Find a mutual home exchange near you

What it's like to live in Redruth

Daily life is easy to organise because so much sits close together. A Premier and an Iceland are a couple of minutes from the centre, Tesco Superstore is half a mile out, and there are several pharmacies within a short walk. Redruth Library and the YMCA are both central.

The town has its rough edges and quiet patches, and some streets are steep going if you are pushing a buggy or carrying shopping. But there is a real community feel, with community centres at Redruth Community Centre and the Highway Community Hub, and people who have been here generations.

Getting around

Redruth station sits right in the middle of town, around a tenth of a mile from the centre. That is a genuine advantage in Cornwall, where plenty of towns have no railway at all. It puts Truro, Camborne, St Austell and Plymouth within reach without a car.

Bus stops cluster around the railway station, so train and bus connect in the same spot, with more stops near the Ambulance Station half a mile out. If you do not drive, Redruth is one of the more manageable Cornish towns to live in.

For drivers, Camborne Retail Park is about two and a half miles away and the rest of the county opens up quickly. On foot, the centre is walkable and most schools, parks and shops here are under a mile from each other, though the hills are real and worth a thought if anyone in the household has mobility problems.

Schools and family life

Families are well served for choice within a short walk. Pennoweth Primary and Nursery is about two tenths of a mile away, with Trewirgie Junior and Trewirgie Infants' and Nursery close behind, plus Treleigh Community Primary just under a mile out. Curnow School, a special school, is also nearby.

Redruth School is the secondary, around six tenths of a mile from the centre, so most children can get there without a long journey. It also has a learning resource centre.

For time outdoors, East End Park and Victoria Park are both within a quarter of a mile, with Plain-An-Gwarry Park, Trefusis Park and the Trefusis Community Orchard a little further. Camborne Redruth Community Hospital and its diagnostic centre are about a mile away, which matters when you have children. Across Cornwall as a whole, 16.3% of residents are under 16, slightly below the England figure, so this is not an especially young county.

Things to do

The Regal is the heart of it: a cinema, theatre, bar and restaurant a couple of minutes from the centre, with C Fylm screenings also running locally. For a town this size, having a proper independent venue on the doorstep is not something to take for granted.

Kresen Kernow, Cornwall's archive centre, is under half a mile away and worth a look even if family history is not your thing. The library is closer still.

For exercise there is Redruth Yoga in the centre, St Pirans boxing club and West Coast Academy nearby, and Buzz Fitness Cornwall and Duchy Crossfit a mile or two out. Pubs are plentiful and central, including the Red Lion, the Oxford Inn, Charlie's Bar and Cooper's Wine Bar. Nightlife is modest and mostly pub-based, with the Robartes Arms a couple of miles away. If you want more, Truro is a short train ride.

Work and the local economy

Across the Cornwall council area, 53.3% of adults are in work, below the England figure of 57.4%, and 25.3% of residents are 65 or over against 18.4% nationally. That tells you something real about the local economy: an older population and plenty of part-time and seasonal work.

The better news is that unemployment is lower than the national picture, at 2.6% against 3.5% in England, and unemployment-related benefit claims stood at 3% of working-age people in August 2026 compared with 4% across England.

Locally, health services around Camborne Redruth Community Hospital, schools, shops and the retail park at Camborne are visible employers. The railway station widens your options a lot: Truro is the county's main employment centre and is reachable by train. If your work is seasonal or hours vary, be realistic about winter income before you commit to a move.

Housing and who lives here

Social renting is less common in Cornwall than nationally: 12.8% of homes across the council area are socially rented against 17.1% in England, split between 5.2% council and 7.6% housing association. Two thirds of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage and 19.7% are privately rented, which makes social tenancies here worth holding on to.

The main landlords across Cornwall are Cornwall Council with 10,488 homes, LiveWest with 9,741, Coastline Housing with 5,311, Ocean Housing with 4,414 and Westward Housing Group with 1,286. Coastline has strong roots in this part of the county.

Rents are modest. Average weekly social rents across Cornwall in 2024/25 were £82 for a one bed, £94 for two beds and £106 for three. Redruth's housing is a mix of older granite terraces and later estate building, so expect variety in layout, garden and heating from one street to the next.

Everything about Redruth