Looking at moving to London in March. Need advice on areas to live?

Question

Are any of the following places bad areas to live in?
Bow, Mile End, Stratford, Barking, Romford, Holloway..?

Answer 1

I would once have said avoid Bow, Mile End or Stratford. But surprisingly these areas are becoming quite 'up and coming' as the estate agents say. Certainly there are plenty of people who seem prepared to pay a lot of money to live there. Stratford will be at the centre of things for the Olympics in 2012. Holloway isn't too bad. A bit 'inner city' but close enough to Hampstead and Islington to be nearly trendy. Barking was once solidly working class cockney, but nowadays a high proportion of the population are immigrants. Lots of tightly packed terraced housing and still 'cheap' compared to the rest. But nothing is really cheap in London! Romford is the only one that is 'suburban' and an important place in it's own right - but be warned that many people who live there are a hybrid race: part east-end cockney, part Essex and part chav! Some might find this not a nice mixture..... In general live as close to work as possible and carefully check what your daily travel would be before deciding.

Answer 2

Bow & Mile End - These form an inner city area with lots of original Victorian housing stock. There are good transport links (Central, District, DLR, bus). Canary Wharf is very near here. Lots of regeneration going on here. The area lacks a decent high street or focus (as many inner city areas do) but is starting to get more and more trendier bars and restaurants. There are estates here that I would not walk through at night. However, unless you live in them, you have no reason to. The roads around Tredegar Square are particularly nice. I'd happily live in this area.

Stratford - This is an area that is due for regeneration but it isn't really here yet. It will be much cheaper now than Mile End & Bow. It is further out, but has excellent transport links, being a major east London hub. Its strength is in a well defined high street and shopping area. It is not really very trendy. There are housing bargains around here.

Barking - This is also a major hub in east London, not far from Stratford. It has a good high street and market. The housing is more suburban and better quality than around Stratford. There is not much to do here at night and the area around the station is not that nice. There is a plan to do major regeneration here so it would be an investment. If you are working in the City, Barking is only 15 mins on c2c overland train, which is good if you don't much fancy the tube.

Romford - This is a major outer London centre. It is the furthest from central London on your list. It has a large retail and entertainment area and several shopping malls. It has the second largest concentration of bars and nighclubs in London, after the West End and as such attracts a very young crowd at night. Although the area has a lacklustre reputation, the housing stock around Romford is not cheap at all.

Holloway - It is a real inner-city area with all the advantages and problems of that. So it is very close to central London but also a bit of a depressing area with lots of high density housing. Probably not particularly good value but if you are not that bothered about what your home looks like and want to be near the West End this would be a good place.

Answer 3

Well what i believe is that Stratford would be a good choice for you in terms of communication. whereas Barking and Romford are good place to live.

Answer 4

You need to consider the following factors:
Transport links - is it easy to get to where you will be working?
Social network - do you have friends already living in these areas?
Amenities - does the area have everything you need?

London is a place where just turning into the next street can take you from a really nice area into somewhere horrid.

Answer 5

Londoners divide themselves into North, South, East or West Londoners. Your suggestions, apart from Holloway, are east end. Not an area I like being a north Londoner by proxy but a lot of eastenders are happy with their lot.

Answer 6

There are many good and bad places to live but it really depends on what exactly you are looking for and how much is your budget! For a high one you can get the best...mayfair..for a low one (well that could be loads of places). Try and pick a direction
north, south, east or west and start from there!

Answer 7

all of the places you have listed are absolutely vile! i have lived in London all my life and my nan used 2 live in mile end and it was like living in a squalor! i would suggest west/north London it is sooo much nicer than barking bow etc. try Portland place area it is so modern and near loads of shops and restaurants it is also near local tube stations.
or if you are on more of a budget try the Barbican it is a fun nice friendly area and is close 2 the city!
hope this helps!

Answer 8

I wouldn't live in London. I know people who live in those areas. My boyfriend lives in London and I wanna move to England to be with him, but I have heard so many negative things about London from him and his friends, that it has completely turned me off. I wanna live somewhere else in England or go to Ireland. Someone mentioned Nottingham, I would go with that choice. That place was my first choice actually but my boyfriend won't leave London. He has family in Ireland since he is half Irish/English, so I told him I wanna move there instead and he agreed. Believe me Ireland would be a much better choice, however stay away from the North side of Ireland. Good Luck!

Answer 9

Go to Ormskirk in Lancashire - Ormskirk are the 7th best place to live in UK. Easy to travel by train to Liverpool & Preston for work also bus to Skelmersdale too, Great shopping in Southport (by bus), Liverpool, Preston and Manchester (by train), brilliant nightclubs in Southport & Liverpool. Good Luck.

Answer 10

GO TO NOTTINGHAM
ITS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE