To wonder why people choose to live in London?

[Cantbloodyrememberthenameonthread]

I always wonder. And reading a recent thread prompted me to ask the question. Why do people do it by choice? People complain about the house prices (rightly), ulez, nursery fees, cost of everything being more expensive, commutes, tubes etc.

if you’re not absolutely tied to London for work or health or I guess family. Why do you choose to live there when there are so many cheaper easier lifestyle options in the country?

It's odd how angry some posters seem to be getting that people might choose to live in London and compliment LondonWe're not saying everyone should want to live here.

I know! This isn’t an advert or recruitment drive. Nobody has to move here! In fact, it would keep house prices down if they didn’t ;-) It’s just answering the OP why we love it. It’s a weird inverse snobbery thing I think maybe?

I work in the public sector. I have a stab of envy when I visit people in their social housing in great locations, like a mansion block in Covent Garden!

I absolutely love living in London, and could now move wherever I like. Nope, staying put!

Housing is very expensive, but lots of things are cheaper. Bus fares, for example. And I would hate having to be as car reliant as people are away from a fantastic linked up public transport system.

Most of the reasons I love living here have been mentioned by other posters. I love what London has to offer - and make constant use of it - and I love visiting other parts of the country too, including rural, coastal, Northern etc etc - all great for their own USP. But I love living here and visiting elsewhere.

The thing is I can completely understand why many people prefer quieter, rural, coastal etc areas...why do many non-London-dwellers seem to have a constant obsession with sneering at or criticising London? Or at least being incredulous that people would actually choose to live here?

I'm so glad that we brought our DC up in London, I would have hated to have lived rurally and had to be the family taxi for school, evenings and weekends. Even country towns don't have the transport system that we have here,

Jeeez, why do all these people who don't live in London care so much that we do? Why do you care so much that we happen to be happy to live in London rather than Wolverhampton or Nottingham or Manchester or Llangollen or Stamford or Aylsham or in the middle of the N York Moors?

If I lived in Wakefield and said I loved the Gallery with its Barbara Hepworth (yes...I travelled to see it!) and rhubarb, would everyone in London be going 'we have galleries too, you know, and can easily buy rhubarb here, it doesn't spontaneously dissolve South of Watford gap'

If you are happy where you live, fantastic! If I am happy where I live, also fantastic!

If I could afford London I would love to live in London.
We relocated to a nordic capital and love it.

I had to leave London after 40 years and I miss it hugely. I really miss Londoners and how utterly normal they are blocking everyone out on the tube but will still help with prams, multiculturalism, London fashion (where I am the look is very… polished and uniform ) my neighbours, the sheer diversity of people in my old neighbourhood, the restaurants (omg the restaurants and the food of the world), the newest music and arts, Soho and all my fab night out with friends there, Wapping and the Isle of Dogs, Fortnums, the Barbican, the BFi, the Curzon cinema choice, the west end, Brick Lane, Columbia Road, the canals, the parks, the fabulous dates and memories, the feeling of history of walking in Dickens footsteps, the events. I’ve never felt unsafe in London and it’s one of world’s great cities. I don’t like to make sweeping statements much but really - no other uk city compares.

New Sadler’s Wells East has opened only very recently. You just don’t know what you are talking about.

and museums are FREE. London has hundreds of free museums and free other events, all accessible from East London (I used to live in Mile End)

Well I can walk to all those things also and not be in London . High street has many restaurants, pubs, wine bar, cocktail bar, cafes and coffee shops as well as post office , health centre etc. Even a small museum lol.

In fact in London I didn't live 15 mins walk to a " high st"

And I'm not " rural" now @GlamDress . I live in a town with 35000 people. Although it has meadows woodlands and a lovely park. Although me are missing a McDonald's thankfully

It may well of done but there's the theatre royal which was there from the 1800s. Long enough ago for you?

Theatres, concerts of all kinds, world class museums and exhibitions , pub & club nights for every niche intetest, food & vintage markets, fantastic parks. All available evrry day year tound, no waiting for something to tour. Aitports with the most connections....

@wordler when I used to leave in st Margaret’s ( east Twickenham) I used to go west end about 4 times a year , rest of time I pottered around Richmond, Kingston, Teddington, Chiswick , occasionally got overground over to Hampstead, Camden, upper st etc I didn’t need to go central or city for work so only went to those areas on odd occasions, like might pop to portobello market or Spitalfields etc

Only actually one airport actually in London isn't there?

This is the thing, most areas of London there are lots of things to do locally but also the option to easily get into town without much hassle.

My SIL keeps telling me she finds London too busy but she only ever goes to Oxford Street and Covent Garden!

Yeah I used to have a friend in walthamstow. She went into central London about once every 2 years

How on earth can you be so brave as to come on Mumsnet and admit that not only do you live in social housing,you also don't drive?! 2 of the biggest crimes going on Mumsnet! I know because I also live in social housing and don't drive, because in London,you're never far from a convenient bus!

Why does anyone like anything?

I live rurally in the SW and love it. I love the sea air, I love the quiet, I love the beaches and the woods. But I have no Uber, the entertainment can be fairly limited, it’s very homogenous and everyone knows each others business.

London doesn’t appeal to me at all but I dare say my home wouldn’t appeal to Londoners.

Have you been to London? I am from Manchester and love it, wouldn't move but like to visit London. I'm there for work a lot. There's a great vibe out on the streets in the summer. All the bars are heaving whenever I go in after work. Manchester can be dead midweek now.

They have much better cultural scene, pretty parks, shops, public transport, jobs pay much more, range of jobs available are better and promotion opportunities are better. Some government and media jobs need to be in London.

To do the top roles in my Firm (accountant) I'd have to be in London all the time, we have partners that live there in the week then commute to their mansion in the North or wherever at weekends.

I'm currently looking at multiple theatre trips with friends to London shows you can't get around the country. You can't go to the Tate Modern or the British Museum or the Tower of London in Manchester.

On the down side to enjoy London you need to have pots of cash and it's great if you're rich. If I win the lottery I'd get a London flat.

The place isn't heaving with curtain twitchers but generally everywhere I've lived in London, I've had good neighbours. Just this evening one offered me some wine. There is a huge amount of diversity, it has incredible green spaces for a large city, top schools private and state. You never need to go further than five minutes to buy a decent coffee and can nip into your local corner shop at the drop of a hat if you run out of hummus at 10pm , getting around is easy because there are lots of options. My friends live here, my job is here, I love my house.

I lived in London from toddler to 10 years old and it stayed in my heart. Moved back for my first professional job in my 20s and been here ever since (40 years). I wouldn't live anywhere else, London has everything. Also enjoy beautiful countryside but only for holidays or days out. I lived in a smaller city as a teen and aways felt the lure of the bright lights of London and felt 'trapped' in a small place.

@ZenNudist Im surprised about Manchester being dead midweek as it’s the youngest city.

Interestingly London is the only major city that’s getting older.

Yes but you can get to the other 3 via the tube so they count as London

What other 3? I thought was only Heathrow had a tube station

But that is not my experience and I have lived in several rural areas. I am not (and never have been) a churchgoer. I am not disbelieving or discounting your experience but I can assure you its not typical.

Does that mean parts of Buckinghamshire are in London?!