To ask what it’s like to live in Camden Town?

[Halling]

I fancy a fresh start - and am thinking of moving here / would love opinions

I was outing Camden Town last night with a friend (in her 50s) who lives there. It depends which part you mean. As someone else said, it's not just the high street. There are great streets going up towards Regent's Park and the area off Chalk Farm Road, the other side to the market, has some lovely streets. I like KT, it's got character, lots of gorgeous houses and it's very accessible.

If you are thinking of 80’s Camden….. it’s gone. Camden is tourism and tourism and more tourism now, it parodies what it used to be. Belsize Park is still good though.

This is like wanting to move to Leicester Square.

Agree

I am thinking of Camden Town though

I notice some posters are encompassing Regents Park in that, but I don't.

Regents Park is one of my favourites (but the canal is grotty)

I live near there would not recommend it, Primrose Hill or Hampstead are okay.

God no. In fact just avoid London full stop and I say that as a born and bred Londoner. Moved out 20 years ago and thank Christ I did, absolutely loathe going back now.

So to summarise: it’s a shithole?

In the direct vicinity of Camden Town tube station would be a no from me - I worked there 2019-2023 and frankly the tourism/tourists made normal life unbearable.

10-15 minutes walk either towards Kentish Town or Primrose Hill and things are much better. I lived in Tufnell Park until 2024. As everywhere in London a mix it nice and not so nice streets - but more normal feeling, community exists etc and still east access to all the good stuff.

Lived near Camden Square for a decade when I was a bit younger, loved it, it's a different vibe during the week, and locals don't tend to go into Camden Town much but rather the surrounding areas, Kentish town, tufnell park, chalk farm, Camden road etc in Camden's favour it has really good transport links and a big supermarket

The schools are shit too if you are thinking of having a family. Apart from Camden school for girls, which has a very small catchment area.

Yes they do
Oasis singers kids etc Google it. Or take a walk around Primrose Hill in real life.
Ps. Immigrants 😂great attempt at argument

You want to go to Camden to feel young??
Trust me when 3 teenagers casually ask to borrow your phone in broad daylight and gently surround you on all sides and one flashes a knife handle, you’ll feel pretty old and powerless pretty quickly and in that 10 second encounter wish you’d bought a cottage in the Cotswolds instead.

There’s a world of difference between the inhabitants (nepo kids) who live in Primrose Hill, and the people housed in the horrible estates by Mornington Crescent.

The lad I knew in ‘85 went to Holloway Boys’ School, Islington, not sure if it’s still there

@Moonshine5 Primrose Hill might as well be on another planet to Camden Town. Not the same place at all.

I live in a London borough that has its fair share of problems (Hackney) - you couldn't pay me to live in Camden Town, or Tufnell Park. Last time I was there I saw a grown woman walking down the street in a nappy so full of shit she had to keep hoicking it up. Grim and sad.

Unless you live on the high Road Camden is nice. Lots of places in easy walking distance. Multicultural. And actually again outside of the high street fairly clean.

music venues, theatres easy tube access, nice parks, triyoga etc etc

Whats your lifestyle like? Some of the places posters have suggested eg hampstead/ Highbury/ Tufnel park are great if you want suburbs.
If you want pubs, bars, 24/7 camden will be perfect

There are addicts/ teenagers/ homelessness all over london. It is not a situational problem

Kindly meant but OP’s attachment to Camden dates back from 1985

It’s changed a bit and is now a mass tourism destination

Stayed in an Airbnb there for a weekend visit to London on our annual country bumpkin trip. It's pretty grim, if well connected. Cannot imagine living there. Although Primrose Hill was nice,

No it’s not. And Holloway is an even bigger shithole than Camden.
Also, the reason Camden has become so bad is because they pushed all the homeless drug addicts and prostitution from Kings Cross down the road when they did the redevelopment. And they opened several halfway houses very centrally.

Lots of gangs there good place to get mugged. Sorry. I also stayed there late 80s and it was fun.

The 80’s were 40 years go? Things have changed a little since then.

Neelyohara do you live in North London? The picture you paint of Holloway and Camden is not what I see day to day.

Op the trouble with mumsnet a lot of people give opinions on areas when they don't live there- IMO the general demographic of mumsnet is sheltered/ privileged/ visits london once a year.

Camden will make you feel young 😃