What it's like to live in Blackpool

Blackpool is unusual for a town of its size: only 10.3% of homes are social rented, well under the England figure of 17.1%, split between 6.1% council and 4.2% housing association. Private renting is huge at 31.8%, far above the national pattern, with 57.5% owned. In practice that means social homes are a smaller slice of the market than you might expect.

Blackpool Borough Council is the biggest landlord with around 4,872 homes, followed by Great Places Housing Association (1,225), Muir Group (430), Places for People Homes (326) and Progress Housing Association (97). Average weekly social rents in the council area for 2024/25 were about £80 for a one bed, £93 for two and £101 for three.

The age profile leans older than England as a whole: 20.7% are 65 or over and 28.1% are 45 to 64, with slightly fewer under 16s. The council's housing register held 11,844 households at March 2025, which is a reminder that mutual exchange is often the quicker route.

There is a good spread of primary schools close to the centre. St John's Church of England Primary School is about 0.3 miles away, with Westminster Primary Academy and Devonshire Primary Academy at 0.6 miles, and St Kentigern's Catholic Primary School and Holy Family Catholic Primary School a little further. That gives families both community and faith options without a long journey.

For older children, Woodlands School and Park Community Academy are about a mile away, with Blackpool FC School just over a mile. Tower Learning Centre Independent School and Blackpool Skills Academy are both around half a mile. As always, check current places and admissions with the council before you commit to a swap.

For family time outside school, Harold Larwood Park and Claremont Park are the nearest green spaces, and Blackpool Central Library is a few minutes' walk. Connect Young Peoples Service sits right in the centre, and The Base, The Magic Club and Revoelution Community Hub all run from within a mile.

Blackpool North station is about 0.2 miles from the centre of FY1, which makes train travel genuinely practical here. Layton, Blackpool South and Blackpool Pleasure Beach stations are also within three miles, so different parts of town have their own options if you live a little further out.

Buses run through the town centre, and the New Bonny coach drop-off facility sits about half a mile away. Because the town is compact and flat, a lot of everyday journeys are walkable: the shopping centre, library, cinemas, supermarkets and pharmacies are all inside half a mile of the FY1 centre, and Blackpool Victoria Hospital is around 1.5 miles.

By car, Blackpool is reached from the M55, which feeds in from the M6 near Preston. Parking in the central streets can be tight, especially in summer when visitors fill the town, so check what comes with any home you are considering. Many tenants here manage perfectly well without a car.

Few towns this size give you so much within walking distance. Two cinemas, the Regent and The Arc, are both around 0.3 miles from the centre, and Houndshill Shopping Centre is 0.4 miles. The Teanlowe Centre is a three-mile trip if you fancy a change.

Blackpool's nightlife is famous and it is on your doorstep in FY1. Ma Kelly's, the Flying Handbag, Garlands, Pinkies and the Cuban Bar are all within a few minutes, and clubs like Level 4, The Tache, Trilogy, Popworld and Hush sit in the same stretch. Great if you enjoy it; worth thinking about if you want quiet evenings, since the noise comes with the location.

For something calmer, there is the beach and promenade, Jubilee Gardens and Gynn Flagstaff Gardens, and the libraries at Central, Revoe and Layton. Gyms are plentiful too, with The Gym nearest, plus Bannatynes, Helio Fitness, JD Gyms and Spindles Health & Leisure Centre.

Be realistic about work here. Across the Blackpool council area, 51% of adults are in work, below the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment sits at 4.3% against 3.5% nationally. By September 2026, 5.6% of 16 to 64 year olds in the area were claiming unemployment-related benefits, compared with 4% across England.

That said, the town centre location helps. Health care is a significant local employer, with Blackpool Victoria Hospital 1.5 miles away, Spire Fylde Coast Hospital at 1.4 miles and The Harbour just under three. Retail, hospitality and leisure are the other obvious strands, given the shopping centre, the bars, the cinemas and the visitor trade that fills the town in season. Seasonal work is common, so hours can swing through the year.

If you work further afield, Blackpool North station and the M55 both make commuting inland towards Preston feasible. Plenty of tenants here combine local part-time work with travel out of town.