Why do people live in London?

[Waahaawoowoo]

This thread is inspired by a thread where people where explaining how a £100k salary doesn't go far in London. Examples were given of mortgages costing £25k pa. (This is my salary). Childcare bills for 2 kids costing £40k. Our joint salary is £55k pa.

I live in NE Wales. Our house costs us £12k pa for a 3 bedroom semi. Wraparound Childcare used to cost a maximum of £12k pa. But we no longer pay due to age of kids and me WFH. I cannot get my head around DH and I being significantly better off than a couple who earn double what we do.

The logical answer to me would be to move from London. So why do people stay? Is it family? The type of work you do? I'm curious more than anything about what keeps people there when they could possibly have a better standard of living elsewhere.

Me and DH are both white. We had neighbours of various nationalities and skin colour when we lived in London.

Where we live now is literally all white British. A black family moved in last year and they have had awful comments made to them and about them.

Me and DH were asked by a neighbour why we talk to the black family! It's so depressing

London is so much more open minded, tolerant and multicultural than anywhere else.

I grew up in London so my family are all here, and that was my reason for moving back here after uni. But I rarely see my family any more anyway, so the main reason we've continued to live here is the lifestyle. We earn well so can afford good childcare, private school and lots of activities. I think there are other places in the UK where we've visited and could enjoy living too, but I enjoy the car-free living, and world-class exhibitions, performances and activities on our doorstep. Loads for kids to do - they go to lots of theatre shows, concerts and exhibitions. And DH and I are both from overseas so the diversity is important to me.

I thinknif we were on a lower income, and just enjoyed doing everyday activities like leisure centres, then you can find those in any town so it would make less sense for us to live here.

Me and DH were asked by a neighbour why we talk to the black family! It's so depressing

@mydogisthebest this is a big reason why I'm not leaving, blimey! That is so sad, gosh. I hope they move away, if find better people like you and DH to befriend at least

Good grief.

Northumberland makes sense.

Choice of… not just one. I’m often astonished reading on here about weekly playgroups, or not liking the people who go to the one one that is on offer… plus the free softplay, the choice of children’s centres…

Even better, there are touring productions which mean that I can just walk to my local theatre in a North Wales seaside town and see musicals, opera, ballet etc.

I love living in London. So much going on - all the time.

There are lovely places to bring up kids, lovely, quiet and green areas to live and I have always known my neighbours. You need enough money to be able to afford decent accommodation - if you have that you're sorted.

I understand that more people are moving from London after working from home during lockdown they realised that spending hours commuting isn't necessary.

Perhaps some stay because they don't know any better way of life or perhaps they like the rushing around, the nightlife, things to do etc. Some people like to feel important and busy and the rushing around might help that narrative. Others can achieve just as much without a city to live in to do it.

You aren’t genuinely trying to say you think there is NO choice of playgroup and there’s only 1??? Surely not 😂😂😂😂

That is truly horrifying. Where in the UK is that??

Yeah, there is one playgroup where I am.

I’ve posted on here before about being incredibly lonely since we moved. I get all the usual advice of joining groups and hobbies - there aren’t any! Unless you count smoking week on front walls in groups and arguing while watching children play.

I had two toddlers while living in London. I met so many people through all the groups and activities. Admittedly it was a nice part of London and I’ve gone from that to an extremely deprived area of the west Midlands.

I’ve got a toddler again now and life is just so lonely and dull. There’s nothing going on.

My in laws are from this area. When they used to come and stay in London, they always said it was a totally different way of life. I always thought they were being a bit daft until I experienced it for myself.

Oh mate, why did you move? Sounds awful.

Where do you live? There is a whole host of places between London and a remote village with nothing.
Im on the outskirts of a city and within a 3 mile radius of my home, there are 7 playgroups on a Monday. Just using that day as that’s usually the day we choose a group to go to.
If I want to use the car and go further than 2 miles, god knows how many there would be.

I honestly find it so funny people seem to think only London has more than one playgroup per day.

You've made assumptions about me. I'm a second generation immigrant from the Caribbean and live in one of the most culturally diverse areas of London. I didn't grow up here though, and I'm speaking from my own experience of course - it's not nice being mocked or getting a blank stare when londoners ask you which part of the country you grew up in. I just find this attitude that outside of London is some kind of backward, dull wilderness extremely condescending and narrow minded.

Because its where I was born, and generations before us.

London Bashing seems passtime to some on here!

A pass time .

It's not easy to leave your home, your community, your family, everything you've known. Emotionally and practically it's very hard. Financially, very difficult to relocate, as it takes funds and resources and a way to earn in the new area. I've always wanted to live in north Wales, but I have no way to earn a living there, no way to pay rent or a deposit, I can't drive or afford driving lessons (driving isn't necessary and is extremely damaging in London), and such a huge change is hard to contemplate.

I wouldn’t choose to live in London, and I certainly wouldn’t want to raise my children there, but every so often I do think it would be nice, on a weekend with no plans, to be able to wander round London and catch a show or something. It’s a fun place to visit. And probably a very fun place to live if you have lots of money. But we have a good standard of living where we are and wouldn’t ever be tempted to trade that for a London postcode.

The question should really be, "why do people move here?" and the answer is usually for jobs and because other areas lack the resources and services we have in London.

Because some of us were born there.

I moved from London in my early 30's for a better life for my children but that does not mean I don't miss it terribly. Most of my family and childhood friends are still living in London and for me it will always be home. However, I could not afford the house that I live in now in London and also I feel that the area I live in now is far safer. I know people will bite back saying London is perfectly safe but I have been brought up there, in a decent area and still there were many violent crimes around us that i have not witnessed where i currently live. The same with any big city I suppose.

Me and DH were asked by a neighbour why we talk to the black family! It's so depressing

That's awful. When I was at primary school my best friend was black. She used to come and play at our house a lot. The neighbour opposite (who was South African) wouldn't talk to my mum because we had a black child come to play.
This was in South London.

London Bashing seems passtime to some on here!

And so is bashing anywhere that isn't London TBH.

Hubby and I are foreigners; I wouldn’t like to live anywhere else in England. I went to Wales once and found it a bit depressing. We have traveled in the UK and there are some nice places but I couldn’t live on them

So you’ve decided a whole country is depressing on the basis of one visit to one part of it?

I think people’s definition of ‘better quality of life’ differs.

For some, it’s fresh air, access to the sea, woodlands etc and for others it’s art galleries, shops and good transport links etc. And that’s ok surely.

‘I am from Northumberland which is about 98% white and I never found it particularly racist up there at all’

I presume you are not white? Otherwise this comment would be very ignorant.