# Relocating! (yes another thread...:))



## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

Hello everyone. I have been going through some of the older threads looking for info regarding relocating a family with pets to the UK from US. I am overwhelmed with the process and was wondering if anyone had any good references with which to start. We could be moving as soon as June or as late as December. Hubby's co is subsidizing move so $ isn't too big of a concern. We may be there for about 3 years. Our family consists of a 2.5 year old, a dog, and 2 cats. We'd like to live in a family friendly neighborhood with access to transportation. (Who doesn't right??) Commute is okay. (We'r e in Seattle now where traffic is terrible!!) I'd like my daughter to attend preschool but have no idea where or how to start looking for schools. The same goes for neighborhoods. I hear Highgate is a good place to start. (?) Any info is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! 

Oh and I was also wondering if Mommy's groups are as big in the UK as they are here in the US. I'd like to meet some playmates for my daughter and for our family.  I


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

As far as the pets are concerned, if hubby's company is paying for the move you probably should talk to a good pet transport company. Takes much of the worry out of the situation as they can guide you through the process.

One place to start for meeting folks and play dates for your children is one of the FAWCO clubs. England - Region 1 They can help you through some of the early days and help get you integrated into your new home. If there are mom's groups in the area, they'll know about them - and very possibly have their own.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Where are you re-locating to? London? England is not such a small place as most Americans think


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## casa99 (Oct 19, 2010)

JennS said:


> Hello everyone. I have been going through some of the older threads looking for info regarding relocating a family with pets to the UK from US. I am overwhelmed with the process and was wondering if anyone had any good references with which to start. We could be moving as soon as June or as late as December. Hubby's co is subsidizing move so $ isn't too big of a concern. We may be there for about 3 years. Our family consists of a 2.5 year old, a dog, and 2 cats. We'd like to live in a family friendly neighborhood with access to transportation. (Who doesn't right??) Commute is okay. (We'r e in Seattle now where traffic is terrible!!) I'd like my daughter to attend preschool but have no idea where or how to start looking for schools. The same goes for neighborhoods. I hear Highgate is a good place to start. (?) Any info is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
> 
> Oh and I was also wondering if Mommy's groups are as big in the UK as they are here in the US. I'd like to meet some playmates for my daughter and for our family.  I


If you mean highgate london you will find the traffic a nightmare, but on the plus side public transport ( bus and tube ) are very good to get around the city , you certainly would not want to drive there unless you had tolane:


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks for the responses! Yes, London. I am realizing slowly that it's quite big; hence the reason for this post  Like I mentioned, I am overwhelmed and don't know the first place to start looking for current info. 

In a previous post I read that Highgate was quite nice to raise a family. Public transport is the way we are thinking of going. I don't think we'll be looking into getting a UK license right away, so close to transport is important!

Thanks again!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Bevdeforges said:


> As far as the pets are concerned, if hubby's company is paying for the move you probably should talk to a good pet transport company. Takes much of the worry out of the situation as they can guide you through the process.
> 
> One place to start for meeting folks and play dates for your children is one of the FAWCO clubs. England - Region 1 They can help you through some of the early days and help get you integrated into your new home. If there are mom's groups in the area, they'll know about them - and very possibly have their own.


Your daughter can attend a nursery, either state-run or private, where you can leave her with staff there, or a mothers and toddlers club often run by volunteers in church or community halls. These are good places to meet other mums and for your daughter to find a play mate. Wait until you move in and start looking for suitable ones, and ask other mothers in the neighbourhood for recommendations.
As for areas to live in, much depends on where your husband's work will be based, as commuting is usually by public transport (there is virtually no parking for commuters in business areas of London, congestion is bad and there is a charge - currently £8 a day - to drive into or through central areas). Tube (underground) links are better north of the Thames than the south, where you may have to rely on national rail commuter network and overcrowding and unreliability is a problem. 
Highgate is a nice but very expensive area, as is nearby Hampstead (popular with film star and media type). Islington, where Tony Blair used to live before becoming PM, is an established and trendy residential area, as is St John's Wood. Slightly cheaper are Belsize Park and West Hampstead. More suburban with properties from 1930s onwards, often with garden, will be in places like Golders Green and Hendon (quite heavily Jewish), Finchley, Barnet and Mill Hill.
Many people live much closer to the centre for ease of commuting, often in redeveloped areas like Hoxton, Hackney and Clerkenwell. They have been gentrified with trendy shops, restaurants and wine bars, but I don't know if it's ideal for a young family, though many with children do live there. If your husband is working in Canary Wharf, good area is just south of the Thames like Greenwich and Lewisham, now linked by an extension of Dockland Light Railway.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Where in London is your husband going to work?

