Stevenage gets a bad rep. It's fine. The town centre isn't pretty but it has all the shops most people need, there is a great choice of out of town retail and a big new M and S which is great.
It's brilliant for travel to London and Cambridge and for the A1.
It's also great for nearby towns that are considered nice. Hitchin, St Albans, Welwyn garden city all very easy to get to.
It's surrounded by nice countryside for walks and two stately homes nearby-knebworth and Hatfield if that's your bag-knebworth is really good for kids under 10-excellent adventure playground.
There are some very decent drivable pubs and restaurants. The Farmhouse at Redcoats, Tewinbury Farm and the Lytton Arms are favourites with us.
Stevenage old town is lovely. It's got a touch of the north London about it and lots of decent bars and restaurants.
There is a big Leisure park with more chain type restaurants on it as well as cinema , trampoline park, indoor golf and bowling. My teens and tweens like it there.
Some bits of Stevenage are a bit rough, same as any other town. I would avoid, Sheppall, Chells, St Nicks. If you can afford the new build that is going up all over the place or the areas it's in if you prefer an older house, then you're on to a winner. Great Ashby, Bragbury End, Old Town, Knebworth, Woolmer Green (last two a bit further out but good buses and Knebworth has its own station). Of the more ex LA estates Broadwater is ok.
Stevenage is amazing to cycle around if that's your thing. It's all linked by a series of cycle paths. One thing they def got right with the planning way back when.
I've lived and worked in a lot of the 'nicer' towns near Stevenage and tbh I've found Stevenage to be friendlier and more down to earth. We've never personally experienced crime.
If you want pretty and a more admired address then it's not for you. But we enjoy living there much more than we thought we would. We moved there out of necessity due to blended family situation and it worked geographically and for my work which is at the Lister Hospital and DH who commutes to London. But we have surprised ourselves by really liking it!