A town of nearly 140,000 people, Middlesborough sits on the banks of the River Tees, enjoying all the benefits of a town of this size. Transport links between other nearby cities like Leeds, York and Manchester are all well developed, and the town has a good variety of outdoor public spaces. Schools and Colleges are plentiful and achieve good results. The city's University attracts young people to the town, and helps maintain a competitive rental market.
It's worth noting however that crime rates in the area can be high, particularly with the Gresham and Middlehaven areas. If moving with children, it's worth looking at which school catchment areas you move to, as the quality of schools here is quite variable.
However there are some really nice suburbs in the area notably Acklam, Linthorpe and Marton, all of which have a range of detached and semi-detached homes for reasonable prices.
Recent work to improve the town, such as a Institute of Modern Art, make for a pleasant City centre, and hopefully will help drive improvements over the coming years.