Diverse areas in London

Ive lived in London for over a year.  I lived in East London (predominately Muslim), North London (Jewish), and now Wembley (Indian).  And everywhere there are Polish people.

Im all for diversity and new cultures, but without wanting to come off as insensitive I dont want to live in these areas anymore.

So can anyone tell me an area of London that isnt full of Polish people, Muslims, and/or Jews?  I understand that South London would be the place to look, but Im looking for a more specific answer.  Blacks, Asians, Western Europeans, everything but the people listed are all ok.  Ideally, Id like a genuinely diverse area rather than these Muslim ghettos, Jewish ghettos, etc.  And the Polish people...you cant get away from them.

If this is a big offensive topic, then delete it.  But Im seriously looking and Im sure there are plenty of people in a similar situation to me.

If this is a big offensive topic, then delete it.  But I'm seriously looking and I'm sure there are plenty of people in a similar situation to me.

I do think you could have phrased your question differently and are most probably in the wrong city if you want to avoid certain ethnic groups.
i think it may be based on the cost of housing and if you want to find somewhere different its probably going to cost more.

Thats the only constructive thing i think i can add

Mark.

Legin,

Seeing as you've made it quite clear that you're basing where you'd like to live from a racial & background/immigrants perspective, I'm going to assume you'd like to live in a area which has a majority white population of English descent. I'd suggest choosing a location which is away from the main cities which are known to have a diverse ethnic population. From my own experience as well as others, this would mean smaller towns and villiages away from the 10-15 large cities/large towns of the UK.

Mark - I agree with you saying the poster could have phrased this better - still I guess anyway it's 'worded' it still stinks. I'd slightly disagree with you, I know people of ethnic minorities who live in some very affluent areas to the point of almost being the majority - just because an area is more upmarket doesn't automatically mean you'll find less ethnic groups there! - however I understand you point being that 'generally' you'd find less of certain ethnic group(s) in a more upmarket area.

Whichever way you look at it - the OP has 'tried' to cover up his/her resentment but it's a very thin disguise and for one doesn't fool me, and I hope the OP DOESNT find what they're look for from this post and has to instead learn to integrate more and appreciate diversity more.

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I agree with you DtM, and was clutching at straws with this one and maybe i should have phrased my reply better
as he had used the word ghetto a few times i was being a bit presumptuous and my experiences from being a Northerner maybe don't fit with a London issue?

Cheers Mark.

Ideally, Id like a genuinely diverse area rather than these Muslim ghettos, Jewish ghettos, etc.  And the Polish people...you cant get away from them.

 

This seems like a very sensitive topic (ETA) so I am not going to state my opinion, but I think the OP isn't just seeking areas with only white people in them as you have suggested, Dennis.

The OP specifically said a "more diverse" area, which I took to mean a better mixture so that he didn't feel like a total outsider. I could be wrong here, so don't take me on that unless the OP confirms my suspicions.

I can't offer any specific advice, but I would suggest maybe moving closer to any of the Unis in London. I would think (but I could totally be wrong) that areas like the UCL area would contain both students, but also a widely diverse group of people since so many students are from abroad. This is very true for the city of Tempe, where Arizona State University is located where I live. This could be misguided though, and I suppose if you're not okay with living in areas that are heavily populated with "college kids" it might not suit your ideal.

Any one else have thoughts?

Edited for clarity, I think I was a bit jumbled there!

I could be wrong here, so don't take me on that unless the OP confirms my suspicions.

You maybe right and i could have jumped the gun a bit with this one?

Had the OP asked the question in a different way without specifically targeting three different races and religions this would have been a lot easier for people to answer.

i can sympathise if people are in a minority and feel like a fish out of water in their community, there is nothing wrong with wanting to fit in somewhere

Cheers, Mark.

You maybe right and i could have jumped the gun a bit with this one?

Had the OP asked the question in a different way without specifically targeting three different races and religions this would have been a lot easier for people to answer.

i can sympathise if people are in a minority and feel like a fish out of water in their community, there is nothing wrong with wanting to fit in somewhere

Cheers, Mark.

Exactly. I think that is what the OP's problem is. Sometimes communication on the web is hard because you can't explain yourself instantly if people misunderstand whatever is said.

