Please come and talk to me if you are a Londoner and happy here

[Newmeagain]

I am just having a bit of a crisis. It’s probably not just about where I am living - it’s probably part of a “I am 50 and how is the rest of my life going to look” kind of thing - but where I am living is part of it.

i am not British but have lived here for a long time. That’s probably relevant because I don’t have extended family here.

I am fortunate to have a small house in quite a central part of North London and I used to consider myself to be very lucky to be able to live here. But recently there are so many things that annoy me about my neighbourhood. To get to my local high street I go past the tube station, which has a pedestrian area which was suppose to be a nice green space but instead has turned into a really grimy hangout for drunks, drug addicts and Deliveroo drivers waiting for their next job. I may be slightly exaggerating but it almost feels like something from some post apocalyptic world where you have to pass through the “bad lands” to reach your destination. In general there is just lots of rubbish and dog poo everywhere and I feel like noise pollution has also increased. I definitely don’t think this is unique to my part of London.

So - I have started fixating about a “house in the country”. But there are some problems. My job is very specific and tied to London, with mandated days in the office. To make it more complicated my dd is starting uni here and for various complicated reasons wants to stay at home. Also, as I am single, I could potentially feel quite isolated if I moved to a completely new area.

So I need other Londoners to tell me why I should stay!

Maybe move further out on the Northern Line. My friend lives near Totteridge/Whetstone and that seems quite nice. A quieter pace of life.

Id consider a fresh start near to a Royal Park like Greenwich or Richmond. Lovely places.

We love London too although we occasionally get fed up and muse about moving out. The trouble is, we spend time in other places and then pine for the variety of everything in London. Plus, if you’re a person of colour, there’s always that risk. We’re lucky to live in zone 3 so can easily hop into Charing x say in 15 minutes but we’re always glad to leave the bustle behind when we get back home. I know you don’t want to consider South London but, in my opinion, it does offer a nicer London experience so you get the best of all worlds. The overground lines are numerous and efficient. Look to areas that have more than one line running through like Wimbledon or Greenwich.