# Where to live in or around London?



## hnaqvi (Feb 17, 2012)

Hi, I am in the midst of a job relocation to London currently and having visited many sites feel totally lost as to where to live and what to expect. I have a few questions below and would appreciate any support on these:
1) For a family of 6 with 3 kids (ages 8, 6 & 4) which would be the best area to live in? Key consideration is for open spaces and good state schools (not necessarily scoring high on league tables but more based on personal experience)
2) Which communities are more multi cultural to avoid biases?

My office would be in central London but I do not mind the commute in public transport and am willing to travel about an hour or so one way each day in order to have a home in a good community to return to with good school system.

Thanks in advance.


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

Not sure whether Joppa is around or not, this question has been asked many a time, have you gone through the threads yet?
This is just one example that may be of help:
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/britain-expat-forum-expats-living-uk/102194-relocating-london.html


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

Both Barnet and St Albans have decent schools and within an hour. I guess it all depends on what you like to do as a family as to where best to go for...


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## hnaqvi (Feb 17, 2012)

Johanna said:


> Not sure whether Joppa is around or not, this question has been asked many a time, have you gone through the threads yet?
> This is just one example that may be of help:


Thanks Johanna, I did go through most of the threads with a similar title but found most also to be from 2008 and 2009 and have already made a list of the areas that were specified in those which is definitely very helpful, but the reason I reach out again is that given the time lapse I am sure there may have been changes, schooling is the most important factor for and as such I have been looking into Windsor, Reading, Slough, Egham, and other surrounding areas that I had found through my early searches. This week I am exploring more of south west and Kent as I have seen from this thread, any other help is greatly appreciated.

Also, how are the areas on cippenham in slough and maidenhead in windsor? As I was able to find some good deals in these areas?

Thanks.


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## Iamonmyway (Oct 11, 2011)

Brighton , is nice or Hove lovely clean air , great town lots for the children to do train and coach links to London in an hour , and good schools for the children and if you go out of town , omitting Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb ,property is cheaper


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Iamonmyway said:


> Brighton , is nice or Hove lovely clean air , great town lots for the children to do train and coach links to London in an hour , and good schools for the children and if you go out of town , omitting Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb ,property is cheaper



This would be a crazy commute.

To put things into perspective for you, London alone is 659 square miles.


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

nyclon said:


> This would be a crazy commute.
> 
> To put things into perspective for you, London alone is 659 square miles.


Friends of mine have been doing that commute for years.

The one hour link to London Bridge makes it manageable (from London Bridge most of East London is within 20 additional minutes).


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

jlms said:


> Friends of mine have been doing that commute for years.
> 
> The one hour link to London Bridge makes it manageable (from London Bridge most of East London is within 20 additional minutes).


The train commute alone between Brighton and London is 1 hour and 10 minutes. Add to this the commute from home to the train station and from the London train station to the office and it's easily 1 hour and 45 minutes each way. The OP is looking for a commute of about an hour.


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

nyclon said:


> The train commute alone between Brighton and London is 1 hour and 10 minutes. Add to this the commute from home to the train station and from the London train station to the office and it's easily 1 hour and 45 minutes each way. The OP is looking for a commute of about an hour.


And many of the services on that line are run by FCC - the worst train company in the world - add an average of 30 minutes a day to the commute to allow for their muppetry and incompetence!

I live on the northern stretch of FCC's train line and it is breathtakingly, shockingly terrible and saps your will to live 

That said, Brighton is nice...

I'm moving soon and cannot get away from my 2 hour daily FCC hell...


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

When I lived in England, it was regularly reported that people commuted from Grantham, Lincolnshire and also York, Wakefield and even Leeds.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Hepa said:


> When I lived in England, it was regularly reported that people commuted from Grantham, Lincolnshire and also York, Wakefield and even Leeds.


