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?

Salisbury liberal minded?

Knaresborough North Yorkshire, very community orientated, great for kids, good art community. Also walkable, with good public transport links to Leeds / York and very close to Harrogate which has a train to London.

Also has a castle, viaduct and rowing boats the river, so very scenic !

Though I'm sure some of these places are great, they won't be a London out of London. London has many issues, not least the cost, but there is nowhere in the country. I've left it twice, tried to find my London out of London. I didn't find it, and came back.

Urgh typos in my post

It should read

Though I'm sure some of these places are great, they won't be a London out of London. London has many issues, not least the cost, but there is nowhere in the country like it. I've left it twice, tried to find my London out of London. I didn't find it, and came back.

And I'll add, you can visit of course but it's not the same as living here

That list is a description of Leigh on Sea.

Brighton, Totnes, Bath - all pretty obvious and mentioned several times

Also Oakham - small town, pretty, nice range of shops and easy reach of various cities (2 stops to Peterborough for trains to London). More going on arts-wise than you might expect (events at the school). Often makes "best place to live" lists

St Alban's is hardly creative. It's expensive middle-class smugness. Last time I ventured (from 't'north) all the fellas had pastel-coloured sweaters draped around their shoulders. The pavements looked like they had been ironed, everything all neat and prim. Artisan bread was the most creative thing I witnessed.

Another vote for Norwich. Cambridge and Ely also potentially worth considering, but Cambridge can't be much cheaper than London.

I’m bringing up children in the Blackhorse Road part of Walthamstow. Yes, it’s a bit grimy (very sometimes), but my children walk to a lovely school, we know our neighbours, it’s a culturally diverse area and we can be in central London in 20 minutes on the tube or on the wetlands in 10.

Places some people have moved to have been Stroud, Frome, Lewes, Hassocks (not great), Whitstable and Folkstone. But they’re not London.

The schools in Frome after primary age aren’t that good.

Definitely Bristol

Well, it has five theatres, with a fifth on the way; several art galleries, an annual open air theatre festival held in a genuine Roman theatre, an annual comedy festival, a beautiful cathedral that hosts several stunning music and visual arts events per year, lots of live music events, a refurbished art deco cinema and two museums. Not bad for a place of its size.

I've lived here for a decade and don't recognise the place you describe at all.

We had the same dilemma as you OP, nearly 10 years ago.

Had to leave Hackney as way too expensive to get the family home we needed.

Thought about and explored a number of the towns mentioned in the thread.

wanted to move to Walthamstow but were
sadly already priced out there too (the Village area).

Ended up in SE London, much more house for your money. still “grimy” areas of course but loads of strong, diverse community v green areas too and we haven’t regretted it for a moment.

I’m so glad we didn’t leave London.

Wells - although not the easiest of commutes to LOndon

If you're not ready to leave London, don't. There is nothing more tedious than an ex Londoner who didn't want to leave London and bangs on about bloody London all the time.
There isn't a London outside of London so don't try and find it.
There are brilliant other places with other identities, communities, oddities and vibes.

Can i ask where in SE London please @ThisIsMe202 ?

Baffled by Winchester being suggested against these criteria too

The town or the scientologist place?

Another vote for Lewes and near East Grinstead .. specifically Forest Row . Both absolutely fit your criteria 'down south' . In North I would definitely recommend Hebden Bridge.

Yeah I would agree with this, and I say that as someone who really likes St Albans… but it doesn’t exactly strike me as a creative hipster epicentre…

Woking, Guildford and St Albans definitely won't fit the bill.

I'm in Malvern.

Direct trains to Paddington.
Independent shops.
Good schools.
Amazing walks and views.
Creative.
Great community.
Fresh air.

That’ll be all those weird religious groups that have ended up in East Grinstead.

Creative doesn't mean hipster.

I like the sound of St Albans. If not for elderly parents, I'd have moved to Chichester years ago....wish I had.

Lewes