Relocating/MOVING from London need DIVERSE city/town 30min from South Hertfordshire

[YumMum2013]

Greetings All,

I am in need of some assistance please, as I’m relocating from SWLondon to Hertfordshire for work but don’t want to live in the same borough I work in. I’m aiming to be 30-40min car drive from South Hertfordshire area to a large, diverse family friendly city/town.

Key requirements: ETHNICALLY diverse population, OUTSTANDING SCHOOLS secondary schools AND nursery’s, good local amenities ie. fitness centre, dance classes, shopping etc., easy links to London (via train and car), affordable housing (will begin by renting hope to buy within few years’ time).

I know I’m probably asking for a lot but I LOVE a lot of things about London and am a city girl at heart but also really appreciate lots of green open space for hikes, bike rides etc. I like new build modern houses and amenities and convenience of one stop shopping but also love a good market place.

Areas I’m considering are Luton, Milton Keynes (feel may be a bit far from London) and Hillingdon views on these areas most welcome.

Thanks in advance any assistance greatly appreciated, this is keeping me up at night as move needs to occur within the next month or so.

Thanks for input, yes it's Watford area I'll be working but want to AVOID living actually in Hertfordshire. Luton was next closest large town outside of Herts and hubby has some friends there already so bit easier for settling in. Any towns/cities in Bedfordshire or Buckinghamshire you could recommend?

Thanks

Hmm...Enfield is OK; not without it's problems, but I'd argue it's a better option than either Luton or Milton Keynes! It's 25mins to central London from where I am, plenty of local amenities, very diverse and a good balance of green space and urban lifestyle. Not much in the way of 'culture' though, which has always been my bugbear about living here, but it's easy to get your fill of theatre etc. in central London.

Lots of good/outstanding primary schools and secondary schools are above average, though not quite all-out amazing. Highlands in particular is one to watch, and there's Latymer (grammar) if your DCs are particularly bright. You need to choose your area carefully - west of the A10 is definitely best, as Edmonton and Ponders End have a lot of problems. Winchmore Hill/Grange Park are 'naice' (café culture, yummy mummies etc), Enfield Town is a bit more affordable (especially around the Lancaster Road area), lots of parks, nice library etc. Has more of a 'market town' feel, but also has pockets of deprivation.

Barnet's also worth looking at, but again its a big place with lots of variety, so worth doing your homework.