Be nice to me please, it is entirely possible I am overthinking everything. And yes, I have searched the site, I promise
I've posted a couple of times already about various aspects of life in Switzerland, and it's looking likely that we will be moving there at some point this year.
So Winterthur has been suggested as somewhere to look at to live - easy enough commute to work for OH (Flawil, by train or car), big enough to have stuff going on, a bit more affordable than some other areas . Is that a reasonable summary?
OH and I are hoping to visit in a few weeks to have a good look around and get a feel for the place, but does anyone have anything interesting that I might want to know about (good or bad)?! Are some areas nicer than others? What are schools like in the city?
Are there any other towns/areas that might be worth looking at? TY in advance.
Winterthur certainly is alright to be living in. It's not Zurich, but you're there fast
However, if your job is in Flawil, why not move further east (as you seem to be looking for a new place to life, rather than thinking if you should stay in Winterthur vs. moving closer to Flawil, which would be a different situation) - rents are cheaper the further east you go (in general), taxes are high in Winterthur (you might or might not pay less) and you'd save yourself quite some commute every day (not traffic prone, though)
Winterthur would, of course, bring you the advantage of being reasonably fast in Zurich (did I mention that already?) - especially if your circle of friends is there, that would be an advantage - and obviously being more "international" than, say Degersheim or Niederbüren.
But saving 500 CHF on the monthly rent, 300 CHF on monthly car use (or a SBB yearly card), and probably more importantly, like 1 hour of commuting time every day, would probably make me think twice if not moving close to work. IF that work is mid-long term, at least.
Thanks for your thoughts, it's interesting to consider different things. I think for the moment we're keen to live somewhere a bit bigger though, for various reasons. St Gallen might be an option, the commute would certainly be shorter.
We've lived in Winterthur for about 5 years, and we like it. My husband works in Oerlikon, so the commute is easy. I like being close to both Zurich and the airport, too. No kids, so can't speak to schools. Lots of apartments being built here.
The town is nice, green space, some museums, lots of pretty countryside.
The population seems fairly diverse.
I've just visited St Gallen, so can't tell you about living there, but the town center there is nice too.
We live about 2km west of the Winti train station, so for us, it's a about an hour by public transport to Flawil (bus, train) and 35-40 minutes driving time, probably against traffic.
You should have a look at the housing stock in the area and see what interests you most, and weigh that against your commute. Winti is pretty convenient for us - half an hour to zurich, half an hour to Konstanz, less than half an hour to the airport (all via car)- although they are screwing with the highway right now, and the train choices aren't terrible.
We used to live in Bern, so our taxes here are lower by comparison.
Just coming back to say thank you for all your responses, its been helpful.
We visited Winterthur the week before last and liked the look of the city, and the move is going ahead in the summer. The commute to Flawil was very straightforward, much better than mine into central London!
I still need a bit of help, though please - which bits of Winterthur are good to live in as a family with primary school aged children attending local schools? We have a rough budget in mind, and properties all over the city seem to be coming up when I search the property websites. We managed to have a good look around Oberwinterthur, but other appointments and a badly timed illness stopped us looking around any other areas. What is Wulflingen like?
If I don't get a feel for these places somehow I am going to have to trust my husband to find us somewhere to live once he starts work
I'm sure there's plenty of nice areas of winti but I prefer oberi and new hegi. Just moved back there after 2 years Way.. Good train and motorway connection plus plenty of green and parks and a nice outdoor pool
Wulflingen also pretty good but not so good train access and a speed camera that keeps catching me.. So that's out lol
We have lived in Winterthur for two years and really like it. We are in the city center and always find things to do with the kids, while rarely needing our car. Train connections to Zurich are also great and commuting is much quicker when you are 5 mins on foot to the Banhof.
Our kids are in kindergarten and we have been very happy with the schools. There are LOTS of other transplanted kids in our area so I think it was easier for everyone to adjust. We are also giving up a really great 5.5 room flat in late July or 1st of August and will soon start searching for a Nachmeiter. I haven't created an ad yet but if you are looking I would be happy to tell you more about it.
That's really interesting to read - I hadn't really got my head around the possibility of living so centrally (although I lived in central London millions of years ago, I've been in English suburban commuterland for a long time!). Definitely interested in hearing more about your flat, although I wonder if it would be over our budget? OH starts work at the beginning of July and the kids and I will join him once they've finished the school year and I've got everything sorted this end.