Moving to heartfordshire - advise please!

[Singlemumof2boysemma]

Hi there

I’m a single mum to two boys and we’re moving to Hertfordshire. I’m originally from Teddington, SW London which is lovely but too expensive for me and we desperately need more space.

As I’m on my own, my budget is small. We need to rent initially, with the intent to buy eventually. I don’t want to keep moving around so would like to stay within a close area.

I looked into Stevenage as it’s within my budget and good links via the A1. I’m not looking at commuting to London, more finding work as (an executive assistant) in the area. I have my eye on GSK….!

I’m also looking at Welwyn Garden City, Hitchen, Letchworth and Hemel Hempstead. I know St Albans etc is the nicest but I can’t afford it. I can afford around 1500 a month rent. I just want a nice place for the boys to grow up with a community feel.

I’ve heard awful things about Stevenage which is really frustrating as you can get a lot for your money there :(

Really appreciate some advice please!

Welwyn and Hitchen are both nice places and more affordable than st Albans. Don't know much about Stevenage but you'll have to decide which of all those places you can afford and then go from there. Hitchen seems very popular as a cheaper alternative to somewhere like Harpenden/ St Albans and has alot going for it.

Stevenage is a really practical place to live. It is a town that has everything you would need/want, but it is a little character-less.

I grew up there. Everyone moaned about the town, but objectively, it's a good place to grow up. It's pretty safe and there's excellent walking and cycling infrastructure, so we had more freedom at an earlier age than most London kids. Rent is relatively cheap. The identikit houses in most areas are very practical. You'll be able to get to parts of London quicker than you used to from Teddington.

Hitchin and Letchworth are both lovely but have very different vibes, which is why you'd pay more for the same sized house in Hitchin. Letchworth is similar in price to Stevenage but you would find yourself driving to Stevenage or another big ton fairly often for the amenities.

You'll hear bad things about Stevenage - the town city is 60s built pretty ugly but the old town is perfectly nice and it has all the amenities you need plus a huge park right in the middle, excellent transport links, a leisure park right in the middle with cinema, bowling, soft play etc and you are right next to beautiful countryside. People are v snobby about it but it has lots of upsides. There are good schools at all levels but do your research regarding catchments. For £1500 you could probably afford Hitchin which is nicer but then you'll be watching the pennies. Its a ten min drive from Stevenage. St Albans is beautiful but v v expensive. I've lived in all three places.

I lived in Hertfordshire..Stevenage doesn't have the best reputation but I guess like all areas there are good places and bad within it. Welwyn garden city is nice and Hemel Hempstead can be more affordable. St Albans and Harpenden are lovely but very pricey...Nice to visit though !

To add what has already been said about Stevenage, I would also say definitely consider WGC from a work point of view. Lots of medium/large companies around the area, and probably as a town has a bit more character and feels less soul-less

Have you considered just across the border into Bedfordshire? Places such as Flitwick, Leighton Buzzard etc may be worth considering, and they tend to be better value.

Another alternative is Newport Pagnell, near Milton Keynes, as MK offers good work opportunities. Or even MK itself.

Thanks for all the comments so far !

I don’t mind soul-less, just don’t want danger-ous 🤣

The priority is my boys meeting nice friends and us living in decent standard house with a garden. I don’t even mind the 60s-70s architecture, tends to be more spacious anyway! :)

Stevenage is a great option for your budget, new town can be depressing in parts but there are other areas which are more 'aspirational' eg Chells Manor or Great Ashby (this is a more recently built massive housing estate). And then there's the old town with the 'historic' high street.

New builds are going up all the time, although the 60s housing stock is probably better built with more storage.

Best thing to do is visit and have a good look on RM.

It's definitely not dangerous. Chells and Chells Manor, Great Ashby are all areas within Stevenage to consider. It's all giant housing estates with separate names and local centres. One of the best things is most of the town is linked by completely off the road foot/bike paths that go under the main roads so your boys might be able to have more free range a bit earlier than in older towns like Hitchin.

Aw thank you.
I’ve seen a really nice house in broad water - it’s just the area felt a bit council houses!? Which I don’t mind, just want to make sure the other families will be nice. Not being snobby xx

Thank you

Wouldn’t you get the job first, then find a house that gives you the shortest commute and best schools? Could you get a non-office based PA role, still get paid London wage and not have to go in to the office, then you’re free to choose your house location.

I know friends who live in Stevenage and like it. My husband wouldn’t consider it but I would’ve done.

