Best places for families to live in London?

[december2020]

Hi,

How are you?

My husband and I are thinking about moving back to London in the next 3-4 years. We're currently in the Essex commuter belt but with my commute 1.5h each way, 4-5 days a week, it's just not sustainable.

London is massive and I would love to hear all the knowledge from MNetters to help me find areas to explore that could meet our needs.

Ideally we'd like a house with 3-4 double bedrooms, garden, and parking. We're all quite outdoorsy and have a dog so anywhere that has some green space would be lovely.

Zone-wise, happy anywhere, hoping for about 20-30mins commute into the centre of London (north, east, west, south isn't as big a deal either as long as the commute is right). Husband works mostly in east London but can get called any direction and can "transfer" to a closer area. Most of my work offices are always within zone 1-2, even if I moved company.

Something family friendly would be wonderful (little one on the way) and with enough amenities close by (we like to eat out, go to a cafe, cinema etc).

Budget would be up to 800k.

Apologies for the long post, trying not to drip feed information.

Am I living in a mystical magical land thinking there could be a few areas in London that could be perfect? Or does something like this really exist?

You need to identify which train station you want to commute into, and then see which areas are on that line.

Hither green fits the bill, 15 mins-ish to London Bridge, Charing X or Waterloo east

Loads of green space with blackheath close by and you’d get something for yourself budget

South Woodford or New Malden?

@GeriGeranium fair point. Currently my work is accessible by northern, victoria, metropolitan, Hammersmith & city, bakerloo, king cross/Euston, Marylebone and the circle line - so pretty open.
The reason I didn't want to specify a single station I had to commute to was to avoid being tied to one station/area in recommendations so I could explore options or areas I don't know about or hadn't considered.
What I was hoping for was if I ever changed job or my office relocated, zone 1-2 would still be accessible (even if it meant a tube change and extra time).

@ShirleyPhallus I will add this to the list to explore! Thank you!

@Needallthesleep these are new areas to me! Will definitely have a read up on them! Thank you!