uni is also a plus.
Closer proximity to the city compared to the some of the further-inner-west suburbs mean that it is easier for me to get to work across the bridge, visit friends, also conveniently get to our favourite bush-walks on the Lower North Shore in <30 min.
Plane noise is nowhere near as prominent as it is in Marrickville/Stanmore/Sydenham/Tempe/St Peters/Leichhardt (which seem to be becoming very popular areas).

In terms of safety, honestly I had lived in Newtown as a single female whilst studying at Sydney University and I never felt too unsafe walking around alone, especially compared to growing up in Southeast Asia! I have never been one to be out past midnight anyhow. There may be isolated incidents but these can happen anywhere, I think I've felt more unsafe in some suburbs further out West. Additionally, now that the lockout laws have been repealed some of the party-goers will stay in the city.

Looking towards the future, I think the suburb will continue to gentrify and be popular with young professionals/young families whilst hopefully still retaining its uniqueness. Sure, there might be more space further out West in Parramatta but we don't need a huge lawn (or the associated maintenance) at this juncture of our lives.

It is really quite ideal for a first home for a young professional single or couple (especially when houses in the North Shore and even North West are far beyond the reach of the average income).

Overall, very fond of Newtown, I'd buy in this suburb as soon as possible as it's bound to get more expensive!
Interestingly, the median house prices in surrounding suburbs (Stanmore, Petersham, Marrickville, Dulwich Hill) have gotten more expensive than that of Newtown this year, so it might actually be *relatively* more affordable.