Pick my ideal London neighbourhood for me!

[Babygirlnameq]

I currently live centrally (zone 1), but looking to move somewhere new.

Here is my criteria!
-a solid and very friendly community who are there to stay (not mega transient like my current zone 1 area) - maybe a villagey feel?
-family friendly
-interesting diverse people. DH and I both work in creative arts, so like minded folk would be great. Plus I’m mixed race, so prefer not to live somewhere with lots of wealthy, white, boarding school types (sorry if that sounds horribly reverse snobbish - but my university cohort was like this and I just didn’t fit in)
-pretty and green nearby
-fairly central: doesn’t take an age to get into town
-deep SE London doesn’t work very well for family who are NW of London

We’ll rent rather than sell up at first, and can afford around £3000 per month for 3 bedrooms and a garden. Don’t mind if it’s a flat or a house.

Where should we go?! We’ve toured everywhere and can’t figure it out.

I agree with this and Willesden Green.

South Tottenham/ Seven Sisters. Ticks all your boxes.

Northfields would be perfect for you! Go and visit, you will love it.

We are an interracial couple in muswell hill and there are lots of us!! We have a very diverse friendship group here. We love it here. Very happy

Northfield not cheap (cos very near tub. My fried has a tiny 2 bed terrace with tiny patio garden which has been priced in the region of £660.00. Have I written that right? Should be thousands not hundreds! Apparently has good schools,easy to get to Heathrow, a nice park and good restaurants. Diverse neighbourhood but not as diverse as South London used to be very Irish but now plenty of Poles but also some Indian Asians and some blacks too.

For 'big' shopping people go to Ealing Broadway which has tube and overhead trains.

Harringay Ladder. Close to Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Finsbury Park but house prices are a heck of a lot cheaper. Wood Green high street and Green Lanes are wonderfully diverse. Great schools and a great neighbourhood vibe.

I’d look at the area between Islington and Hoxton along the canal.

No brainer it’s Muswell Hill/Ally Pally/ Hornsey/crouch end as you have family that side of London. If you need the tube you can look East Finchley side of Muswell Hill for the northern line. Or go the Turnpike Lane end of Hornsey for Piccadilly line.

Lol, did you say "villagey" when you're living in one of the largest cities in Europe?

Funnily enough, there are lots of areas within London with a villagey feel, yes. London was originally lots of villages before it was London and some area retain their architecture and a cosy village feel. And some have a sense of community and creativity which makes that village feel.

Queen’s Park! It has a lovely villagey high street with nice independent shops, great transport links (15 mins on Bakerloo line to central London), and is really diverse.

Another vote for Brockley, Ladywell or Telegraph Hill. Do you have kids and how old are they? Lots of people are mentioning schools but I'm not sure if you've clarified.

Another vote for Leytonstone. Very green, good transport connections, good primaries to choose from.

Lived there 20 years ago and Mussel Hill is great though possibly not quite the diverse community you are looking for. You're reliant on buses to get you to a tube station. If I had £3k pm to spend on rent I'd want to be nearer a tube station. Same issue with Crouch End where your best bet is bus or overground from Hornsey to Finsbury Park. Not a major issue, but I have memories of chilly 20-minute waits for a train at certain times of day.