Where to go? Please give me your feedback

Several people have recommended 2 totally different areas of London to us and it is a little confusing.  I wanted to get feedback from those on the forum.  I have read something about each of these areas on here, but I have been told that things change rapidly.  Just an FYI, we are an interracial family of 4 with 2 children ages 6 and 3.  My spouse will be working off the St. Paul's stop on the central line. We want to ultimately put our children in a state school, but we want to wait until a spot at an outstanding or very good school opens up.

North(West)
   Golders Green
   Finchley
   Hampstead
 
vs

Southwest

Fulham
Putney
Clapham Common

Thanks in advance for your help!

I think your biggest issue with all these places is that none of them are on the Central Line so your spouse will have to change trains during rush hour every day.  Just something to think about especially if ease of commute is important.

Hampstead, Finchley and Golders Green probably have the most suburban feel.  Clapham is family friendly but maybe just a slight bit edgier.  Fulham is a lot less green and leafy and is little more bustling.  I'm not really familiar with Putney.

One thing you cannot get away from on the SW areas is that they are in the Heathrow flight path. You get used to it (I am sitting in it right now in Chiswick and barely notice it) but if and when you look in the area, check your windows for double glazing!

We recently looked in 2 out of 3 of the SW areas: Fulham is fantastic but pricey; I recently looked all over Fulham, from Broadway to Sands End and was unimpressed with what we could get in our generous price range. If you can afford it, look around Parsons Green. It has great amenaties and green spaces for the kids. Clapham has distinct areas centered around its tube/rail stations. Clapham Common, and the nearby Old Town would be my pick. Quiet and pretty. And being on the Northern line is best transport wise - either change at Bank or do the walk from there.

Your most affordable SW option is Putney. A benefit is the many trains into Waterloo. I have only passed through and gone to pubs here - being on the river is great too. Your money will go further here for sure.

Btw, we chose Kentish Town in the end (moving in a week). I've always been a W / SW girl and have never lived in North London so am very excited! I would definitely look at Hampstead if you can afford it. With the Heath right there and easy links into town, why not?

It's also worth noting that the Northern Line is the tube line which is most frequently down.

Thank you so much for the feedback.  We are working with a relocation company and they are pushing us to SW london, but our friends and family who have lived in London all recommend the North side.  The lack of greenspace in the SW worries me just a bit.  I am only looking on rightmove right now, but it seems like a majority of home I have seen have patios or decked areas in the back and we realllllly need a garden as we have 3 small dogs.

We only get 1 day to pick a neighborhood with the relocation people once we arrive, and then we have 2 days to find a property so I don't want to waste any time.  Our budget is pretty good, but I think Hampstead might be a little out of our budget and the state schools leave a little to be desired from the Ofsted reports I have read.

Again, a thousand thanks.  Anyone out there with more information?

RosAm

On the contrary, SW London has some of the largest green spaces in all of London: Richmond Park (largest Royal Park in London), Wimbledon Common, Barnes Common, Kew Gardens, Old Deer Park and a little further out in Twickenham: Bushy Park. The river itself has a tow path that you can cycle and walk/run along. Seriously, look at London on Google Maps in satellite and you'll see that SW London is in fact the greenest area of town. It just happens to be a bit further out from town. As you can imagine, the closer you are, the less green space there is.

If you are looking for the green space / back gardens combo, look around Richmond, Twickenham and Wimbledon. All are incredibly family friendly and I believe you'd be able to find homes with back gardens very easily, though I can't speak to the schools. Your husband will be mainly relying on rail links to get into town which is the downside of the SW (even though Richmond and Wimbledon have the tube, it's not quicker), but it shouldn't take him more than 40 minutes as both those locations have excellent high speed links into town to compensate (with their delay headaches, of course, as any rail line does in London).

Sounds like you weren't looking that far out, and I don't mean to confuse the issue further! Do you think your relocation people would send you an example of properties they could show in your chosen areas to help you narrow down your search? At the moment Right Move and those types of sites are not really up to date with their inventory.

1 day is tough but I would try to get a feel for both North and South of the river.  I find that people do prefer or find themselves more comfortable either North or South. 

I think the suggestions of Wimbledon, Kew and Richmond are good.  They are all leafy and I would pick any of them over Clapham, but that is just my preference partially, but not entirely, based on a hate for the Northern Line.

I know schools are important to you but do keep in mind that living in a catchment area for a good school does not guarantee your child a place in that school.  As you can imagine, good schools are over subscribed.

Also, expect to have some difficulty looking for a place that will accept pets.  You may need to offer a larger deposit.

Can't you spend some time in both areas before you meet the relocation agent?

That is a great idea Geeta.  We were initially going to fly to London on Tuesday and start meeting with everyone on Wednesday but now we are thinking about the reverse: Flying to London on a Friday night and taking the weekend to look around ourselves and then meeting with the agents the following Monday.

It's kind of funny to talk about this.  Our visas are still in process and I have no clue of when we are actually going to be allowed to fly over! 

...that is just my preference partially, but not entirely, based on a hate for the Northern Line.

Aye, but you have Southwest Trains over here, and in my opinion they are the Northern Line of the rails!  

I think it is an excellent idea to walk around the areas you are going to look in. To be honest, I'm not really liking the fact that your relocation company is "pushing" you into an area. Sounds like it would be great for you to have that time decide where you want to live based on what you see and not where a relocation co wants to put you.

Aye, but you have Southwest Trains over here, and in my opinion they are the Northern Line of the rails!  

OMG, just almost spit out my tea!

Aye, but you have Southwest Trains over here, and in my opinion they are the Northern Line of the rails!  

I think we all feel whatever line we travel on is the worst. Statistically speaking, mine (First Capital Connect) is.    I'm actually hoping to move to SW London in a few months for better transportation!

To the OP, definitely check out the areas before deciding. There is definitely a north/south divide between people who live in London, so we all tend to be a bit biased on which is better to live in. I prefer SW London for various reasons, but the areas of North London you're considering are very nice as well.