I am really digging Islington....

ME and the Huzzband are all set to move to London in April. I was just
over for a week to check out neighborhoods, and I have fallen in love with
Islington. Does anyone have any comments about the neighborhood?
Likes or dislikes? I will be working near Tower Bridge, so it seems like a
pretty decent commute. I just don't know anyone that lives there.

We have lived in Islington for nearly 2 years now. I wouldn't say don't live here but be careful which part.  Also it depends what you are looking for. Looking for drunks at all hours of the day and night? Come to Islington! Looking for petty crime? Come to Islington! Looking for rip off parking fees? Come to Islington! Looking for teeenage tearaways? Come to Islington!

Sorry I am being a bit negative, Islington has many good qualities too, some nice green spaces, pretty architecture, decent neighbourhood pubs (stay away from Upper Street), tons of restaurants, a couple of decent clubs, lots of music venues, good transport links to other parts of the city. It is not as genteel as somewhere like Hampstead but nowhere near as rough'n'ready as nearby Hackney.   We are just finding it suits our lifestyle less now that we have a baby and will probably move elsewhere soon.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about the area.

Liz

i work near tower bridge and had a friend who worked with me who lives in islington.  She and her hubs like it enough.....and her commute wasn't all that bad, i think about 45 min to here.

I kinda second Britwife's view. Of course, Islington (it's high street) is nice, great bars, places to eat, shops etc. But what bores me is this fake trendy, chic, sometimes downright arrogant attitude and the rip-off prices you pay for the privilege to be part of the neighborhood. Less than a mile up you get to Highbury or Dalton and decay hits you. Islington is the place for the up and coming wanna-be yuppie that have enough spare cash on their hands. 'nuff said ... and no offence meant to folks from this board living there, ... just my personal opinion 

Again I have to agree with Britwife.  My uncle had owned a newsagent shop on Essex Road for the past 25 years and has had issues with petty theft and such.  The area gotten better than how it was in the 80's as many young professionals have moved into the area.

Upper Street has nice bars/pubs and cafes, but I wouldn't want to live around there.

bvamin

The whole area around Angel really reminds me of San Francisco for some reason. Love it.

The whole area around Angel really reminds me of San Francisco for some reason. Love it.

I totally agree!  I lived in Islington for 2 years and LOVED it!  Found it fun and lively.  I still miss it.

Islington was is one of the neighborhoods we WERE considering until we read similar complaints!  Does anybody have any opinions on other nearby neighborhoods that we're also considering?

--Shoreditch
--Bethnel Green
--Stepney Green/WhiteChapel
--The area just east of Liverpool station

(My wife is working near Bow station, so we're looking for areas mostly in E1, E2, E3 areas).

they're probably worse!

I heard Bethnal Green is becoming trendy, but I don't live there.  This is something I read on the internet.  I heard it used to be where all the gangsters lived in the old days and now was on its way up.