If you grew up within the m25… did you stay there as an adult?

[Led92]

Just that really? If you grew up within m25 did you stay there or at least the south east and so not too far from home/family?

I grew up in north west and all my friends have moved away, including myself.

I have a similar story to you, weirdly enough. I was born & grew up in the East End(Victoria Park) before moving to Croydon, Purley to buy my first flat. Then we decided to move to Surrey to bring up our children. So we're in the M25.

No, but there's money pressure.

I was born in and grew up in London, met and moved in with my ex. Not married, his house. When we split I couldn't afford private rented on minimum wage, not even just a room in a house share.

I had a pet, the one thing I had for myself and wasn't willing to change that to live in a house share forever. I'd already given up everything I could to afford the pet and working more hours wasn't possible for me. So I moved miles away to somewhere I could afford the rent on minimum wage.

After a few years all my friends had gone too, they couldn't afford to live there either. Some because they just didn't earn enough to rent anything except a house share, some because they couldn't live in the size of property they needed to if they stayed (wanted DC and not to have to use the living room as a bedroom), some because they wanted the better quality of life that having disposable income left after bills and rent are paid brings, some because they wanted to buy and couldn't afford it if they stayed. So if I'd stayed I'd have ended up being the only one left. I know I'd have made new friends but it wouldn't have been the same. I still feel homesick sometimes.

Aged 50 and never lived outside of the M25 apart from a very short stint in Essex a few years ago. I've lived on all Zoned at some point, currently in z4.

I' meant I've lived in all Zones.

I'd happily move away now. I'd like to live in a town with a few pubs, cafes, basic shops and close to a larger town or city with more in it . Ideally near an estuary or the sea. I don't like central London these days.

Nope. I grew up in west London and now live in a remote part of Northumberland. I absolutely love it. I love visiting family in London but also love coming back home to the countryside here. It's stunning.

Yes - currently live 7 miles away from where I spent most of my childhood. Though I spent the majority of my 20s living elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

Lots of my friends who I made in my teens and 20s live further out. Some due to house prices, while others due to finding jobs elsewhere and preferring it. The second lot live in wealthy parts of the home countries.

Grew up on an estate in Newham. Went to Durham uni. Studied abroad in France. Met husband in final year at Durham. Together we moved to Tokyo, Vienna and now Berlin.

Visit east London often as my entire family is there and it seems worse each time. In my opinion unless you are very wealthy, London is not worth it. If you have money to spend it is the best city in the world, which is why I enjoy visiting now I am an adult with a bit of dosh. 😂

We've been lucky with work and have the type of comfortable lifestyle I could only have dreamed of as a girl growing up. I know London wouldn't have given me that.

I never want to move back. But I still consider myself a proud Londoner until the day I die! 😀

Grew up in SE London. My brother lives in Kent I am in the West Coast of the USA. None of my relatives who grew up within the M25 live there anymore.

I moved away so I could buy a bigger house in alter catchment of better schools.

I grew up in zn 2/3, went to uni and then a postgraduate in Scotland. Moved home for 4 weeks then out to the home counties for my first job. I've stayed there (just outside the m25) since as I like the space, being able to walk and the feeling that my kids are safe. Also I don't spend my life sitting in queues of traffic. I mis the London I grew up in but wouldn't move back now. My parents followed me out this way to a village where they are surrounded by ex londoners.

I was born and grew up in North London and moved to South London to study at 18. Met DP and lived there until early 30s but then moved to the far Southwest and don't regret it at all. There are definitely things that I miss about London but it's not the same place that I grew up in and I wouldn't want to live there now, although enjoy visiting as a "tourist".

Umm...the M25 wasn't there when I grew up 😂. But I was inside it for my late teens, then moved away in my mid-20s and moved abroad in my late 30s and still there after 25 years

Actually, the M25 wasn't built until after I left the area.

As a Londoner who has never left London, I’ll be interested to see what my teens do. I’m mid 40s and could just about afford to buy a flat in my late 20s in London (a tiny, shitty little flat!) and then met my DH who also owned a flat, so we were able to pool our resources and buy a house.

My DC will not be able to afford a London flat unless they end up extremity high earners. Rental is sky high, too. So I can’t see how they’ll be able to stay here long term. I’m trying to encourage them to go to university up north, and am looking into a US sports scholarship for one of them. Maybe more likely to forge some sort of life outside of one of the most expensive cities in the world, then!

I moved for University and work reasons and never went back. My brothers live in America now, we are all very scattered to the four winds.

I came back after about 20 years for a job. Moved away because Dad's job was relocated.

Im from Norfolk, always wanted to live in London so moved her for uni. DH is from London, grew up in leafy part of SE London but zone 2. He has never lived anywhere else but would happily move to Norfolk.

I was wondering if having family home within the m25 would help with that pressure? Conservative estimate is I spent £30k on rent on my twenties whereas my DD’s would have their own bedrooms (though not totally confident in that setup, adults sharing is hard).

Asking as considering moving back to north west but not sure given my Dd’s might end up gravitating here anyway.
I’m surprised on the price comments seast London and Kent borders like dartford are commutable and reasonably cheap l…. comparable to house prices in the north west.

Yes still in the area I was born in

It is convenient here

Remember the M25 being built

It's just cripplingly expensive to live here.

It's the same in London!

No, if I'd viewed it like that I'd have had to find a husband in order to move out of the family home! I was never going to earn more than minimum wage.

My parents owned the house, I had my own bedroom, I was welcome to live there. Although I don't imagine they particularly wanted their DC still at home in their 30s, they wouldn't have turned me away.

I was wanting to leave by the time I reached 20 though. You can't live a truly independent life in the family home. Even if you are basically independent and get along with your family, there's still your parents viewpoint to consider and it's a generation away from your own. Never mind your differing personalities. It doesn't really work. Then there's sibling drama too. It's healthier and less restrictive to move out even if that's into a flat share. It's part of growing up and taking responsibility for yourself. I wouldn't have wanted to marry someone who hadn't taken that step, so felt I should do it also.

As an adult I know people who have boomerang children returning every time a relationship fails or to save for a deposit to buy. They've all allowed it but they're also all resentful to varying degrees and there's tension in the homes. Quite a few are planning to/have move/ed to a different area or downsizing, specifically to put off the boomerang children from returning next time! Essentially turfing them out without having to say so.

Going back to my past situation, I didn't want to be flat sharing in my 40s and 50s and I could see that was going to be my future if I stayed in London, unless I married someone with more earning potential.

Plus I couldn't even flat share without giving up my pet to afford it, prices had gone up in the years I lived with my ex. It's not as if I'd have been swapping pet ownership for a different lifestyle, the money would have gone on the rent and bills etc. I'd have had no spare cash at all. It wouldn't have been a good life really.

I didn't want to be trapped into a marriage in that way either. I didn't want to be viewing potential dates like that and having to exclude the low earners. If a marriage went wrong leaving would have been very difficult if there were DC involved.

I prized independence and freedom above everything. So I moved somewhere I could achieve that and have a relationship with someone based purely on whether or not I wanted to. I knew I'd made a mistake with my ex not long after moving in, but I stayed several years trying to make it work because of the hassle of uprooting myself to area if I was to leave. I didn't want to be in that situation again.

Yes I did and funnily enough most of my school friends are still here having moved to different places first. A few uni friends also moved here too (Surrey). Expensive but perfect mix of countryside and big cities nearby.