What it's like to live in Crook

Housing in County Durham is noticeably cheaper than much of England. Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were about £79 for a one bed, £90 for two beds and £97 for three. For many tenants moving from the South or a big city, that difference is the headline.

Social renting is slightly more common here than nationally: 20% of homes across the county are socially rented, compared with 17.1% in England, split fairly evenly between council and housing association. The biggest landlords are Believe Housing, Karbon Homes and Livin Housing, with Home Group and Bernicia also active. Owner occupation is high at 62.5%, and 17.1% rent privately.

The age mix leans older than the national average, with more people aged 45 to 64 and over 65 and slightly fewer young adults and families. Streets tend to be settled rather than transient. For context on demand, County Durham's housing register held 9,642 households at 31 March 2025, with 290 homes let through the council that year.

For families, the school choice close to home is one of Crook's strongest points. Crook Primary School is 0.2 miles away, St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School 0.3 miles and Hartside Primary Academy 0.4 miles, with Peases West Academy at 1.1 miles and Howden-le-Wear Primary School at 1.4 miles. Having several primaries within walking distance gives you real options.

Secondary is simpler: Parkside Academy, 2.3 miles out, is the only secondary school within three miles. That's a school-bus or lift-shaped journey for most households, so worth checking the arrangements early.

Outside school hours there's Glenholme Park at 0.3 miles, Jubilee Park at 1.3 miles and Newfield Millennium Green a little further at 2.7 miles. Crook Library is right in the centre, 0.1 miles from the heart of town, and St Catherines Community Centre is nearby for clubs and activities. Across County Durham, 17% of residents are under 16, so there are plenty of children about.

Crook is a walkable town. The centre is small enough that shops, the library, pharmacies and the nearest primary school are all within half a mile of most addresses, so a lot of daily life can be done on foot. The ground is hilly in places, which is worth knowing if you have mobility issues or push a pram.

There's no railway station in the town. The nearest is Witton-le-Wear, about 2.8 miles away, so a train journey means a drive, a lift or a bus first. That makes Crook a town where having a car genuinely helps, particularly for work outside the area.

If you don't drive, don't rule it out, but do your homework. Check the bus times for the exact routes you'd need, at the hours you'd need them, before you commit to a swap. Evenings and Sundays are usually the test. The town centre location matters here: the closer you are to it, the less you'll depend on any one service.

Crook's entertainment is pub-and-park rather than big attractions. The Surtees, The Crown, Queen's Head, The Horse Shoe Inn and Crook Hotel are all in or beside the town centre, which makes a night out a short walk home. That counts for a lot in a small town.

Glenholme Park is the main green space within easy reach, with Jubilee Park about 1.3 miles out and Newfield Millennium Green at 2.7 miles. The library is a proper community asset here, and there's a second one at Willington, 2.1 miles away. Community centres at Crook, Howden-le-Wear and Witton-le-Wear host the sort of groups and clubs that are easy to join if you ask around.

The bigger draw is what's around the town. Crook sits on the edge of open west Durham countryside, so walking, cycling and days out in the dales are realistic weekend plans rather than a long trek. For cinemas, leisure centres and larger venues you'll be heading out of town.

Be straight with yourself about work before swapping here. Across County Durham, 51.2% of adults are in employment, below the England figure of 57.4%. Unemployment is lower than the national average at 3.1%, and recent figures show 3.2% of 16-64s claiming unemployment-related benefits, against 4% in England. So the picture is mixed rather than bleak: fewer people in work overall, but not a high jobless rate.

Crook itself is a small town, so most larger employers are elsewhere in the county. Many residents travel out to work, which again points to the usefulness of a car or a reliable bus route to wherever you'd be heading.

If you work from home, or your job is portable, Crook makes more sense: the lower rents and walkable centre work in your favour. If you're job-hunting from scratch, look at what's advertised across the wider Durham area first and see how you'd get there day in, day out.