To want to get far away from London?

[bluecherry1]

I have a very nice house with a great dh and 2 lovely dc, good jobs and no real worries BUT I live 2 streets away from one of the recent stabbings and it has put me so on edge, crimes rates here seem to be soaring, I hate not letting my children go out to play and don’t even feel totally safe myself walking the 10 minutes home from the station. I know there are nice places in England to live but me and dh are thinking of homeschooling the kids and travelling, we have family in Spain, South Africa and the USA, I want them to experience a carefree life for as long as they can. Ahhhh I’m so confused?

Imo it would probably be amazing raising children if you lived in zone 1 or 2 and had shedloads of money, but if you are on a normal income then you have to choose a shoebox or a shithole, and either way you're still at least 20 - 30 minutes from a zone 1 station and may as well have moved to a quiet town near a fast train.

I wouldn't live in Haringey or Enfield/Edmonton if you paid me.

Mightymucks- "That’s a completely subjective opinion"

Exactly.

I left the city when my first child was a baby- brought my kids up in a boring backwater place.

Rural living brought huge freedoms, kids can roam free , explore woods, play unsupervised from an early age.
No gangs, no knife or gun culture, great sense of community.

Ynbu. I was born there and grew up there. But I couldn't wait to leave. I ed t to uni in a city in the north, I loved the place and knew I wanted my life to be here. I couldn't be happier. I met my husband here, we have a toddler and I'm so glad I decided to stay up here

I think understandably you’re anxious about recent event given it’s so local
However I think you're overstating this and there’s a risk of making a rash decision
I don’t think moving is the answer,it’ll simply uproot you all to avoid being involved in v rare event
As much as these terrible events get coverage they are unlikely to direct affect you. Your description is of a comfortable mc life,it’s unlikely (not impossible) that you’ll be affected. You aren’t describing the other associated indicators for involvement in knife crime

muddyforestwalks I live in Zone 3. It’s wonderful here. It’s definitely not a shithole (and although my house is small it’s not a shoebox) and it’s 12 minutes into the centre of town. I have 3 large and beautiful parks within walking distance and about another 5 within a 10 minute drive. I’m 10 minutes from forests and woodlands too. The area is teeming with pubs, restaurants, cafes, pop ups and independent shops which we enjoy weekly. The amount of fun things to take my children to is amazing - they benefit from wonderful local museums, theatre and events through to the wonder of wandering and experiencing Central London. There is also a huge community spirit here - street parties, neighbours parties, local festivals, the lot.

There are quite a few other areas in London beyond the 3 you have named!!

I understand how you feel. I am a born and raised Londoner as is DH and we do love it here, but we were wondering if we should leave as it does seem to be getting worse.

We are fortunate that we live in a very nice area that’s great for kids, very green, about 10mins from central London via the train, and we are not struggling financially, but our children don’t have the freedoms that we’d like them to have. It would be hard for us to leave as both our families are based in London, so we’d have to trip back often to see them and we would be pretty much by ourselves if we left.

fuckoff (that seems so rude!) if you live in an area similar to Lewisham, which from your description it sounds like you do, then a quick glance at righmove shows that a normal 3 bed semi will cost upwards of £675k DH and I are on fairly decent incomes but we could never ever afford that. The cheapest non-horrible 2 bed flat there costs more than my house. So maybe I am less of a high earner than I thought, or maybe you have been luckier with times and places of purchases, but I will stand by my assertion that most people cannot afford to live in an area of London that is worth living in.

As someone who sometimes works accompanying marches and demos to westminister almost weekly during summer months (and has participated in a few myself) I don't undrstand your statement.

London has a tendency to have trendy ways of thinking which there is huge pressure to publicly conform to. Currently this is extreme left wing thinking although you might just get away with a softer left position. Ditto hot button issues like trans.

In fact I suspect you are trying to attempt a bit of social policing yourself right now.

Born and bred Londoner here. I too want to
leave. The gap between rich and poor is horrendous now. Every single white mc parent in the part of SE London I live in sends their dc to private school. There is no mixing. It is not the place I grew up in any more.

