Westport is a really lovely town - very well kept and clean.. However traffic can be quite busy in and around the town and there are a lot of things to consider
Depending on your circumstances, consider:
- jobs / career growth
- access to university : don't be fooled by the third level in Castlebar - it has an incredibly poor reputation. Donno if this is a factor for you
- hidden costs such as buses to school ; cost of home heating ; maintenance of a house in Mayo (harsher weather, larger plot); cost of petrol if you are a drive away from the shops
- access to hospitals - don't think I'd fancy relying on Castlebar hospital as I age being honest
- weather and increased rainfall
- socializing and what's important (music/gig , social dancing etc, cliquey area )
- access to beaches (Westport , Louisburgh have fab beaches) , watersports
- look 10 years ahead and consider what if there were any health issues etc Would you have support?
- re-sale prospects of houses. without speculating on prices , up til post-Covid, the market in Mayo was extremely slow. Westport would be an area that is in demand but don't expect to sell it in the future as you would a Dublin house.
I spent 15 years in Mayo and some amazing places but it really hit home during lockdown that I was a distance from everything and with university/college (hopefully) in the horizon , I made the choice to sell up (at a hefty loss) and purchase back in Dublin. It was the right choice for us, however depending on what phase of life you are at and your interests, Westport could be a really nice place to live. There's a good mix of social outlets, beaches , shops etc and road network has improved again recently as an earlier poster mentioned.