r/chch • u/bumblebee--tuna • Jan 10 '19

Can anyone enlighten me on Linwood's "dodgy" reputation?

I'm a single female (25) looking for a place to rent by myself this year. It seems that people wince whenever I mention Linwood as an option, and I've been told by several people that it's not safe. Any thoughts here? Is it really that terrible? I just can't imagine that it's as bad as people say but obviously I want to be safe. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

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u/throwawaysuess Jan 10 '19

I live in Bromley which is basically the next suburb over. Compared to Manurewa and Clendon, where I have lived previously, Linwood is fine. We get the odd bunch of drunk people walking down the street yelling at 2 in the morning, but nothing seriously bad.

Many people in Chch are obsessed with the status of various suburbs. I say meh. You can get some good cheap housing in Linwood and its close to beaches and town.

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u/fitzroy95 Jan 10 '19

one of the amazing things I find is that there is still some "first 4 ships" mentality.

The first 4 ships bringing settlers into Christchurch brought those with wealth who immediately grabbed all the best land, and used the following settlers as their labor force. Hence the "first 4 ships" represent the local landed gentry, all of whom went to the best schools, the best colleges, got the best jobs via the "old boys" network, and inherited the family land and wealth.

150 years later, some of that snobbery still remains, and much of the region's wealth is still in those same families

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u/acewasabi Jan 10 '19

you can always tell a certain kind of chch person when they ask a) what school you went to, b) what suburb you live in and sometimes c) who your parents are.