I’m always pro London on here

Growing up in a very rural town did have pros but also some downsides, particularly for teens

I wouldn't live in Haringey or Enfield/Edmonton if you paid me really
Haringey: Crouch end, Muswell Hill, Highgate
Enfield: Winchmore Hill, Grange Park,Southgate,bush hill park

I’d live in any of the above,and even better if someone paid me

Thing about Ldn is it is mixed,with a range of areas and demographics.

I really find it difficult to understand why anyone would ever want to raise children in London these days. It's horribly dirty and doesn't have much to offer. Obviously it has great museums/theatre but you don't have to live in London full time for that. Why not move to a nice commuting village?

Yes really. They're extortionate, overcrowded, socially split, traffic is horrendous, and the trains and tubes into town take forever. I know these areas well, I have family in some of the specific places you mentioned and they love where they live but it is very much not for me.

The only thing I would change about where I live is the poor selection of takeaways that deliver but you can't have everything!

I’d hate to live in a nice commuting village,it’s my idea of hell.i like cities

Like all cities Ldn has it good and bad bits,except in Ldn it’s v marked in contrast

Horses for courses. A nice commuting village is the very worst option to me

I have lived in a number of cities,I like cities,like the vibe.id hate to live in suburbs

London is my idea of the seventh circle of hell, even to visit. Far too many people in too little space.

When I thought about buying my house, I asked a colleague who'd been based at the local police office; his reply of 'not a single shout in three years' only added to the pros. And I can get to the centre of two large cities in around an hour and a bit by public transport for all the national museums, theatres, galleries, etc that I want. The local towns are pretty good too for Culture.

you should. I used to live in London and I had that attitude of nearly pitying people who weren't in London! But now I'm out of London I recognise that life is life, people are people, there are gyms, restaurants, book clubs, choirs, theatres, airports, shops, markets all outside of London! but there is also SPACE at an affordable price
I like London though. I was strangely never bothered by the news. Just never thought anything bad would happen to me. naive i know

South Africa is incredibly dangerous and your kids wouldn't be living a care free life there. If you dislike London and are freaked out by the knife crime - which is gang related then by all means move. If you own there you'll have a very decent amount of money to buy somewhere else.

Any city has big issues so you'll be looking at a fairly big culture shock I'd imagine.

I wouldn’t ever want to live in the middle of nowhere. The countryside is enough for a week’s holiday, but aside from that, no. I’d go crazy with so little to do. Fine for little kids but teens would probably get so bored. Having to drive for ages just to get to the nearest decent supermarket or indeed anywhere. We went on holiday once where the owners lived just opposite, it spoke volumes that all their kids went to boarding school. Fine if you can afford it.
I can imagine living in another city or even a commuter town, but in the arse end of nowhere? Not for me.

I don't understand why in these threads people always resort to bashing where others live. It's not kind, on either side.

These killings are overwhelmingly gang-related. Gang violence goes hand in hand with poverty and it is desperately sad that these young people are falling through the cracks in this way because of not having many chances in life. Coupled of course with police budget cuts.

I was just reading that the crime rate in London is only the ninth highest in the UK.

I don't know what the crime figures are for Spain, South Africa and the USA, or areas therein, but I'd hazard a guess that in the US and SA at least they are much less favourable.

I don't think I've ever felt that London, or anyone I know here, is 'money focussed' .

“A nice commuting village”! Makes me shudder. They’re all pro-Brexit, right wing, nose in every one else’s business places. Not for me. Worst of all worlds.

London’s not dirty Dairyisclosed that’s a little rude! And I assume if you don’t think it has anything to offer you’ve probably never lived her to experience what it does? I listed a lot of what it offers me and my family above

They’re all pro-Brexit, right wing, nose in every one else’s business places. Not for me. Worst of all worlds.

And that makes you just as bad as people making nasty sweeping generalisations about London.

I know plenty of brexiteers in London.

In fact I suspect you are trying to attempt a bit of social policing yourself right now.

Huh?

I simply asked you to explain your statement as I personally (influenced by personal experience as I said) perceive London to be a hot bed of differing political views, which how could it not be, we have the most diverse population in the world.

That said I think I understand what you are trying to say and yes the dominating political atmosphere is leftish, probably due in part to the diversity I mentioned earlier. However sheeple I totally disagree with.