Where to live in Adelaide

[Guest The Pom Queen]

 

Around three-quarters of Adelaide’s houses are detached.

Generally speaking, the North and North West of the city are industrial – some areas might be described as “less desirable”.

An Adelaide newspaper, The Sunday Mail, singled out some locations in the North and North West as the least desirable areas of the city. These are Angle Park, Athol Park, Ferryden Park, Mansfield Park, Woodville Gardens and Woodville North.

Unemployment is worst in the northern, outer-northern and outer-southern suburbs – in areas such as Angle Park, Elizabeth, Smithfield, and Christie Downs.

Managerial and professional classes are concentrated in the eastern and hills suburbs. The outer-northern and southern areas have high proportions of skilled workers and trades-people.

Most areas in Adelaide are pleasant to live in, varying in price and character depending on location – for example coastal properties tend to cost more than those inland. Streets are clean although graffiti is becoming an issue in many locations.

Houses in Adelaide have often been built on generous sized plots.

Many migrants find it unusual that houses in Adelaide are built with single-glazed windows and little or no insulation. This comes about because winters in Adelaide are very short. Nevertheless, winter nights can be chilly, though frost is rare.

Wood-burning stoves are used in many houses to heat living areas on the coldest days. The easiest solution to warming your house when it’s chilly is to buy a few electric radiators. Gas heaters are liable to cause condensation. You could have central heating installed but it would not be used for most of the year – most people consider central heating is not cost effective.

Much of the city’s water comes from one source – the Murray River. Although the water is safe to drink, it’s heavily treated with chemicals; it has a poor taste. You can buy a water filter for your tap; these are not expensive and remove the chemicals to leave fresh-tasting drinking water.

Adelaide’s Pros and Cons

Port Noarlunga Beach, Adelaide

If you can find a job and you don’t want to live in a trendy city, Adelaide is a very pleasant place to live – offering an easy, relaxed lifestyle.

Commonly held pros and cons for Adelaide are as follows:

Adelaide Pros

• Cheap houses
• A sunny, warm, Mediterranean climate with low humidity
• Lovely beaches
• Pleasant suburbs with easy traffic
• An exciting variety of excellent, inexpensive places to eat out
• Good public transport
• Attractive hills and national parks around the city
• The world famous Barossa valley lies just 60 km away
• Adelaide is Australia’s most affordable big city.

Adelaide Cons

• Sea water temperatures are cooler than around Australia’s other cities, except for Melbourne.
• Some summer days are just too hot.
• Adelaide has higher unemployment and, on average, lower wages than other major cities in Australia.
• There are too many boy-racers on the roads.