What it's like to live in Crosby

Sefton is mostly an area of homeowners: 66.6% of homes are owned, 18.2% are privately rented and 14.4% are social rented, a little below the England figure of 17.1%. Council housing is a small slice at 3.4%, with housing associations holding 11%.

That means most social tenants here rent from an association. One Vision Housing is by far the biggest with 10,717 homes, followed by The Riverside Group with 2,364, Jigsaw Homes North with 1,588, Plus Dane with 896 and Prima Housing Group with 577.

Rents are reasonable. Average weekly social rents across Sefton in 2024/25 were £92 for a one bed, £100 for two beds and £115 for three beds.

Because the social stock is on the smaller side, swaps into Crosby can take patience. It's worth being flexible on exact streets.

There's a good spread of primary schools. Waterloo Primary School is practically on the doorstep at 0.1 miles, with St Johns C of E and St Edmund's & St Thomas' Catholic Primary both 0.4 miles away, then Rimrose Hope Church of England and Hatton Hill Primary under a mile.

For secondaries, Sacred Heart Catholic Academy is 0.7 miles, Chesterfield High School 1.3 miles, St Michael's Church of England High School 1.5 miles, Holy Family High School 1.8 miles and Hillside High School 2.8 miles. Several are walkable, which saves money and hassle at 8am.

For days out with kids, The Marine Garden, Victoria Park, Brook Vale Recreation Ground and More Park are all around 0.4 miles from the centre, with Potter's Barn Park a little further. Crosby Library is 0.1 miles away and there are community centres nearby, including Waterloo Community Centre and Ford Lane.

The trains are the big draw. Waterloo station is about a tenth of a mile from the centre, with Blundellsands & Crosby just over a mile away, Seaforth & Litherland a mile, Hall Road 1.8 miles and Bootle New Strand two miles. That's five stations within easy reach, which is unusual outside a city.

Buses are just as handy. South Road stops are right in the centre, and Waterloo Interchange, Saint Georges Road, Fir Road and Milton Road are all within a third of a mile. If you don't drive, you're not stuck.

On foot, the centre is compact. Shops, pharmacies, the library and the station sit in a tight cluster, so a lot of errands can be done without getting in a car at all.

If you do drive, you're close to the main routes north and into Liverpool, with retail parks a few miles out for bigger shops.

The Plaza Community Cinema is a real asset, sitting about 0.1 miles from the centre. If you want a bigger screen, ODEON Luxe at Switch Island is 2.5 miles and TheLight at New Brighton 2.6 miles.

Pubs are plentiful and local: The Liver, Always Sometimes, Trap and Hatch, The Green Rooms and The Ferndale Lodge are all in or beside the centre. Nightlife proper is thinner on the ground, with Bistro115 around 2.7 miles away, so a big night usually means heading into Liverpool.

For exercise there's a decent mix of independent places rather than chains, including Tierpro Gym, Waterloo A.B.C, Warrior Combat Gym CIC, I Am Woman Gym and Waterloo Judo Club, all within a third of a mile.

For bigger shopping trips, the Strand Shopping Centre is 2.1 miles, with The Marian Square and a couple of retail parks nearby.

Crosby's position matters more than any single employer. With five train stations within three miles and Liverpool a short hop south, commuting is realistic whether you work in the city centre or closer to home.

In the wider Sefton area, 53.6% of adults are in work, a bit below the England figure of 57.4%. Unemployment sits at 3%, slightly lower than England's 3.5%, and 3.8% of 16 to 64 year olds claimed unemployment-related benefits in August 2026, just under the 4% national figure.

Locally there's a cluster of health services, including Crosby Hospital, a Bupa health centre, a dialysis unit and several pharmacies, all within half a mile of the centre. Retail around the town centre and the nearby shopping centres adds more.