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.

And I said people think you're mentally ill if you talk to them.on the underground and pretend they can't hear you, point to their earpods and Bury their heads in their books, and that the only time people were polite and friendly was during the 2012 olympics! You chose to focus on the weather or more precisely the rainfall!! Today I have been to my local town where they have just unearthed a roman alter and other Roman remains. Afterwards I walked to an Art gallery where there was an exhibition by Steve Bloom (fantastic) then walked and had lunch at a Lebanese cafe. Afterwards, I walked past nany, many beautiful historic buildings and then caught public transport home. I don't live in a metropolis but I have a great life and you could not pay me to live in London (my husbands employers have tried to pay my husband frequently) I'm happy for those that do, and genuinely enjoy it, but judging by the thousands that are moving out of London to areas like mine, I think they are few and far between.

I would be more interested in a'why do people live in Birmingham thread' (and I've lived in the West Midlands for 4 years at one point. ) London I can think of many reasons (and have lived in both North London and SW London several times) with the proviso that it helps enormously if you've got a decently paid job, live in an ok area and have at least a couple of decent friends. Personally I thought Birmingham and the West Midlands in general had no redeeming features whatsoever that would make anyone ever pick it. I guess if you are from there and have family there it's bit different. Manchester and Leeds and Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham were far preferable in my opinion.- I still prefer nice bits of London to any of these too- but it takes more cash to have an ok life in London , I accept that.

Yep, no one wants to talk. Kind of shoots the argument down that people in London are open and friendly. We went to Newcastle 2 weeks ago, people couldn't stop talking to you because the knew from your accent you were visiting. Very nice, open, friendly people 👌

Funny you should say that because I am about to launch several threads...

Why do people live in Peterborough?

Why do people live in Totnes?

Why do people live in Wallsend?

Why do people live in Whitstable?

Why do people live in Guernsey?

...all of which are as salient and relevant, presumably, as this thread and just utterly ungoady.

No, don't get this in my town and no, not by locals (whatever that means) You're the one talking bollocks by trying to turn this into a race issue!! Take you're lefty bullshit elsewhere 🙄

I agree with the previous poster. This isn't something to argue about. I live in London, partly because of the circumstances that bought me here. I love it here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We have friends here and our children have grown up here. It's not because it's London per se, we'd feel like that about any place we had these roots in..

…ah, so you take the same attitude to me that you object to people taking to you when you talk to them on the tube.

I live in a very beautiful village in Yorkshire. I won’t move from here; there’s lots to like.
Having said that, me and my neighbour went for a village walk the other day specifically to look at the tree that we’d heard had fallen down across the road. The next day we were gardening at the front and an elderly couple stopped to chat. They told us they were on their way to look at the tree that had fallen in the road. We excitedly told them that we had been to look at it yesterday.

Grew up in Home Counties. Always wanted to live in London Lived in London for 36 years now. Love it. It doesn't shut. Never bored. There is everything here I need. So many different areas to experience. Lots of people. Lots of tourists.

If I won the lottery would move further in.

It's true that people often start threads on here and think it's good to give London and Londoners a good kicking. Wouldn't be tolerated for any other place in the U.K.

It's liberal. It's diverse. It's so culturally rich.

It has given me chances and a life I could only have dreamed of growing up in a poor, single parent family in a small English town in the 80s.

I absolutely recognise the beauty in many other UK cities though, but I could never move as this is my forever home

And you sound aggressive, rude and extremely thick given that you can't understand the comparative point @WalkingOnTheCracks was making about rare opportunities for privacy and personal space in an overcrowded situation that most of us are in every single day.

But given your other posts you're clearly only here to jump on the London bashing bandwagon so I suspect you're deliberately being obtuse. Where is it you live, just out of interest?

I'm not so sure about diversity in London. Multiculturism is all around and visible but the average middle class white family lives in a microcosm.

My DC went to the best London Day schools and had friends from the Continent, Asia and Middle East. Hardly any from black/afro Caribbean backgrounds. All of those friends however were the children of hospital consultants or successful businessmen.

London is a tale of two Cities and the twain rarely meets. One might rub shoulders and see people from other cultures but I'm not sure the divides are truly crossed.

I’ve wondered this myself. It’s not a place I would ever choose to live. I’m also in Wales though (SW), so clearly we enjoy a different pace of life.

Err, are you alright? Your posts are very angry. 🫢

Twice yearly?

Sums up the 'culture' outside London

I go to the theatre or comedy most weeks - say 40 times a year

And that barely touches the sides of what's available

Actually, people do but there is a time and a place to have a chat. Forcing/wanting people to chat or let’s be honest make small talk for your benefit because you’re a visitor is weird. Asking for help and it becoming a natural conversation is different.

I have in-laws in Newcastle and been going there for 10+ years and the conversations I have heard there on public transport is typically between people who know each other, not that much different from when I’m in London. I have no issue having friendly conversation in either city and also have an accent.

A lot of people do leave London, especially since covid and get large equity sums from their houses. Probably more older people than younger do it though.

This may be my favourite thing I’ve read all
day. 😊

I think most people end up living where they love and loving where they live

I've lived in big cities and rural villages, both have their advantages, but some people here seem so insecure they need to criticise other places

Didn't Newcastle vote brexit? That's not that friendly

Me too.

Being pro-London doesn’t imply being anti-village.