Hitchin or Letchworth garden city?

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We're looking to possibly move to this area and wanted to get some advice from locals! We can get more for our budget in Letchworth and there are some lovely looking houses, whereas we could only afford estate type houses in Hitchin (nothing wrong with that, they're just very similar to the house we're leaving).

Is Letchworth safe and are there any areas to avoid? Similarly, is Hitchin worth the extra money and are there any areas to avoid there? Schools-wise, we're looking ahead to secondary and Hitchin seems to have the best ones. I'm not sure about catchment areas though - does anyone know how likely it would be to get into Hitchin Boys / Girls from Letchworth? We're wondering if it's worth getting a smaller / less nice place in Hitchin to be closer to good schools and be in a nicer town, or whether actually Letchworth is better than it seems on paper.

Thank you!

I live in Hitchin and can honestly say it’s the most boring, awful place I’ve ever lived. It’s tiny. You can walk around the town centre in 5 minutes. Yes, it does have some independent shops however they mostly stock the same items as they go to the same trade fairs. Yes, there are some nice places to eat but you’ll have done them all within the first 2 months.

the arcade is a dump. The market is appalling.

its full of bored housewives and competitive mums who are incredibly cliquey. The yoga community is a total bitch fest.
I would go somewhere more interesting and more diverse.
its proximity to London is really the only draw here.

Honestly I can't tell the difference between them.

They are both average London commuter towns. Honestly trying not to giggle at the idea of Letchworth being unsafe.

I live in Hitchin too and agree with Ballbuster1. It is overrated as a place to live. The available houses are generally of poor quality and hugely overpriced for what they are (not helped by local agents). Wherever you walk to, you’ve got to cross busy roads to get there. The food options are not great, there are very few parks and there is no cinema. It is unhealthily competitive for anything related to children and childcare. Nursery places can be impossible to secure (as well as being ridiculously expensive), and childminders are in huge demand. You’ll sit on waiting lists for almost everything, including baby classes. The vibe is generally flat and inward-looking. There are far more interesting and beautiful places to live, with a much better energy and a better mix of people. Hitchin is really a place caught up in its own hype at the moment. It should start taking itself less seriously and realise that it isn’t something special.

I disagree with pp re Hitchin. We relocated from London when oldest DS was 2 - 12 years ago. I really rate Hitchin and quickly established a great group of friends. I really enjoy living here, schools are excellent, the quality of life is good. DS can walk everywhere he needs to go as we live quite centrally. It’s very well connected for London, Cambridge and v close to Luton for the airport.
I would love to see a cinema here but that aside it’s a great place to raise a family.

Letchworth is quite soulless in my opinion - just a bit more of a new town etc but not a bad place to live by any means.

Obviously the previous posters don’t share my view or experience re Hitchin but I guess that just goes to show that we are all different.

Oh well that's a bummer! It seemed to solve our dilemma of somewhere commutable to London and Hertford, somewhere with great schools and somewhere safe and friendly, where we can walk to cafes and shops without having to get in the car. Is it honestly really terrible? I don't mind boring, I just want nice! Anywhere else in Hereford you'd recommend, because Hitchin seemed to cover everything we need.

It’s not a terrible place to live; just an average commuter town with vastly inflated house prices. It’s great that you don’t need to get in a car to go everywhere, but that’s because it’s a small town without a huge amount going on and can feel quite claustrophobic. From a cultural perspective, there’s probably more going on in Letchworth. Hitchin has only become really desirable in the last ten years or so. A lot of the houses have not had money spent on them because Hitchin used to be far more accessible. As a result, you can easily pay the best part of a £1 million pounds (or more) for a very average house that needs a huge amount of work. I’ve met some lovely people in Hitchin, but it’s changing fast and is in a bit of a bubble at the moment.

From what I've seen, all the schools in Hitchin are good or outstanding, which is important to us as we'll be moving mid-year and will undoubtedly be given places in the only school that has spaces. Letchworth seems to have a couple of less good schools. I'm open to any other areas though if there's another town you'd recommend?

OP, there's another thread running in Property about Hitchin vs Letchworth, which has a few more replies (assuming it's not you under a different name!).

