1

Hi - and welcome to Thorn Tree.

Derby and Nottingham are pretty close neighbours, being only 25 minutes or so from each other.
Out of the two, I prefer Nottingham. Definately a more vibrant city for me - and I prefer its surroundings.
There's not much difference in size between them.
Both cities are the same distance from East Midlands Airport.
If it was me, I'd shack up in a rented place for awhile and check them both out.
Best of luck with everything.

2

Agree Nottingham is probably the more vibrant of the two, though in my opinion the city isn't quite as dynamic as it once was. If you're commuting, it might depend a bit on just where in Derby you had to get to - if you want to give us an area of Derby where you will be working I'm sure we could try and be more specific about things like commuting issues. Derby has the nicer scenery on the doorstep being closer to the Peak District.

3

Good shout out for The Peaks.
I'm a great fan of Sherwood Forest. A very mysterious woodland area.

4

Derby is suffering a current lull in 'atmosphere' . It used to have a selection of great small venues rivalling much larger cities.
Most people from Derby head to Nottingham for a night out, whereas it once was the other way round.

Derby has (the advantage of) a friendly small town feel rather than a big city feel. Although both places, as with all cities, have their problems - a couple years ago Nottingham became notorious for gangs and knife crime. I think it's been cleaned up, but if this concerns you check some recent stats.

5

Good points in *4.
There was, a few years back (late 90's) quite a nasty drugs problem in Derby. Dunno if it's still happening.
Then again every town and city has it's problems, I suppose.

6

Anyone remember Gossips and the Pink Coconut in Derby? I used to work in them. But I'd still prefer Nottingham to live and go out in, but the commute can be a bit of a pain depending where in Derby work is located.
Sherwood Forest is not quite what you would think though surely. It's not original forest anymore, is it? It's not like when me and the Hood used to knock around there.

7

Sherwood Forest is indeed, not like it was a few 100 years ago.
It's almost like The New Forest nowadays. Not really a forest as such, at all.

8

Life time Derby resident here
As has been mentioned, the location of the company in Derby should have an impact on your final decision
The commute from Notts to Derby could well be a nightmare, getting out of Nottingham, onto the Sir Brian Clough Way (A52), then navigating Derbys own outer/inner ring road.
You dont name the company, but if its Rolls Royce, you could be at any of many sites located about the city, with most at the South West of the city, I think only the nuclear division is on the Nottingham side of Derby
Bombardier would be easier, as its around 10-15 minutes walk from the train station.
Otherwise, if your company is on the east side of the city, the daily commute to Derby would be a little easier.
The train would be the ideal commute, but only if you were based close to the station, and were happy to use the regular service between the two cities.
For nightlife, I'm to old for clubs etc, but Derby as plenty of bars/restaurants, mainly around the Friar Gate/Iron Gate areas, and some very good real ale establishments, Brewery Tap, Brunswick, Greyhound and Flowerpot spring to mind. Not sure about Clubs, and for bands, we have the Assembly rooms (not great) with the Vic and Flowerpot having bands at weekends. Nothing to compare with the Ice Arena/Rock City/Rescue Rooms in Notts for the bigger named bands though. Both cities have large student populations, so its never completely dead in either.
Without being to biased, for some weekends, Notts could be your best bet for bands/clubs, but you could catch the late bus home.
On the other hand, Derby is quite a bit smaller, but has decent pubs/restaurants, reasonable shopping (Westfield and Cathedral Quarter), and accomodation is usually a little cheaper. Plus you have the advantage of the East Midlands top football team and the Peak District National Park right on your doorstep.
Both cities have the usual issues with crime, but only in certain areas. If you decide on Derby, let me know, and I can give some information on good areas to live.
Cheers
Sadbloke

9

@ onlymark - "....the Pink Coconut in Derby? I used to work in them" You have my upmost sympathy. I hope you've recovered ;p

@sadbloke - "Life time Derby resident here" That explains the username :p

Sorry - just being cheeky ;)

@battybilly - Places such as the New Forest, Sherwood Forest, Dartmoor forest. The word forest meant hunting ground, especially those reserved for royalty. They were historically managed to have a few trees and mainly open ground. It's the rest of Britain that was more wooded historically.

Back to topic - I arrived in Derby as a student (several winters ago) and immediately thought 'What a dump'. Then I got out there and met the locals, and had the best time. Enjoy!

10

*9 - Doss....

I'm referring to the lack of trees and open spaces too, in both Sherwood and New Forests.

I arrived in Derby as a student (several winters ago) and immediately thought 'What a dump'

Where from?

11

Glad you enjoyed Derby Doss, like to think its a friendly enough place, where the positives outweigh the negatives, just lol

The Pink Coconut? Before that it was Baileys, chicken in a basket while watching Des O'Connor anyone? - the Duckworth Square area is now very rundown unfortunately, but with new bars/restaurants opening up on Friar Gate area all the time, Derby has improved dramaticaly since I was a young un, mi duck

12

Thank you all for your useful opinions.

The company is located in the South West of the city by the way (don't wanna name it, but I think it's clear..), so I don't think the train would be an option.
I think I will go for Derby, at least in the beginning. Relocating from abroad is already difficult enough, no need to add a commuting nightmare to the list of potential problems..
Moreover, hearing that Derby has a large student population seems good news: if there are students, there should also be something going on during the weekends :)

By the way, just to have a clear overview, what about living in Long Eaton or Beeston (which have buses to and from Nottingham running all night)? Looking at the map I think that it could be a reasonable compromise and may be a good choice to avoid the traffic inside Nottingham in the morning.

Thank you!
Head82

13

Most traffic heads into the city in the morning and out in the evening. So living in Long Eaton, Beeston or any of the other towns between Nottingham and Derby doesn't really gain you very much, actually in my opinion it would be a worse option than living in Derby itself - which is not as good a city as Nottingham but you're going to go to work every day but go out maybe a few times a week.

14

Areas to consider for accomodation in the SW of the city are Chellaston, Shelton Lock, Littleover, Heatherton and Mickleover. Personally I'd avoid Sinfin, Allenton and Normanton, a little rough around the edges in my opinion, no offence to residents intended.
All is not lost, last bus from Notts is 3.30am Friday and Saturday, though I'm sure you'd find something in Derby to suit your requirements
https://www.trentbarton.co.uk/services/redarrow/maps-and-times