Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Got a job offer to transfer to London to work in the Canary Wharf section , can someone recommend a good area to live in? I have a family with 2 very young children (one at pre-school age, the other infant), so we are looking for safe areas with good schools and hopefully good parks for family fun and the commute be less than an hour each way by public transit. Have a base of about 75kGBP, yearly gross income in an average year would be probably be not much more than 120KGBP (if at all), I understand it's not really that much in London, so your advices would be greatly appreciated.
Is Greenwich (SE10) or Lewisham (SE6) be acceptable areas for us? Saw it in some blogs recommending these two areas.
Many people here seem to agree NW8 is very good for people just moved from US, how long would the commute be from there to Canary Wharf? Also, with this income, would we be able to afford a decent (nothing luxurious) 3bedroom flat?
NW8 is St Johns Wood and the home to the American School in London.
Very Very expensive.
Unless you pay the schools in London are very poor.
What about this for an idea,live in Brighton on the coast... very nice, good schools and a very nice environment.
You can get to London on the train in about an hour.
Thanks for the reply, know at least somewhere to avoid. Is Canary Wharf area itself habitable?
Yes Canary Wharf is habitable - in fact, its been getting more and more fashionable to live there. It used to be absolutely dead after 6pm but now its bars and evening scene is a lot better than it used to be. You can also get a lot better value for money than other parts of central London. It is also a safe area. You could always rent there for a while and then decide what to do once you've got used to the city.
I don't know your experience of the UK or London, but you don't need to worry as much as you would in the US about areas - in London you will be close to everything as the transport system is so well networked. If you can afford to live in Canary Wharf (or anywhere in Central London) then do so to start with.
Thanks for the reply, know at least somewhere to avoid. Is Canary Wharf area itself habitable?
I'm showing my age by saying I can remember when Canary Wharf was run down docks, pubs, and bedsit houses. The endless offices and flats that have gone up probably don't really cater for families. It's more of a professional singles and property investor's place.
If you are willing to consider moving further afield, the Docklands Light Railway will connect you to all kinds of suburban commuter lines in Kent, Surrey, and Essex, by changing trains at Stratford, Greenwich, and Lewisham. Not sure how you would connect for Brighton, but it might involve travelling back into central London first.
If you really want that London experience, for the sake of a simpler but longer journey, you might consider more affordable stops just beyond St John's Wood on the Jubilee Line. Having done more than one train to work, things can and do go wrong very easily in London. It may be worth sacrificing area a little for a direct commute; so if you can find something you like in Greenwich that would be an ideal starting place.
Although there are good state schools in London, it's a bit of a lottery, and you can be sure the local anxious white middle classes know better than you how to play the system. House Prices, Property, Crime - Local Neighbourhood | UpMyStreet shows schools by area and test results. Entrance may be determined by religious background as much as geography. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair ignored the local state schools in his local area Islington, and sent his children to Catholic schools on the other side of the city.
Anyway, that's rambling on a bit. You really need to decide what your London experience is going to be. City or suburban? Tubes or rails? Multi-ethnic or white? Like suburbs everywhere, ours are safe but boring. London is one of the most amazing vibrant cities in the world, and it would be a shame to have watered down memories of the place.
30 minutes from Brighton? Seems to be very far away, google maps says about 55miles.. is the train reliable?
The only thing I know is that we share the local news with the Brighton area and from the snippets that I've picked up commuters are less than happy with the reliability of trains.
That said the only thing that tends to make the news is bad news.
And I doubt Brighton will be 30 minutes door to door by the time you include transfers and walking. More like 70, on a good day.
Brighton is a fun provincial seaside town, particularly if you are young and gay, but may not be aimed towards family life.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