We ended up in Letchworth, the next cheapest at the time, and it’s a nice family town. Not very happening but lots of stuff on locally. Reasonably priced property (gone up a fair bit in the last year), but there will still be cheaper in Stevenage, and probably more of it. If you do end up working at GSK it’s a pain getting out of Letchworth gate in the mornings so maybe Stevenage would be better.

There are lots of villages between the towns you mention which will have a good community feel. House prices are highest in the areas where state schools have the highest ratings. You can get much better value by moving a mile or 2 further away from the hot spots of St Albans or Harpenden.

I spend a lot of time in Hitchin and it’s v nice but you don’t get as much for your money. St Albans, too expensive. I never really got the appeal of Welwyn, only ever visited for John Lewis!

I lived in Stevenage, its alright. You are right though, a lot of council houses- though many are privately bought now!
It's a town that has pretty much all you'll need, decent activities for the kids at weekends and evenings, decent travel links, some big businesses in the area, some decent schools.

It does have a bit of a reputation but I always found that there were friendly neighbours.

There's a little village just outside of Stevenage- Walkern which is lovely If you want just outside of the town. But there's always Hitchin and Letchworth which were both places I'd have liked to have lived. In the summer time take the kids to Howard Park in Letchworth. It's great. I kind of miss Stevemage thinking about it.

I've moved to Hertfordshire, not one of the paces on your list but nearby and have ended up driving to all those places. I don't like the look of Stevenage but that doesn't mean it's not a good town to raise kids in. Maybe explore it and definitely check out the schools as that will give you a better idea. Maybe visit the areas ypu I've on a a evening weekend /after school kick out if you can. Good luck

@Singlemumof2boysemma

Hi there

I’m a single mum to two boys and we’re moving to Hertfordshire. I’m originally from Teddington, SW London which is lovely but too expensive for me and we desperately need more space.

As I’m on my own, my budget is small. We need to rent initially, with the intent to buy eventually. I don’t want to keep moving around so would like to stay within a close area.

I looked into Stevenage as it’s within my budget and good links via the A1. I’m not looking at commuting to London, more finding work as (an executive assistant) in the area. I have my eye on GSK….!

I’m also looking at Welwyn Garden City, Hitchen, Letchworth and Hemel Hempstead. I know St Albans etc is the nicest but I can’t afford it. I can afford around 1500 a month rent. I just want a nice place for the boys to grow up with a community feel.

I’ve heard awful things about Stevenage which is really frustrating as you can get a lot for your money there :(

Really appreciate some advice please!

Ware was quite nice, lived there for a few years.

I think you should find the job first or at least identify which area has the most job opportunities. I live in Hertfordshire, I find going across it (east to west or west to east) to be quite painful as the roads are not great in that direction so you don’t want to end up in the wrong part of Hertfordshire for work.

I am over on the far east of Hertfordshire, Bishops Stortford is the nearest town, I think you would get a 3bed rental for £1500 in this area.

Stevenage is fine. It’s certainly ugly, as it’s a new town, but it’s not the crime ridden hellhole some threads make it out to be! It’s a bit grimy but has excellent transport links to London and is one of the cheaper parts of Hertfordshire.

WGC is closer to London, if that’s important, and is a little dull but quite a nice family area. Letchworth and Hitchin are generally nice, if stretching the budget, but watch out as they do still have some dodgy areas. Not horrendously dodgy, I just wouldn’t want to spend a fortune to live there.

If you are looking further out, Biggleswade is becoming quite popular. Its a little cheaper because it’s Bedfordshire, and the town is improving quite a bit with lots of little independent shops.

Thanks for all your input so far everyone x

For me, the house has to come first. I’ll then find work wherever, if not, remotely.

I lived in Stevenage for many years and I did not like it. I found the people to be quite unwelcoming and unfriendly. The senior schools were all quite bad and this is reflected in their exam results (apart from one which was a catholic school). I think there is a problem with gangs and knife crime but that’s a problem in a lot of places. The town centre is not good, I would avoid shopping there when I lived there. I would certainly consider Hitchen or smaller outer villages.

My MIL lives in Hatfield it's seems nice whenever we visit and there's always seems to be stuff to do with kids :)
Not sure what the budget you have tho x

Thank you for your honesty. I did feel Stevenage was a bit dodgey. Think fr the comments, Hitchen might be better then. Thanks everyone xx

I lived in Welwyn Garden City and it is LOVELY. We only left to be closer to family as we didn't have anyone down there.

Its beautifully laid out, the town centre is great, there are parks and transport links. Some areas better than others, you'll get that anywhere.

The ONLY thing is, some of the schools aren't that cracking so unless you can go private, be careful where you move regarding catchment areas.