Are these ok areas to move to with a family

Hi!

I'm movin to London soon with my family. We have two small kids (age 3 and 6 months) We've been thinking about the following areas: Islington, Camden, Battersea and Ealing. Are these ok areas or are there in these areas streets that should be totally avoided? Our information is based upon the internet so we have no idea of where to look.

Is Ealing (or the W5 area) too far if we don't get a car right away? I mean is there good public transportation into the center from there? I would also appreciate hints on areas with a strong music scene, since my husband is a musician.

Thanka a lot!!!

Susan

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Hi, from ealing (W5) there are great transport links into the centre of london, we have the picadilly line train, or the central line at ealing broadway, all of which take less than 1/2 hour to get right into the centre. A travelcard cost about £5 (depending on what time of day you buy it), and that lets you travel everywhere, on train and bus.
Ealing itself is a pretty safe place. Northfields is a particularly nice area. Ealing also holds europes largest free jazz festival and several of the restaurants/bars have live music.
Hope this helps...
Flutteck

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HI
It also depends on how central you want to be.
Islington and Camden are more central that Ealing and Battersea.

I would have to say tho that Camden is prob not the safest of areas for children and it is really busy with the market every weekend. Some part sof Islington are not so nice either, but then other parts are really nice, it just depends on your budget.
I don't really know Battersea, but am told it is nice, and you then have Clapham just up the road.
I would say that if you don't mind being in zone 3, then Ealing is a good choice and try and stay nr to Ealing broadway as you then have use of the train station and the tube -plus there are lots of shops and quite a few young families live there.

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Hi Alizey, flutteck and Meaks,

Welcome to The Knowledge

Thanks for the great replies flutteck and Meaks, some useful info in there.

Seeing as you have young children your priorities will no doubt be very different to a lot of people buying/renting in central locations. I'd probably advise against the busier more trendy areas like Islington and Camden as they're not the best locations for kids, although as Meaks said if you have the budget you can find quieter parts of these areas.

Battersea or Ealing would be quieter and more popular with families. Battersea doesn't have any nearby tube stations which might be a problem but the buses are frequent and well connected. I'm not too familiar with Ealing but flutteck makes it sound like a good option.

Your best bet would be to spend some time in each of the areas and get a feel for it.

Also, have a look at the borough council websites linked from here:
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/london-links.php

They'll give you an idea of the facilities that the local councils offer in each of the areas.

Hope that helps,
The All In London Team

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Thanks a million for your advise guys, we are seriously considering Ealing or Clapham, and are currently looking for a 3 bedroom apartment or house in either area. If anyone has first hand experience with Battersea, we would still appreciate some opinions about that area as well!

Thanx once again!!!

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Hi there Alizey,

I used to live in Clapham, I'd recommend Clapham South or anywhere in Clapham Old Town. I used to live in Clapham North which was, and still is, a bit of a dump. Clapham south and old town are quieter and better for families.

Good luck with finding a place

Mogwai

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Hi, We have just done what you are soon to do. We moved to London last week with two kids aged 1 and 4 and are looking for the right place to live. Our priorities are good schools and parks. At the moment we are in Roehampton which is wedged in between two major parks Richmond and Wimbledon common. Unfortunately, train access is not so good. Also, the schools I'm not too sure about. The pricey suburbs Richmond, Kew, Twickenham and St Margerets would be perfect places to live with kids, but we might have to squeeze into a largeish 1 bedroom place to afford it. So, nearby Isleworth, Sheen and Ham seem more affordable options. We are told Surbiton is really popular with families and is easier getting into the city than it looks on the map. Enjoy the adventure of travelling with kids.

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Have a look at www.mydesres.com/areainfo.aspx - they've got a lot of info on London that tells you what each place is like...



[edited]
link activated

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Thanks for that meredith68, some useful info on there.

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