Can anyone tell me more about these areas in Hertfordshire?

[mummyk2012]

So this is a bit of a continuation from a previous post "where to live outskirts of London" but on a focused area now. We looked into moving outskirts south but after some more research decided north would be better. It will be much closer to family as well who are mainly in north and east London.

I have narrowed down to Hertfordshire now and have the following potential places to visit. If anyone can share anymore info on living in these areas it would be great! We want somewhere that still has good access to London via train and car. Reasonable price houses 375k or under. I expect it will be quieter in Herts but we don't want to be in a totally dead area with nothing around.

SO we are now looking at:

Hitchin, Hertford, Ware, Broxbourne and Hoddeson.

Any info much appreciated!

[justhayley]

Have you considered St Albans in Herts?
It's such a fantastic place to bring up children and the train takes 20 mins to kings cross.

[MUM2BLESS]

I live in Watford. This is a multicultural area. I like the school in my area.

[nailslikeknives]

Second St. Albans. Very multicultural, lots for families. Never knowingly experienced racism here. Not so in Hertford unfortunately, where we were even shouted at in the street.

[MUM2BLESS]

It's ashame you cannot live where you choose, without harassment. All the best in choosing!!

[BobbinUp]

Hitchin is fairly multi cultural as far as rural market towns go. Strong West Indian and Indian communities which appear to be well integrated. Hitchin IMO is lovely and you could find a house in your price range. We looked at Ware, Hertford and Hitchin and I think Hitchin the best of the bunch. Ware train lines to London not a patch on hitchin which can be 22 mins to kcx.

[WhispersOfWickedness]

Hitchin is lovely, I used to work there and a friend lives there

[Gunznroses]

Hitchin - Very white. Good schools. Propert is premium. Don't know much else about it.

Hertford - Very middle class, multicultural factor is all relative ( what is multicultural for you?) to feel comfortable, its not peckham! But you won't stand out either. Property VERY pricey, won't get a lot for your budget. Schools good but not league table standard, depends what type of schools (primary and secondary) you're looking at. Beautiful area, lots of nice quaint shops, restaunrants etc, nice cosy little town. Straight train link to Liverpool street.

Ware - Tiny little sleepy town. Not a lot going on there, the most exciting thing there is GSK (which is fantastic if you've got a job there!) and feeding ducks by the Lea Valley River. Just one Tescos, no takeaways e.g Macdees,KFC etc if you like that kind of stuff you go to Hertford. One little street of shops, no Next, Topshop etc you get the gist! Very aging population. Property cheaper than in Hertford. Its surrounded by some lovely villages and farm towns. (i think a big Asda may have opened up recently). Good transport into London i think Liverpool street again.
one excellent girls secondary there, Presdales.

Broxbourne - Multicultural in my opnion but again all relative. Very close to Hoddesdon but Broxbourne more 'posh' property VERY pricey, with tiny gardens, will get more for your money in Hoddeson, 5 minutes away (you can actually walk between both towns)
There is one very good primary school there C of E very hard to get into, its the main feeder school for the also good C of E secondary. No other school worth mentioning.Every One from as far as Hoddesdon and Cheshunt and surrounding areas try to get into said school. Very good train link to Liverpool street, same train that runs through Ware and Hertford, Hoddesdon. It has a beautiful Lido! You can hire a boat and go for a day trip, not a lot of shops but then you have Cheshunt town (shopping centre here) on your doorstep and its close enough for poppinto several times a day. Lovely little place, very green, lors of places to walk etc very domiciliary as well.

Hoddesdon - multicultural.Nice town bigger than ware but not huge. Very domiciliary but lively. The tower centre shooping mall is being revamped (abit ghostly at the moment, due to lack of take up of shop vacancies) but i think it is picking up some nice little quality shops on the pretty high street, including a few regular high street ones, e.g peacocks, boots, some designer shops, plus a regular market where theres always a good bargain. Depending on which side you live, one part is pretty upmarket and the other well...not so. The primary schools are a mix! But mostly good/decent. The secondary school is not much to write home about but again depending on what you're looking for. For those who can afford they either go private 3 good private schools covering all above areas except hitchin or go to Bishps Stortford.


If i were you, id be looking at Bishops Stortford. Saint Albans is pricier than all of the above, and you cant be guaranteed you'd be in the catchment for the good schools, there are some pretty dire schools in Saint Albans too.

[littlecrystal]

Some very useful info here. We are a black/white family with 2 mixed kids. We have thought of moving to the said area. When visited BS, did not see a single black person so felt very monocultural. When visited Hoddesdon/Broxbourne saw about 6 black people and hear some Italian language - it felt a bit more diverse, so more suitable.

When I research an area I tend to go to school websites and check pictures of classes, it gives you a good hint about the mix of people.

[Wantingtodothebest]

Wow to Gunz!! What a complete load of twaddle you've just spieled off! You clearly need to visit some of the afore mentioned places and also check your dictionary for the definition of domiciliary! Cheshunt?? Really! I'm just saying!
Hertford - great town!
Ware - loads of restaurants, pubs, estate agents and hairdressers!
Hoddesdon - pass on by!
Cheshunt - never!
BS - not too sure - but seems nice!

[littlecrystal]

Having lived in a grotty place of South London for a while, Hoddesdon seems like a paradise to me :) So I guess it is all relative and depends where you are moving from.

[Browntemptation]

I know i am reading this feed 4years later, but the information is great.