No point in people giving recommendations for suburbs and areas in South London if you hubbie is going to be commuting to North London etc etc.

Sorry to be pendantic but London is a big city and has many and diverse suburbs and outer areas. 

If he is going to be commuting to an outer area you might want to consider some of the smaller towns around London. Less expensive and more family oriented.


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

I believe he"ll be in Chiswick, South London.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Oh Chiswick is really nice. A good suburb, near to the Thames with plenty of facilities. It's in the outer London area so still rather expensive.

You could also consider Richmond upon Thames (just voted best family suburb) by Daily Telegraph voters), Kew, Fulham, Twickenham, Kingston upon Thames, Walton upon Thames - all areas with good facilities.

Chicwick is very well placed for trains commuting up from the South East area.


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

JennS said:


> I believe he"ll be in Chiswick, South London.


....

Jenn, Last time I lived there Chiswick was in West London!!!!!

Good Luck


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

xenos said:


> ....
> 
> Jenn, Last time I lived there Chiswick was in West London!!!!!
> 
> Good Luck


It says that Chiswick is in South West London. Is that wrong?


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

No it is not wrong. South West London is the correct location of Chiswick.

Take a look at a map on Google


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

JennS said:


> It says that Chiswick is in South West London. Is that wrong?


whoever said its in South London is highly geographically challenged!!! unless they have moved it in the last 15 years, it always has been in West London!!! 

I quote Wikipedia...
Chiswick (pronounced /ˈtʃɪzɪk/ ( listen)) is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow.[1] It is located on a meander of the River Thames, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan.[2] It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with an agrarian and fishing economy. Having good communications with London from an early time the area became a popular country retreat, and as part of the suburban growth of London in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the population of Chiswick significantly expanded. With neighbouring Brentford, it became a municipal borough in 1932 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. 

Also a link to the Chiswick website which is actually quite interesting.

Chiswick's Local Web site


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

:confused2:
Haha! I am not even there yet and I'm already lost! 

For argument's sake, while Chiswick may be located in West London, could it be in the southern part of west London? :eyebrows:

From the company website about its headquarters in England : "It is in Chiswick in South West London"

Like I mentioned earlier OVERWHELMED!!


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

I stand corrected. 

Looking again at a map I would agree that Chiswick is West (outer) London rather than South West London.

Sorry for the confusion.


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

looking at the generic Post Code of W4 it clearly indicates the loccation as being West London.....hence the W.....if it was South London it would be S4 and South West London would be SW4....

Maybe his company need a geography lesson!

But what do I know, I was only BORN and RAISED in that area


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

xenos said:


> looking at the generic Post Code of W4 it clearly indicates the loccation as being West London.....hence the W.....if it was South London it would be S4 and South West London would be SW4....
> 
> Maybe his company need a geography lesson!
> 
> But what do I know, I was only BORN and RAISED in that area


hahah. maybe they do! I thought the same thing with the postal codes, so I am not sure why it's listed as south west london. Thank you!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

xenos said:


> looking at the generic Post Code of W4 it clearly indicates the loccation as being West London.....hence the W.....if it was South London it would be S4 and South West London would be SW4....
> 
> Maybe his company need a geography lesson!
> 
> But what do I know, I was only BORN and RAISED in that area


There are no South London postcodes. S4 would be in Sheffield! There are SE and SW postcodes. Some SW codes are north of Thames like SW1 (Westminster, Central London) and SW3 (Chelsea) and some are south of the river like SW4 (Clapham) and SW19 (Wimbledon). Chiswick in W4 is best described as being in West London.
The descriptions SE, SW etc don't denote the exact compass directions but are derived from when London was divided into various postal districts, and SE5, SW19 etc being sub-districts. SW7 (South Kensington), for example, lies somewhat further north than W4 (Chiswick).


