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?

True, but there’s a difference in feel ime.

London and Edinburgh I love visiting alone, rarely ever have an issue. Birmingham, absolutely fine. Newcastle… I only go to to take the train to Edinburgh. Negative experience the last times I’ve gone to Newcastle itself alone.

Mine differs. I love that my white British child (albeit the child of one white immigrant) is at a local secondary with kids from a huge range of backgrounds. Above average EAL, dead on the national average for FSM. We bloody love it and the school has been amazing for him.

The immediate surrounds are not London though. 90 minutes! I think you'll find many who don't live in London can get to Gatwick and Heathrow in less time or the same.

London transport is really good. The airports aren't a particular advantage just for Londoners.

@JassyRadlett I am the same but these people do exist…

IMO, it is the best city in the world. Nowhere else equals it for theatre, music, art, museums and food. It has wonderful parks, bookshops, markets, beautiful riverside walks, little squares. A French friend who lives in Paris pointed out that every tiny terraced house in London has its own small garden so you often get a bit of outdoor space to unwind in, which is rare in many major cities. It also has (until recently anyway) a feeling that it's okay to be who you are. If you live in London, you are a Londoner. You don't have to look a certain way or be a certain race or religion. I really hope that cosmopolitan attitude isn't getting lost.

If these things are important to you, then London appeals. It isn't perfect - other cities have way better transport systems and bike and pedestrian areas. But I love it so much. I feel happy and at home in London in a way no other city makes me feel, not even my gorgeous home town.

I am a born and bred West Londoner, DH North Londoner, we have family there, we work there. We know what London is like thanks. But we also know the level of wealth inequality has rocketed. The parts we lived in where normal, and had a mix of classses but also artists etc. Now that has gone and it is a bit sterile and the reality of being a twenty something in a creative industry is a house share on a dual carriageway if you are lucky!

Are you really still going on about this. 4 international airports within 90 mins - where in the rest of the country would you find that? It gives so many options in terms of flights and destinations. I always have Heathrow and Gatwick flights to choose from as I’m equidistant between the two.

If you’re in Reigate, Gatwick is closer, but you’re much further from Heathrow and you don’t have London on your doorstep so why’s that a benefit? (I really like Reigate but I don’t want to live there).

I am just always interested in who can afford it on normal wages.

When we left Ealing in 2019, we we’re paying 2k a month for a 3 bed house (well, the third bedroom you couldn’t fit a single bed in as on wall was too short and the other had pipes boxed in the corner, making it impossible. We could only fit a toddler bed).

We were both working for local authorities, brining in about 42k a year between us. We had a housing benefit top up, we wouldn’t have been able to afford rent and bills without it.

The landlord told us he would be raising the rent to 2.2k and we couldn’t afford it. There was no where cheaper and when you claim benefits, even if it’s a top up to working, no one will touch you. We couldn’t find anywhere to rent, so had to move to the midlands (where a bigger, nicer house was £650 a month then! Dh work had gone remote, so we could).

I’ve just had a look on Rightmove and comparable houses in that area are 3-3.5k a month now. Jesus! There is no way, even with dh significant wage increase in the last few years that we could still be living there.

Most of the people I knew had bought houses when Ealing was slightly cheaper in the early 2000s, and had been given a lot of help by parents. Others were in social housing.

It’s just mental to see how people on average wages can still manage it.

One without a compass direction. There are some (few) Londoners who get quite snotty about SM/CR/TW/KT etc postcodes not being "proper".

Ha yes. Also snobbery within postcodes. I was w13, people down the road in W5 were far superior 🤣

You won't catch me (or I suspect most Londoners) saying in any way that London is without problems or that the cost and availability of housing won't ultimately be what kills it. It's a massive problem and insufficient political will to deal with it. There is no way I could afford to live now in some areas I lived in 20 years ago, despite making a lot more and being married.

But that doesn't negate the benefits that some of us enjoy and that are contributing to our decision to stay here. You've made a different choice - good for you, and there will definitely be benefits to where you live that I don't enjoy.

And the converse is also true.

Yes, of course people here use supermarkets. But I personally don't like them, and, living in London, am able to not use them. Which is one of the things I like about living here, which is part of the answer to the OP's question.

As for time, it doesn't take much. You're out and about or on your way home, they're close together, and you just walk in and buy stuff, or text your partner to pick something up on their way home, much as you would in a supermarket. And, as I said, if you're pressed for time or stuck, they deliver.

My income and reality is my income and reality, but I'm glad you're able to identify why it is that one of the things I like about living in London doesn't fit your criteria. 🙄

Of course they’re an advantage over MANY places outside of London! And you’re talking as if airports are the only advantage!

Ah you're cherrypicking airports now! I can get to Gatwick and Heathrow in half that time in average traffic by car or cab. I can get to four within 90 minutes entirely by reasonably cheap, frequent public transport.

Can you tell me where else in the country I can access around 1200 flights a day to around 500 destinations on 200 airlines, within 90 minutes of my front door?

The West Hampstead v Kilburn NW6 divide still looms large in my memory...

I lived in London for 10 years and had a great time. Parents, grandparents, great grandparents (and probably further back) are all Londoners. I would say I fell out of love with it in the end, and am very happy in my rural village.

However my van broke down catastrophically on Friday. And even with the DC having school buses/ being within walking distance of school, my situation is absolutely untenable without a car. My work involves driving all over the county! Just to go and pick my work van up from the boss's house is a 2-3 hour journey by public transport (40 minutes by car), and impossible after 6.00pm and on Sundays. So I've just been out and bought a stop-gap car to tide me over.

I'm just imagining there being limitless public transport at hand, and never ever ever having to bother with car nonsense again. How wonderful that would be.

It’s a bloody amazing city.

I'm surprised it’s as high as 15% to be honest. Where are these places?

One without a compass direction. There are some (few) Londoners who get quite snotty about SM/CR/TW/KT etc postcodes not being "proper

Oh yes, not London postcodes 😆 I do know some older people who live Mitcham way who say they live in Surrey so it goes both ways!

Places where people walk really slowly?

Ha yes DEFINITELY. I think there are probably still people in Kingston who are still mourning over Surrey County Hall finally moving to Surrey a few years back.

😆😆

Ok, but the thread wasn't what's wrong with London? Or, How did London used to be better? No one's saying issues like housing shortages and income inequality don't exist, but they're hardly limited to London. Some of us might even work in sectors aimed at bettering that and still enjoy living here. We can feel that way while having our eyes open to the problems.

Setting aside the endless 'airports' argument, I try not to fly because of the climate and a big privilege of London is that it's really easy, living here. I can leave my front door and be at the Eurostar terminal in an hour.

Anyway I agree that the housing cost situation in London is ridiculously bad (and it's bad overall in this country). But for those of us who are lucky enough to be able to afford to live here, the OP, who has abandoned this thread anyway, was wondering why we wouldn't move away and get a bigger house, or be able to afford a house rather than a flat, or have a bit more money left over. And there are lots of reasons on this thread!

Are you quite alright? Clearly, I am not suggesting that these airports are for Londoners only. And I am looking at them as I previously stated in my post. However, you must understand that taking a coach from Liverpool Street station into Stansted for..?10 quid is quite different than catching a train from Bristol to London Victoria for £50, and then another coach to the nearest airport? You do understand this, don't you?
And if you have an issue with all these airports being categorised as "London" then maybe find out who is responsible and challenge them about it. Nothing to do with me, I'm afraid.