South Woodford or Gidea Park??

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DH and I are looking to buy our first home. After a long search, we found two properties that suit our needs best. One is in South Woodford, and the other is in gidea park. We haven't lived in any of those areas and feel it really difficult to choose. I would be grateful if you could share your thoughts about the two areas!

In short, we like the property (floor plan, conditions, etc.) in GP and SW the area. Some facts about the two properties.

1. SW is a purpose-built flat, while GP is a three-bed semi with a decent-sized garden.
2. Area-wise, both are good (approx. 90 sqm internal). But GP's floorpan is perfect for us.
3. We both commute to London. SW has the central line and GP has the TFL rail. DH's commute is 30-35min in both cases. For me SW is slightly shorter (SW 58min vs GP 70 min), but I heard that central line can get busy and hot. I don't know much about the TFL rail. Does anyone know how busy they can get during peak hours? Which of the two offer relatively better commuting experience?
4. We quite like the SW area because it has a good choice of supermarkets and restaurants, plenty of green space and even a cinema. Seems to be a convenient place to live. Not sure about GP. Is GP convenient to live? Is there much to do in GP?
5. We don't have kids, but are planning to have one soon. A good hospital with a reliable maternity unit is preferred. Will SW and GP provide this?

Thank you very much in advance

OP I'm nearby to Gidea Park which is a lovely area with lots of parks and you will likely get a seat into london at rush hour.

Upminster and hornchurch are nearby and have some nice pubs and restaurants and you're also very near to southend if you fancy a day out at the seaside.

One thing I will say is Romford has some good shops but is very run down, which isn't helped by the fact the council leader is absolutely useless and is generally detested by most of Havering's residents!

Gidea Park primary is a good school and there are also some pretty decent secondary schools around here.

Like most london suburbs it has its problems but I've always felt very safe and happy here.

@OVienna

Have you considered Highams Park?

I saw other posts nominating Highams Park as a nice place too. But we didn't find properties that we suit us there yet!

I'd keep looking. I dont know what your budget is but I feel like you can get more for your money than a purpose built flat in SW if you can afford a three bed in GP.

What’s your budget/criteria? Have you considered Upminster? Hutton? Chelmsford? Colchester?

Both lovely areas. SW feels slightly more 'London' to me. That meaning more of a cafe culture etc. Gidea Park feels more suburban. Lovely restaurants and pubs in the area and surrounding areas. Beautiful parks. Both really good options. I may personally opt for Gidea Park but would be happy in either.

@Cam2020

Personally though, the thing that would swing it for me is owning a freehold property rather than a leasehold flat. No service charges, possible potential to extend, private garden, and no noisy neighbour clumping around above your head...

Really good point. Both areas are nice! I lived SW way for 10 years and have lived in Brentwood now for a couple. I still think avoiding the central line would clinch it for me but you won't go wrong either way!

Some other posts mentioned that GP is quite local and very white. We're not from the UK and not white. Do you think that will be a problem if we move there?

My comments on GP/Romford are vicarious and through friends. Very local - yes, absolutely. Very white - IME, no it doesn't mean that necessarily.

The two areas have some things in common.

I did not grow up in the UK and my husband, whilst English, is not from down south. From what I understand, lots of families originally from the East End of London moved out to our area of Redbridge, Chingford and also Romford/GP. These families were often white British. That original community still exists but overall Redbridge feels really diverse to me (there is a sizeable Asian community) and in fact it took me a very long time, well into my DCs school years, to realise how many people did actually know each other growing up. Like how many of the other parents had been to secondary school together! This was very stupid but it does show it's possible to be oblivious to this and have lots of friends that did not, while living and raising kids in this area.

The people I know from Romford through work and other social connections actually continued to live there even when they were in their 20s and commuted into the city from that area. Then they stayed after they married and are bringing their kids up there. Like they didn't seem at all tempted to live centrally for a bit and then move back out. Often married someone local to the area.

This also exists in SW - and this is clearly not a scientific study - but overall I think Romford may still be more 'local' in outlook than SW/Woodford. This will probably continue to change as more and more people get priced further out of London but my feeling is you'd notice a difference between the areas in this regard at the present time.

My friends who live in Romford/GP LOVE IT and wouldn't live anywhere else. Can you rent for a bit or you don't want to do that?

Romford/GP area is more an area in its own right, with its own identity apart from just being part of 'Greater London.' I think this is what I am trying to say.

Some other posts mentioned that GP is quite local and very white. We're not from the UK and not white. Do you think that will be a problem if we move there?

I don't think so. It's less 'white' there now than it was 20 years ago. A lot of Londoners have been buying in the area as its more affordable than London, so there is more of a mix of people than ever and would expect that trend to continue.

SW would probably be more diverse, however.

Romford/GP are a lot more diverse now than they used to be. I doubt racism is a problem there. It certainly was 35 years ago when I went to school there. To be honest anyone who doesn't like diversity moved away a long time ago (and good riddance).
GP has some lovely houses.

I'm not sure how diverse GP is in comparison to SW (I'm from Walthamstow originally, moved here over a decade ago), but we live near Mawney primary school and there are certainly a lot of families from diverse ethnic backgrounds with children there. It is more diverse than 5 or 10 years ago.
Within a few doors of us, we have neighbours who are Sikh and Hindu, and our next door neighbours are originally from the Caribbean. There are a number of African churches in the area, and the local Islamic centre is involved in community work.
Romford also has a sizeable Eastern European population, and some great food shops from those communities.
You could have a look at the roads near the Mawney primary - your budget will go further than GP, it's 15 minutes walk to Romford station, and some of the roads are nice and leafy.

I have been living at close to GP (Romford) and I love being there. Nice park, lovely houses around.
However, if I have more budget, I would prefer to live in SW as the local shops, restaurant are lovely and it has got potential that house price would increase more in future. Above all, there are better schools and diversity of the communities.