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

Joppa said:


> There are no South London postcodes. S4 would be in Sheffield! There are SE and SW postcodes. Some SW codes are north of Thames like SW1 (Westminster, Central London) and SW3 (Chelsea) and some are south of the river like SW4 (Clapham) and SW19 (Wimbledon). Chiswick in W4 is best described as being in West London.
> The descriptions SE, SW etc don't denote the exact compass directions but are derived from when London was divided into various postal districts, and SE5, SW19 etc being sub-districts. SW7 (South Kensington), for example, lies somewhat further north than W4 (Chiswick).



Fair point. I stand corrected with the S etc......Chiswick is still in west london though!!!!


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

xenos said:


> Fair point. I stand corrected with the S etc......Chiswick is still in west london though!!!!


Well with all that being said, are the places mentioned still worth taking a look at? (as far as transit proximity, etc.) 

And while we're on the topic... what is TV like in the UK. I am not looking to get US programming, I am curious to know what types of services are available..i.e cable, satellite, etc. Thanks again!


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

Chiswick is actually quite a nice area with good transport connections to central London, some nice green areas / parks, good shopping and is home one of Londons best brewerys - Fuller Smith and Turner on the main Chiwick Roundabout.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

JennS said:


> And while we're on the topic... what is TV like in the UK. I am not looking to get US programming, I am curious to know what types of services are available..i.e cable, satellite, etc. Thanks again!


Can't resist jumping in on this one - the big shock for most Americans in the UK and elsewhere in Europe is the TV tax. If you have a television, you pay the TV tax (there are a couple exceptions where you have to prove your television can't receive broadcast signals at all) no matter what your source of TV broadcasts.

Otherwise, the only real difference is that satellite is probably far more common than cable. You can also usually get a bundle deal through your Internet provider that combines TV, Internet, phone and even mobile phone if you like. (However, if your Internet service goes out, so does your phone and your television.)

Generally, the UK broadcasters import many of the US series, so you get a certain level of "screening" of what's on offer in the US, which can be a plus or a minus, depending on your tastes in TV.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

JennS said:


> Well with all that being said, are the places mentioned still worth taking a look at? (as far as transit proximity, etc.)
> 
> And while we're on the topic... what is TV like in the UK. I am not looking to get US programming, I am curious to know what types of services are available..i.e cable, satellite, etc. Thanks again!


London is such a huge place with many different areas (and districts within areas) and you really have to go and look for yourself, finding out transport links, character, costs, availability of particular types of housing and price levels etc. Use something like London Area Guide - Living in London to narrow down your choice. There are also books which you can get via Amazon.co.uk.

As for TV, London (and indeed UK) provides as wide a range of TV channels as anywhere in the world. Even through one satellite operator (Sky), you can get some 300 channels of both free and paid-for channels, many (but not all) are also available through cable (Virgin Media is the dominant operator). If you just want to use the conventional aerial, you get Freeview with up to 100 channels, some with subscriptions. Everyone has to pay £145.50 a year in colour TV licence fee (it's a criminal offence not to) for the public broadcaster BBC (whether you actually choose to watch it or not). In addition you pay from £30 to £100 a month for a various mix of subscription channels on satellite or cable. You can even get main subscription TV channels through telephone line.
There is some US programming, mainly sports (ESPN etc) and news (CNN, Fox etc), but you can't get main network TVs (ABC, CBS etc) through conventional satellite or cable. There are ways of getting them through broadband (streaming) and VPN. 
Wait until you get here and find out what is available in your property. Many flats (apartments) are already wired for Sky satellite, and all you need is a set-top box which you normally get free in exchange for a year's subscription. Some have Virgin Media cable, and you do the same. You can also get landline phone and broadband with either as a package, which cuts down on overall costs.


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

I can't thank all of you enough for your candor and information! I am a stay at home mom now, but prior to that I was a teacher, so I have a million and one questions by nature! I appreciate all of your time and responses.  I may have a million and two questions when this is all said and done


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

Is the West End the same as West London or is it different? I am trying to find a good street meep of the Chiswick area but I am coming up short!  Thanks again.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

JennS said:


> Is the West End the same as West London or is it different? I am trying to find a good street meep of the Chiswick area but I am coming up short!  Thanks again.


No it isn't. West End is roughly the City of Westminster in the centre of London where the Parliament, Buckingham Palace, stores (Harrods, Selfridges), hotels and theatres are. Chiswick is in West London, in the postcode W4. Go to Google Maps and enter 'London W4' to get a zoomable map and satellite picture.


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## JennS (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks so much Joppa!


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