Are Bethnal Green, Mile End and Hackney good areas for a first move?

[MyFluentCat]

Hello all!

My DD (23) will be moving away from home (Belfast) for the first time in June to start her first job in London. She's looked around and thinks that East London offers the best balance of commuting time to cost of living for her situation. She has mentioned Bethnal Green, Mile End, and Hackney. Apparently others from the office are living near those areas.

From a cursory look on street view, they don't look awfully inspiring. I know that side of the city was damaged in the war, so I wasn't expecting the architecture would be as nice as other parts, but they just seem a little run down. We live in a fairly mixed area of Belfast, and she's very streetwise, but she will be an ocean away.

She has asked around on some groups for young women that rent in London on Facebook, and has got very differing opinions. Some saying they've lived there for years and that those areas are perfect for her needs (good running trails/green space, hippy brunch restaurants, etc), and others saying they would run a mile from any of those parts of the city.

I was just wondering if anyone had experience one way or the other!

Like any city, Belfast has some absolutely lovely areas (I can guarantee you that the leafy part of town we live in is safer than anywhere you’d find in London) alongside other parts that are significantly less desirable. Tarring the entire place with the same brush is just ignorant.

It seems some people haven't moved on in the last couple of decades... we moved from Kildare for DH's work and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

Mostly lovely areas to live in for a young person. I lived in Hackney in my 20s (20 years ago when gentrification was in its infancy) and feel hugely positive about the area. Worked in a city and had a 30 min cycling commute. Pretty diverse and felt relatively safe if you stayed away from the high street at night.
West London is quite boring in comparison, mostly young families and old money which doesn't sound like a good fir for your daughter.

I’m from Belfast and have lived in London since 2003. Now out in nappy valley in the east London suburbs - but I also work in Stratford and it’s a really easy commute down the Central line for me (as it should be for her going out rather than in, as I would be IYSWIM).

Having grown up in 1980s west Belfast, the day to day in London is very tame - but she’ll need to keep her wits about her a bit more. Awareness of yourself and who’s around you is super important in a city as fast-paced as London.

Yes, I found the buses quite useful there too. I commuted in from the suburbs to that general area and it was really useful to have an alternative option of Bow Road or a bus if the tube was in a mess. I liked Bethnal Green's amenities but had a friend who lived there and she did have some dodgy moments with people following her - hopefully not a really commonplace thing.

She’s young, she should go East.

I’ve lived in Hackney, grew up there, Hoxton and Shoreditch- before it was as trendy. Went to school in both Bethnal Green and close to Mile End. I can’t really advise now as I moved out of London 30 years ago.

DD went to Hackney, Mare Street, recently and it’s been gentrified since I was a child.

I loved Hackney. If I were to move back to London, I'd definitely go east.