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.

It's hard to answer that one if you haven't lived for a significant amount of time in London at some point. You need to experience it personally and perhaps experience an alternative.

Over 500 posts explaining! But let me try. It's my day off. So I did my spot of volunteering at a 17th century heritage site covered with beautiful paintings and designed by Christopher Wren, saw a free art exhibition nearby, walked by the river, had lunch at a cheap Thai place for under £15, now on the bus back home listening to 5 languages being spoken around me! That mind of thing may not appeal to people but it appeals to me. I don't want a 5 bed house or a garden.

I notice the OP did not return though.

I imagine it's all the stuff you can do there that's just not available in a field

Over 500 posts explaining! But let me try. It's my day off. So I did my spot of volunteering at a 17th century heritage site covered with beautiful paintings and designed by Christopher Wren, saw a free art exhibition nearby, walked by the river, had lunch at a cheap Thai place for under £15, now on the bus back home listening to 5 languages being spoken around me!

Vast vast majority of people in London aren't doing this sort of stuff.

Today I popped to tk maxx at the retail park near me then grabbed a sausage roll from Greggs...now doing the school run.

Maybe you should make the most of your own life then? No one is stopping you.

Westminster and the City of London have had Tory MPs since the dawn of time.

True but Westminster Council's gone Labour. My neighbour used to be our Tory ward councillor. But he's a nice chap so there's no reason to tell him of my part in his downfall.

Well yes - we all have to do dull stuff because life isn't a 24/7 city break. Yesterday I got the bus to work, sat at work, dropped in to Sainsbury's to buy loo roll on the way home. Not really living my best London life.

The point is in larger cities there isn't just dull stuff to do.

I don't doubt there are Londoners who spend their lives shopping in retail parks or just sitting at home watching Netflix. But what to say - dull peple are dull wherever they live.

@Albiboba never said I was unhappy with my life...just making the point that vast majority of Londoners aren't visiting free museums and galleries constantly whilst skipping along the Thames

All these things are free or cheap though, no, if you skip the Thai meal, which I certainly don't have daily. I don't have a car. My clothes are charity shops or M and S/ H and M. I don't eat in any expensive restaurants. Yes, my kids are grown but everyone's kids grow up at some point? I did the school run for years.

It depends on where in London you live and how much work and other responsibilities prevent it.

This week I've been to a restaurant, out drinking in a beautiful 18th c pub and visited the Wallace Collection. My children have been to the science museum and on a theatre trip.

I am now cleaning my flat if that helps.😀And will then catch up on work mails. And then probably Netflix while cooking dinner.

I do think London is very good for children. As a child I was hanging out in art galleries, museums and secondhand bookshops with my friends. Theatre was affordable back then, there are still discounts for schools, so we went frequently. We hung out in the South Bank. My brother got free boating lessons on the Thames. There are huge parks. Seaside and countryside are only an hour away by train.

Vast vast majority of people in London aren't doing this sort of stuff.

a) how do you know?
b) the point is you CAN if you wish. Without needing loads of money or a car or a train to the city or overnight accommodation.

I walk along the Thames most days as it is where my office is.

Later I am going out for food and drinksin Brixton Market and may well go and see some music after.

Sunday I am going to an art exhibition at Guildhall Library. If the weather is nice I may walk back over the river and along to Rotherhithe to get the train home.

A very common weekend for me.

(Saturday less excitingly I am going to Lidl and then painting behing my bedroom radiator pipes)

I suppose not - but frequently accessing cultural capital is arguably more a class issue than a race issue. That is never more evident than when it is given out for free as in London and you get the same type of taker every time. I am not saying London is classist but of course, it caters for different social classes and why not, really? The access to the arts is clearly there but nobody can manufacture the enthusiasm on behalf of another.

Me too but does anyone go to art galleries every day? Last dinner we did activities several times a week and went to the big parks in the gaps

It’s not like these places aren’t full when you go. Many will be tourists but also people who live here.

We do science museum, Tate etc but more likely local museum which is very good almost weekly.

I go to the Tate Modern most weeks as I work near there and I find it calming to have a brief wander around at lunchtime or just after work.

Last dinner

Last summer 😵‍💫

The cowardly OP seems to have fucked off. I guess they got their answer. 😄

I'm interested to read all the people citing so many cultural opportunities in London etc in a way that suggests they are participating daily or weekly. I'm impressed anyone can find that kind of time! We live in the Midlands and between working and looking after our two DCs (one school aged, one not) London would be wasted on us. No energy or time left for anything else! We last went out in London together to the theatre in 2019, and are looking forward to our next date night in June this year 😂😂😂

What does it matter who's doing what? These things are available/accessible for those who do want them, that's the whole point.
Nobody claimed the entire city visited museums and galleries during every lunch break.

Yes because that is the only choice available in the UK - live in London or in a field.

It's world class city. It's international and diverse with great art and culture. Most people living in London aren't from London and so most have an adventurous mindset which is fun to be around.

I’ve not made any assumptions about you. I simply responded to the text in your post in which you made assumptions about other people. You can speak for your own experience but you can’t speak for others’ experiences.

I haven’t seen anyone claim like outside London is a “backward dull wilderness”.