I live in North London, Islington. Our neighborhood is very diverse with those of African, Afro-Carribean and Anglo backgrounds. We are quite near the trendy Crouch End and Muswell Hill, but are more reasonably priced. We have wonderful ethnic shops from all backgrounds. No specific race is dominant. The area was one of the original settling points for the Afro-Carribeans such as my in-laws, who came over after WWII. We have a reasonably low crime rate. I feel safe on my streets most of the time although my brother-in-law was attacked recently in a racially motivated manner...that is the exception. I find our neighborhood in Crouch Hill to be a wonderful place to bring up our bi-racial daughter and equally inclusive of my Anglo children from my first marriage. I would recommend it highly. It is also well served by both the Victoria and Piccadilly lines.

I agree with Dennis. I think the OP is pretty clear about what s/he wants. What about Epping? Never been there myself but I think they have a BNP member or two on the council so it probably meets most of your requirements.

Maybe if I give some background.

Im from Chicago.  The neighborhood I grew up in was about 50% white, 30% Mexican, 20% black.  It wasnt a problem.  I had about as many Mexican and black friends as I did white.

When I first moved to London, I lived in Tower Hamlets.  90% (from what I saw) of the people were Bangledeshi Muslims.  It was very common to see women in the whole Muslim dress that covers everything but the eyes.  And very few people on the street spoke English.  This is not something I want to be around, and I make no apologies for that.

Then I moved to South Tottenham.  Orthodox Jews everywhere.  Im not an Orthodox Jew.  So I dont want to live there.

And Polish people are everywhere.  Ill just leave it at that.

I actually dont want to live with English people.  But they would be slightly better than the groups mentioned above.

Ideally, I would like to live in a diverse place rather than the ghetto areas mentioned above.  And I use "ghetto" as in the original definition (i.e. an area where the large majority of the population are one particular race/ethnicity/etc). If a place is predominately Muslim, Jewish, Polish, whatever you will find that youll hear their native language everywhere you go and you just dont fit in. 

So I would like to find a place that isnt "the Muslim area", "the Jewish area", etc.  Just a normal, diverse area.  Or failing that, yes a predominately English place would be ok.  This is England, after all.  And I so happen to speak the language.

Thank you for the advice, Terri.  I spent a fair amount of time in Islington but figured it was expensive to live there.

Maybe if your criteria for living space is so narrow, you need to look around a bit harder before you move somewhere.  I mean it doesn't take a genious to eyeball the ethnic population in an area when looking at flats. 

Whether you meant to or not, you managed to come off looking like a bigot and a racist.  Are you afraid od the Pols taking your jobs?  Are the muslims going to attack you?   The jews stealing money from you?

Like I said before, it doesn't take a genious to figure out the ethnic background of a neighbourhood before you move in to a flat.  I can't really feel any sympathy for you that you had to live with all those "horrible" people in their close knit ethnic communities.  And I certainly am not going to tell you which perfectly diverse, nice neighboorhood I live in, because I don't want a neighbour like you.

Great first post...welcome to UKY.

You don't want to live with English people either? So why did you move to England then? I'm sorry but I'm finding your explanation no less distateful than your original post and even more confusing ...

And Polish people are everywhere.  Ill just leave it at that.

What on earth do you have against Polish people?  I just can't figure this one out. 

I actually dont want to live with English people.  But they would be slightly better than the groups mentioned above.

Perhaps this is a radical idea, but if you don't want to live with English people, perhaps you shouldn't be living in England, full stop.

If you're seriously this bothered by other (select) races and ethnicities, there are plenty of places in the world that you could live, surrounded by your hand-picked ethnicity of choice.  You have every right to hold the opinions you do, but you still reek of troll.

Maybe you could move here, maybe even buy it?? http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242351,00.html

Then you wouldn't have to worry about the neighbors at all.

Im from Chicago.  The neighborhood I grew up in was about 50% white, 30% Mexican, 20% black.  It wasnt a problem.  I had about as many Mexican and black friends as I did white.

I don't mean this in a bad way but how about going back to where you came from?
Solves your problem and you won't be a problem for others.

Honestly, regardless of which area of london you choose, you are going to find that you won't like certain aspects of it (afterall, you said it yourself, the poles are everywhere and don't like them).

The idea of living in another city other than your own is to learn how to adapt to a different environment and the different people that comes with it.
If you can't, then maybe London's not the right place for you.