Where are you moving from, roughly, and have you spent much / any time in Hitchin or Letchworth? I think the (subjective) truth is prob somewhere in between the love and dislike! I grew up in Hitchin, moved away for uni and many years for work and eventually came back when starting a family. Hitchin has changed hugely in the last 15 years, it's in some ways more vibrant with more restaurants and cafes but also has lost a lot of its individuality and soul, it feels a bit try-hard and pseudo aspirational. It used to be a bit more rustic with a bit of a hippy alternative vibe. This new trendiness has pushed up properly prices insanely.

My view is Hitchin is a bit of an anomaly for the county: a lot of Herts / Beds is small, quite dull villages or under-whelming new towns. Hitchin therefore shines out as being "special" because (apart from maybe at a push, Hertford) there's nowhere like it for miles around. Stevenage, Letchworth, Biggleswade etc have always been less desirable. Hitchin also seems to have been "discovered" as a new hotspot for people leaving London who can't afford St Albans or Surrey. It keeps cropping up in "best places to live" type articles.

For what it is - a small market town - it's got plenty to offer. It's quite pretty, fairly safe, for a small town it has a lot going on, activities and clubs and the town centre isn't dying on its knees. Although the independent shops are making way for more upmarket chains like White Company and Mint Velvet. It's easy to get to London and Cambs so it's very convenient. So for many people it really is a nice place to live. But I will say, after having lived away (and saying I'd never move back initially!), after over a decade back in the area I am bored now. So bored. I love being near my friends and family but I am lusting after a new life somewhere a bit bigger and more interesting! Plus, I can't get over how much people are willing to pay for some frankly shite addresses in Hitchin on busy roads with endless traffic. Traffic being the other thing that's got a lot worse as the population has boomed.

I grew up in Letchworth (Have since moved away) and have family living in Hitchin. They actually choose to send their children to a school in Letchworth. The ones in Hitchin apparently very academic? Depends what you want from a school.

The traffic in Hitchin can be a nightmare and some shops are standing empty so they spend a lot of their time over in Letchworth which seems to have good facilities for the children/supermarkets.

I would be perfectly happy to bring my children up in either town but would choose Letchworth as I prefer the houses and it seems to have more space/be less busy

I’m like Biscuittinofdoom. Their post provides a good overview. I also grew up in the area and moved back after living in London and other cities. “Try-hard and pseudo aspirational” is a good way of describing things in Hitchin, and I wholeheartedly agree re how much people are prepared to spend on housing. Things are out of control due to poor and limited housing stock. The problem is there aren’t many other decent options in the area, meaning Hitchin wins by default.

Thanks @Biscuittinofdoom @MollieMoo1212 ! (No it's not me under a diff name! I'll check out that thread though). We're moving from south London but need to now be commutable to Hertford and central London. It's been difficult to find a place because we're from the south and Hertfordshire is new territory for us. I think that is why Hitchin stood out, because all the towns round there seem a bit crap, or there are villages with few facilities. It's all v expensive and our budget is low for the area so it's adding up to a bit of a difficult search.

Interesting about the schools. We're not looking for anything particularly academic. Pastoral care and behaviour are the key things. We don't want to run the risk of being given places at the worst schools and Hitchin schools seemed to be universally good.

Just to add, Ofsted ratings aren’t necessarily a good indication of the quality of a school. Different children thrive in different environments, and an “outstanding” school isn’t necessarily outstanding when viewed through non-Ofsted eyes.

Hitchin IS a good place - so don't be put off. What ages are your children? Not all the schools are academic at all. It is William Ransom that has the academic rep. Others are better know for pastoral etc as you're changing mid-year it's unlikely you'd get into Sam Lucas or William Ransom or possibly Highover, you'd prob be looking at Mary Exton or Purwell. Purwell is undersubscribed. The schools are all "good" but do feel very different from each other.

If Hertford is where you need to be for work, have you looked at Hertford itself, or Ware? The journey from Hitchin to Hertford in rush hour will be longer than the train to Kings Cross! Avoid Hoddesdon...

@Biscuittinofdoom Do you have any thoughts on Ware or Hertford instead of Hitchin? Our oldest will be going into year 2 when we move but we hope to move in time for our youngest to apply for reception so at least one of them will have our choice of school!

@9491Hi so true! Would prefer to not go to a "requires improvement" although I know schools can improve quickly, it's just a preference.