Probably because they lived their 1st and then got a great job opportunity in London rather than that they gave themselves horrendous commutes on purpose.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

nyclon said:


> Probably because they lived their 1st and then got a great job opportunity in London rather than that they gave themselves horrendous commutes on purpose.


No to the contrary, most were "comers in" who needed a better and cheaper quality of life for their families and having lived in both areas I can sympathise with them.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Hepa said:


> No to the contrary, most were "comers in" who needed a better and cheaper quality of life for their families and having lived in both areas I can sympathise with them.


I don't know how a 5 to 6 hour daily commute translates into a better quality of life. Blimey that's 1+ day a week of just commuting! That really doesn't leave much room for family life. To each his own.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

nyclon said:


> I don't know how a 5 to 6 hour daily commute translates into a better quality of life. Blimey that's 1+ day a week of just commuting! That really doesn't leave much room for family life. To each his own.


I think that the rail time is less than 2 hours or around 2 hours from York/Leeds and far less from Grantham, but that was then some years ago, things could now have changed, it is some time since I last lived in England.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

nyclon said:


> I don't know how a 5 to 6 hour daily commute translates into a better quality of life. Blimey that's 1+ day a week of just commuting! That really doesn't leave much room for family life. To each his own.


I personally know several people doing long-distance commuting. Some are weekly commuters - they stay in London from Monday to Friday and return home for the weekend, like most MPs. A lot of contractors and traders (like plumbers, decorators, electricians, builders etc) do the same. They stay in B&Bs near to where their contracted job is and go home for the weekend. 
Only few people actually spend 5-6 hours a day commuting, though I knew someone who used to take a helicopter to London every day from Oxfordshire!


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## family_of_5 (Jan 11, 2012)

Does anyone have any opinions on any of the following areas;

- St Albans
- Harpenden
- Shenfield
- Cuffley
- Watford
- Brentwood
-Cheshunt

My husband will be working near Moorgate/Liverpool station so we have been looking at places with a relatively short commute (under 1 hour). That being said I 'm not sure which of these areas would be better in terms of schools, extra curricular activities, safety etc for our family of 5 (we have 3 children ages 10, 8, 6). We are wanting to rent a 3 or 4 bedroom property that is within walking distance to good state schools, train station, etc. As far as budget we would like to stay under 2000 pounds a month. 

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. I have been searching upmystreet and rightmove but the internet can only get you so far. Some firsthand opinions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

family_of_5 said:


> Does anyone have any opinions on any of the following areas;
> 
> - St Albans
> - Harpenden
> ...


From my personal knowledge, all those places are suitable for a family, but they can be quite different in character. Watford is quite near London (just outside M25 beltway) and is a busy place, and some nicer areas near Cassiobury Park (golf course) can be expensive, while places nearer the centre can be small and noisy. Nearby St Albans is very pleasant, a cathedral city with old Roman remains, very popular and property prices (and thus rent) tend to be high as well. Cheshunt in Hertfordshire is a typical commuter town, quite modern with old centre and will provide many amenities. Harpenden also in Hertfordshire is further out but has fast trains into Central London (less than 30 min). Some very high property prices. Harpenden Common is a large open space and is pleasant. Brentwood in Essex is an affluent place with big detached houses for commuters into the City of London (like your husband). It's a very pleasant town, sprawling a bit with many private housing, with a bit of history in the centre. Shenfield, on the outskirts of Brentwood, is a newer, cheaper alternative.

Of the places you mention, I would choose either Shenfield or Cheshunt because of lower rent and better value but frankly you can't go wrong with any of them. I'd put Watford last, as it's too near London and tends to be busy and traffic-choked, but it has nice areas and you may like being near the capital.


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## family_of_5 (Jan 11, 2012)

Thank you so much Joppa! That is exactly the kind of advice I have been looking for. It is one thing to look at rental properties on the internet and another thing to get some insight as to the "feel" of a city. I'm sure this will be just the beginning of many questions I have for everyone on this board.


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