LGBT Friendly place north London?

[Jeanjeanjean]

Hey,

We are in a same sex relationship and currently live in Hackney but looking to move somewhere in North London to start our family. Things we are looking for are green space, ideally somewhere to swim outside, nice community feel and safety, good transport links, cafes, not too hectic ... We have a good budget so could be anywhere but I’m not sure where would also be slightly more diverse. Maybe everywhere is now in London? Thanks for reading :) Jean

I'd have thought Hampstead, but I haven't been in the area for a long, long, time, so wait for someone with more up-to-date info 🙂

Hackney has all those things. Are you looking for a bigger place? What is your budget/how many bedrooms will you need?

Crouch End/ Muswell Hill but probably pricier than Hackney. Is anywhere more diverse than Hackney?

Highgate/Hampstead, Crouch End, Muswell Hill- all of these tick your boxes and you can swim in the ponds 😍 There’s also Parliament Hill lido and an open air pool in Crouch End. Spoilt for choice.

Nobody will bat an eyelid at a same sex couple.

We’d also consider outside London but my experience growing up the only gay in the village isn’t one I want for my children 😂 I like Brighton but far from my family.

we need 4 bedrooms at least as both work from home mostly. We are fortune that budget isn’t an issue. We love Hampstead but I wasn’t sure if it was more transient and older folk. I don’t see many LGBT families there when walking around?

love hackney but north is closer to my parents and a bit more peaceful for my partner who doesn’t love the hustle of London.

What about Camden? More like Brighton than Hampstead

Well if budget is no issue, buy this one! https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/83624538?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Hampstead would be perfect, I’d love to live there but you’d need £££££.

Wow DropOfff! I’ll take it

4 bedrooms and a garden in Camden(Primrose Hill?) will be well into millions surely, fine obvs if you have the budget? I mean Canonbury, Highbury and Highgate are all lovely if you can afford it. We lived in Hampstead for a while and found it unbearable in the end . The highstreet and heath were and are heaving. I only saw nannies and dogwalkers when the kids were little and the wealth was stifling. I think the older hippy/eccentric element has largely gone and it's more like a gated community in parts.

Honestly I think most North London boroughs would be fine unless you go very suburban over the North Circular?

Heading east Walthamstow, Clapton (which is Hackney?) and even Wanstead would be more affordable and I don't think anyone would blink? But you have to be comfortable I guess and I don't want to deny your apprehension or need to consider this. Outside London or major cities I would definitely be more cautious.

Our kids have grown up in NE London and have always had friends with two mums in their crowd, from nursery onwards and across three different schools. Unless you were looking at a particularly conservative area with perhaps a very religious demographic, but it doesn't sound like you need to. (off to Right Move to fantasy search for houses in Canonbury!)

If you want diverse Hackney is great, Hampstead is not diverse. And dull if you’re looking for vibrancy.

or the Hackney/islington border is a bit quieter. Also de Beauvoir is good and walking distance of Islington and Dalston.

Muswell Hill Alexandra Palace is quite nice and the houses are big. Public transport is a bit annoying.
Crouch End is good just a bit small.

Highbury is good and on the Victoria line 🤩

I only saw nannies and dogwalkers when the kids were little and the wealth was stifling. I think the older hippy/eccentric element has largely gone and it's more like a gated community in parts.

Agreed, the defining characteristic of Hampstead these days is that everyone is incredibly rich- properly rich, £5m+ for a family house- and that skews the demographic. It’s not quite so much the case in the surrounding areas but they’re still expensive (lawyers and accountants rather than hedgies). Doesn’t mean that they’re not nice places to live depending on what you want and certainly doesn’t mean that OP would have an issue as a same sex couple, far from it, but I think those eccentric arty types people used to associate with North London were priced out decades ago, went east and have now been priced out there as well.

Thanks everyone who has replied I'll check out the areas suggested.

I should clarify lol our budget is very decent, so I think we could live in most areas suggested, but not unlimited! Thanks for the link anyway @DropOfffArtiste haha

I would say we are more in tune artsy creative types so maybe the vibe in hampstead won't suit us.

@Laundrytrousers do you mind me asking where you are now?

If you have a decent budget, then why not stay in Hackney if you are happy there - is there is a particular reason for north London? If it's for the schools, then Muswell Hill would be a good area that has the kind of vibe you are looking for:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145832933#/?channel=RES_BUY

Thank you @OolongTeaDrinker North London was to be somewhere a bit quieter and more green/ with swimming for my partner & closer to my parents. I don't know Muswell Hill at all but will spend some time there and check it out :)

I find Hampstead a bit cold compared to muswell hill and crouch end. I prefer them. I know lots of very happy people who live here. I see many same sex couples.

I grew up in Hampstead. V v v conventional. Nuclear families in big houses.

Camden and Kentish Town are less so but green space is comparable to Hackney. Islington may be an option but again not much different to Hackney.

Archway, Dartmouth Park and Kentish Town are handy for the ponds / Crouch end lido or Parliament Hill lido and tick the diversity and inclusion boxes. Archway is surprisingly green with Waterlow and Whittington parks. Dartmouth Park & KT less so but spitting distance from the Heath. 25% of both my Archway NCT groups were same sex couples.

Hampstead full of American & French bankers these days IMO.

I'm going to say Dartmouth Park or Tufnell Park as your partner doesn't like too much London hustle bustle. I think they tick the green space / fresh air swimming / gay friendly / but still London boxes and they have good schools.

Or Primrose Hill.

If you want artsy creativity Muswell Hill and Crouch End are not going to deliver on that these days sadly.

We’re a gay couple and we lived in Shoreditch until very recently, we felt very safe there. Stoke Newington is also great for gay couples.

Highbury round Highbury fields - top end of Upper Street so lots of stuff very accessible as well.

Muswell Hill and Crouch End are boring.
I agree with Dartmouth Park, Primrose Hill, South End Green

Gospel Oak, Dartmouth Park, Kentish Town. Ponds and lido close. Plenty of all sorts of different kinds of families!

Thanks everyone, appreciate your comments 💙