Area Guide
Below is a guide to the areas of Manchester and Salford that tend to be most popular with students. Students at the universities and colleges in Manchester tend to live in the districts of South Manchester described below, but landlords occasionally advertise homes in North Manchester with us as well.
Please be aware that this is only a guide, and has been designed to give you a very basic 'feel' for these areas. You should never commit to private sector accommodation without seeing it yourself first. Remember that your opinion on what's a good area won't be exactly the same as the next person's - shop around and be informed by your own experience. Our Code of Standards ensures a reasonable standard of security but trust your own instincts - don't sign up if you don't feel reasonably happy in the area. Always choose a secure house on a well-lit street.
Manchester
Fallowfield
Fallowfield is considered by many - undergraduates especially - to be the centre of Manchester's student universe. Fallowfield's student haven has grown up around a cluster of popular halls and has boomed in the last ten years, with bars, coffee houses and high street chains cramming the stretch of Wilmslow Road at the heart of this lively district. On the busiest bus route in Europe and walking distance (for the energetic!) from the city campuses, Fallowfield is a student's paradise.
Didsbury
Didsbury is often seen as more upmarket than other student districts. Its restaurants, shops and bars are a draw for adventurous undergrad groups with an eye for something outside Fallowfield. It may also be ideal for couples, families and postgraduates. You might find that some rents are quite high, with tenants paying for the area's reputation.
Victoria Park
Leafy Victoria Park is a short walk from the University of Manchester's South Campus and MMU's All Saints Campus and a short bus journey or energetic walk from the city centre. Popular with students who've previously lived in halls in the area, Victoria Park itself isn't bursting with facilities, but is a very short walk from lively Rusholme's shops, restuarants and bars.
Rusholme
Curry capital of the North West! Known affectionately as the 'Curry Mile'(and a bottleneck for traffic), the colourful stretch of Wilmslow Road running through Rusholme looks like a tiny slice of Las Vegas. Rusholme's boundaries are open for interpretation and, beyond the neon lights where Oxford Road becomes Wilmslow Road, its streets may also come under the remit of nearby districts; Victoria Park, Moss Side and even Fallowfield. Lively, cuturally mixed, well served with shops and bars and a short walk to the campuses on Oxford Road.
Hulme
Regenerated, rebuilt and revamped, the new-look Hulme consists of small but perfectly formed community housing projects, including private developments and purpose-built student accommodation. Nestling at Hulme's centre is an enormous and ever-popular supermarket, a market and several chain stores. Walking distance from the university campuses on Oxford Road and the city centre, Hulme is a paradise for the busy.
Moss Side
Community-centred and largely populated by familes, Moss Side is served by the shopping facilities of nearby Hulme and within easy reach of the bars, restaurants and shops of Rusholme. Many of its streets are within a short walk of the major Wilmslow Road / Oxford Road bus route. The space left by the demise of Manchester City Football Club's Maine Road stadium is earmarked for a new build 'urban village' of modern housing and facilities. Moss Side is well served by public transport to the city centre and walkable from the Oxford Road campuses.
Whalley Range
Leafy, tree-lined Whalley Range is popular with couples and postgrads, consisting mainly of houses converted into flats. Whalley Range is close to what are considered the main student areas and is well-served by public transport, but has a community-centred and 'self-contained' feeling. This may mean that you don't find many of the usual facilities associated with a major student area.
Old Trafford
Famously home of Manchester United Football Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club and with the 230 stores of the Trafford Centre on its doorstep, Old Trafford is a paradise for sports and shopping fans alike. Old Trafford is part of Trafford Metropolitan Borough and is close to the culture and nightlife of Chorlton, Stretford and Salford Quays. There are few direct bus routes to the university campuses but the city centre can be reached in a few minutes by Metrolink (tram).
Chorlton
Trendy and desirable Chorlton (Chorlton-cum-Hardy, to give its full title - not to be confused with Chorlton-on-Medlock near the city centre),is known for its organic shopping and cafe-bar society. Comparable with Didsbury but away from the arterial Wilmslow Road, Chorlton is well served by its own bus routes and is popular with postgrads, twentysomethings and families. You might find rents expensive as, like Didsbury, tenants often pay for the area's great reputation.
Levenshulme
Popular with families, with schools and shops close by, multi-cultural Levenshulme is easily accessible from the city centre via the busy Stockport Road bus routes and so may be suitable for students at MMU's Aytoun and the University of Manchester's North Campus. It may also be convenient if you're at Stockport College or Salford University, with direct rail and bus links to Stockport and a rail link to Salford Crescent. One or two student-style bars have sprung up in Levenshulme in the last couple of years but ease of access to the city centre restores the balance for students living in this community-centred area.
Longsight
Longsight benefits from the major bus routes of Stockport Road and is particularly easy to reach from the city centre campuses and Stockport. Boasting a lively high street with major chains nestling alongside independent and more exotic outlets and the famous Longsight Market, the area is in the process of regeneration. Low rents abound.
Withington
Withington is just south of Fallowfield and served by the same major bus routes, but has a distinct 'personality', with students and other young residents joining forces with pockets of more traditional family communities to make this a laid-back, yet vibrant little area. Restaurants and bars are student friendly but tend to have a more individual flavour than in Fallowfield. Withington is also known for its charity shops and second hand book shops.
Salford
Lower Broughton
Lower Broughton combines low rents with convenience - located near the Castle Irwell Student Village, Salford Uni and the 'Pav' night club, the area is also on a main bus route into Manchester and the Salford Shopping Precinct. A major regeneration project has recently been put into action.
Charleston
Charleston is known as a student friendly area, combining good housing with reasonable rents. Close to Salford University and the 'Pav' nightclub.
Weaste
May be suitable for families as the area is well served for schools. Rents are generally reasonable. Salford University and shops are a bus ride away.
Irlam
Irlam is an energetic walk or a short ride on the bus from Salford University. Houses tend to be large and so the area is popular with groups, for example groups formed in halls. Known for being attractive and for fair rents.
Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill is a cuturally diverse corner of North Manchester, boasting several schools, shops and international supermarkets. Rents are generally reasonable.
Seedley
Seedley has various types of housing on offer, generally at affordable rents. The energetic may want to walk to Salford University but the area is also well served by buses and is a short ride away from the main campus.
Prestwich
Perstwich is known for its large orthodox Jewish community and for being, friendly, pleasant and peaceful. Mature students and postgrads may thrive here but should be prepared for the possibility of higher rents and you will probably need your own transport to get to University.
Trinity/Adelphi
Close to Universities in Salford and Manchester, Trinity and Adelphi are often popular with families. You may find a wide variety of housing on offer, as well as reasonable rents.
Higher Broughton
Higher Broughton is popular with undergrads, combining a convenient location near Salford Uni and the Pav with reasonable rents and large houses suitable for groups.
Swinton
Houses in Swinton are often large and attractive but you may find that some rents are high. You'll need to take a bus to get to Salford Uni.
Eccles
Home of the famous Eccles cakes, this community-centred area is particularly popular with postgrads and mature students. Salford Uni is a bus ride away and Manchester City Centre can be reached by Metrolink (tram).
Pendleton
Near Salford Uni and the Salford shopping precinct, Pendleton consists of a variety of homes and rents are generally cheap.
Salford Quays
Salford Quays is a trendy, modern waterfront development, close to Manchester City Centre and well served by buses and Metrolink (trams). Shops, cinemas, restaurants and water sports are all on offer and the area is popular with young professionals as well as students.
