What is Woking like

[Firsttimer16]

Hi all,
Interested to hear if anyone lives in / around Woking? We are considering move out of London but need to commute in and dp world's sw London so ideally needs to be on slow line to Waterloo or quick to Clapham junction so he can change and come back out.
I'd be interested to know what vibe it has. Is the town centre nice? Is it a good place for a young family? Is there a good community?
Is commuting hell?!
I can only find threads form about 10 years ago suggesting it's not so nice but a lot can change!

Thanks in advance

Horsell is a fantastic village suburb of woking. Walking distance to the station but completely it’s own community feel. Great schools, pubs, countryside, village atmosphere.... with all the convenience of being near the town centre etc. The town centre has had lots of money spent on it, and although it’s not characterful it does have all the amenities you might need.

Woking is popular due to transport links. Many areas within walking distance of Woking station, depending on your budget.

Would love to move back to the area, or near it.

We live in St Johns. Easy walk or cycle ride to station along canal tow path.
Woking was a bit of a dump years ago but has had money spent on it and is much better.
Villages around Woking are lovely, Horsell and St John's being my favourites, with good schools and a nice village and community feel :)

It's a bit soulless, on the whole. Some nice spots (like Horsell) but the town centre doesn't have any character.

As others have said the centre doesn’t have much character, but other than that it’s really good.

Lots for families to do, nice park, plenty of shops and restaurants. Commute is quick but likelihood of a seat is low! Depends on your budget what area you can afford/ what schools you need.

This is great everyone thanks so much. It ticks a lot of boxes for us so we're going to go visit next weekend and have a drive around the areas