Just adding my tuppence worth.
Hitchin is boring on some levels, particularly if you've lived elsewhere but my priorities changed when I had a family. Whilst living in an edgy, creative neighbourhood is great (been there, got the tshirt), when you have kids you want somewhere with decent schools, walkable to amenities and services, well connected by road and rail. Bonus points if the kids can play out and have a bit of freedom (see the corner shop kid test).
Yes house prices are crazy now but you can make a small house work if you're organised. Buy less stuff.
For us, the move to Hitchin has made life a lot calmer and easier. The outdoor pool, lovely countryside and brilliant sports clubs are added joy. Coming from the frozen north I also love the outdoor cafe eating scene. It's a big enough town not to feel stifled but small enough to make good social connections.

I'm sorry, I don't know enough about the schools to give you a useful insight, but Hertford as a place to live is comparable to Hitchin and have friends who used to live in Ware and liked it (it's just quite small).

If one of you is based in Hertford, it makes sense to live there so you can be near the schools too. Ware is also very close. Schools are good in both places. Let me know if you need more school info in a DM.
For what's it's worth, I would choose Hitchin over Letchworth any day. The town centre in Letchworth is horrible.
I would prefer Hertford or Ware though

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/21/city-good-children-popsicle-test-crime-property-play

Corner shop test if anyone is interested.

@Ruu thank you, I think you've hit the nail on the head. We currently live somewhere a bit deprived and depressing, the schools are all a bit rubbish and I definitely don't want my kids going to secondary school here. We're looking for somewhere safe and friendly where we can put down roots and make friends. We're not looking massive excitement but even just one nice pub and one nice cafe would be an improvement. And it's half an hour from all the fun of London. Unfortunately we're still tied to London for jobs otherwise we'd make a bigger move, because I don't think commuter towns are the dream hah. But you just try and find the least worst option don't you!

They arent just commuter towns, although lots of people work in London some or all of the week. They are self contained communities of their own with very distinct personalities. Many people never feel the need to go into London and are just as likely to go to Cambridge if they want a big city. Please don't think they are just soulless dormitory towns. For many people they ARE the dream, with good reason.

Letchworth has a very family feel to it. There is loads of open space including an open air pool, splash park and farm. It has a lovely cinema. Lots of family friendly events in the summer. Less choice for eating out than Hitchin but still plenty of decent restaurants and cafes. It would be bit of a slog to commute to Hertford. Ware and Hertford are lovely but you get more house for your money in Letchworth.

Hertford is horrible to get to from Hitchin, but easier from the south side of Stevenage. I grew up in Stevenage though, and wouldn't move back there.

I'd suggest you look at Ware though, one of adult dd's friends lives there, and I believe the school she went to was pretty good all round. Or there's Welwyn Garden City, also fairly near Hertford.

What's your budget?

I live in letchworth but I think they’re both good places to live. Letchworth has some the Greenway, lots of beautiful more spacious -and cheaper- houses, less traffic and if you’re on the south side it’s close to Willian village which can be a draw. And the cinema.

Junior Schools are good - Lordship, St Nicks, St Thomas More and Hillshot juniors especially. Fernhill secondary doesn’t have a good reputation though it’s improving. Highfield has a better rep- my DC and many of their friends are there and they’re doing very well. Some of their Letchworth friends go to Knight's Templar in Baldock others to the boys and girls’ schools. But there are always whispers that the eligibility for the Hitchin schools may change in the future. So check this.

Hitchin has a great market square, it’s prettier town centre and better and more shops than Letchworth.

They both have some great cafes, restaurants, outdoor pools and green spaces. They’re both on the Thameslink to London Bridge and Blackfriars as well as having direct trains to Kings Cross.

Letchworth feels very safe. I don’t hear that Hitchin is unsafe. Though possibly around the West Mill estate, although that may have improved.

We had a similar dilemma to you OP and ultimately we went with a bigger, better house with a smaller mortgage and because we wanted more green space and were less concerned about secondary schools. So far it’s been the right decision, but everyone’s different!

Went to school in Letchworth - the hippy one.

It's lovely and if it was by the sea I'd go back in a heartbeat. It's pretty and safe and very green.

Letchworth is special and the history is important. My grandmother moved there when she got moved out of London post World War Two. She thought it was paradise all her life.

We used to go to St Albans, Hertford and Cambridge for shopping and cultural stuff it was great.