Boxmoor/Harpenden?

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Hello!

I am pregnant at the moment and house hunting. There are houses we have liked in Boxmoor and Harpenden. I have heard both are supposedly very nice areas, I do not however know one person in either place.

Boxmoor in particular, no clue. I have no idea about the reputation of different schools. I can't just go on ofsted ratings as I know some schools with 'good' ratings but are just horrid.

I know personally that areas can vary in reputation just by small areas and honestly, when I see a cheaper house in a nicer area, I know it probably not got a good rep. From my hometown I know this is the case, but it is so difficult to know when you don't know places at all.

Does anyone from either of these areas have any suggestions on both locations or just areas that just wouldn't be great?

Thanks!

I know Harpenden, pretty nice place to live.

happy to answer specific questions. Southdown and Batford are the cheaper two areas, of those, Southdown is nicer IMO and has a wonderful primary school.

Harpenden, all day long. Boxmoor is Hemel Hempstead, which isn't particularly nice imo.

And Mayfair is London which has some unpleasant places.

Boxmoor has its good and bad areas but one big advantage is its proximity to Hemel Hempstead station and the direct line to Euston as well as how close it is to the M1 and M25, Harpenden is a more upmarket area but more remote.

Boxmoor is a tiny nice bit on the edge of Hemel Hempstead- which is not nice .
Berkhamsted just down the road is much more sought after with good schools and excellent amenities . Very pretty market town - very similar to Harpenden .

Well, quite, but the scale is somewhat different; Boxmoor is less than 5 minutes drive / a 20 minute stroll from the High Street (Marlowes). It's very run down, lots of drugs, really not a nice town.
I'd never live in Hemel. The OP asked for opinions, that's mine.

Harpenden is a (fairly upmarket, naice, expensive) town in its own right with quite a few restaurants, small shops etc, close to St Albans. Boxmoor, particularly the moor, is pretty but has only a handful of few pubs/ amenities and it's part of Hemel Hempstead rather than a town or village in its own right. It's one of the nicer parts of the town and the train station is a plus, but unfortunately Hemel town centre has become quite run down and unattractive in recent years with lots of boarded up shops etc.

Remote??? Harpenden gets you into Kings Cross St Pancras in 25 minutes on a direct line!

OP Boxmoor is nice, but schools in Hemel aren't great overall. Have you considered Berkhamsted? Very close to Boxmoor and has its own station and other essentials like schools.