Thinking of leaving London. Does this place exist? Where is it?

[Speaknowfearlessreputation]

London has gotten so expensive and I am finding that the community I once loved is disappearing too.

If this is on our wish list, where would suit us?

-strong community: friendly, easy to integrate, lots to do
-liberal minded people
-creative people around (I work in a creative industry)
-access to London (doesn’t have to be commutable as I work from home, but DH and I do need to get back once every fortnight or so)
-a charming high street full of independent shops
-not too polluted
-good schools, preferably progressive schools
-great place to be a kid

Where would this place be?

Hitchin, very creative, lovely market town, easy commute into London. Not cheap though.

How old are you and where do you live now? There are different versions of ‘creative/liberal’ across the country, so it would be good to get an idea of the area in London you love- or loved.

Thank you everyone! I forgot to add to my wish list that it would be a walkable place - I could get to all the places I wanted to go on foot. Perhaps making it harder?!

I think I really want to live in a fictional Gilmore Girls town! Except a bit livelier with lots of creative stuff going on.

I don’t know all of these places and will check them out! Oddly I never thought St Albans would be like this.

Funny that the first poster would suggest Walthamstow. We have considered it quite seriously a number of times. Have never gone for it because the part we like is tiny and the rest feels grimy.

We’re in our 40s, with three children, live in Hackney and have for 20 years. Love it. But I think there must be somewhere else more affordable and greener that we’d love just as much. Hackney is far too expensive now and the community I love is changing / moving away anyway.

Guildford
Woking

And loads of drugs and it's really hard if you're not a local.

Leamington Spa ticks all of those boxes, 1.5 hours to Marylebone.

Frome - I go into London every couple of weeks and if the train times don't suit, it's really easy to drive to Westbury for a better connection.

“Hackney is changing but Walthamstow feels too grimy”.

Well ain’t that the liberal paradox.

YABU for possibly thinking places like this don’t exist outside London!

Wivenhoe

I mentioned Hitchin earlier and we moved from Hackney and love it. I walk everywhere. Also schools are fantastic. Big community feel.

Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire

Birmingham- Stirchley, Kings Heath, Bearwood. Ticks everything apart from the pollution, which we do have too much of sadly.

South Liverpool

Leamington Spa fits the bill

Brighton

You've just described Teddington, although still in greater London. There are a few families at the DC's primary school that have moved here from east London. What is your budget?

What about Stroud? Would tick a lot of your boxes, the area is gorgeous and you can get a good bit of house for your money. In terms of schools, it is a grammar area but the local college has just opened up alternative provision for 14-16s which looks really interesting:
https://www.create.sgscol.ac.uk/
Cirencester College also an option for post-16.

Nearby Wooton-under-Edge is smaller and might give you a Gilmore Girls vibe. It also has a v.g. comprehensive.

Bruton?

Bristol or Lewes

Another vote for letchworth or hitchin.

There are definitely places like that around, but they aren’t cheaper than London because everyone wants to live in those places with all the things you’ve listed! 😂

How old are your children because finding school places is never easy?

Hebden Bridge - though maybe not quite so easy to commute.