Rate the 'hood

OK so I am narrowing my search as to where I will be looking to live in West London. I kind of had my heart set on Ealing since it seemed the most affordable housing was there, however the HR rep in the UK balked when I mentioned Ealing as possible place of residence saying "Ealing, uhm, ah, I don't know if I would recommend it, it's not that nice of a place".  I guess that's why Ealing is affordable. She did say that West Ealing wasn't that bad but still not a place she recommended.

She then suggested Clapham, Shepherd's Bush, Oval. And in my searches it seems that flats in Chiswick, Kensington, and Hammersmith seem to be a little more expensive than Ealing....so using my simple probably misguided logic, that means they are better?

Anyway long story short, Lets play Rate the 'hoods! based on your knowledge of these neighborhoods, please list them 1 thru 6, starting with the most desirable area for a single young professional, and ending with the least desirable.

()Clapham
()Shepherd's Bush
()Oval
()Chiswick
()Kensington
()Hammersmith
 

1 Kensington
2 Chiswick
3 Clapham (nice bits)
4/5 Shepherd's Bush/Hammersmith -- nice bits and dodgy bits so be careful

n/a Oval - not hugely familiar with but have heard it is ok

Don't know enough to rate them, but we had a family friend who lived in Chiswick with his family for a few years and it seemed a really lovely neighbourhood. They had lots of friends and their girls loved it. Kensington seems nice too, fairly posh the bits I've seen.

Kensington seems nice too, fairly posh the bits I've seen.

Kensington is basically described as 'wealthy' and 'affluent' with 'exclusive' neighbouring areas - it has some of London's most expensive streets and apparently some Kensington houses were selling for £20 million each in 2007! The borough (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) also has the highest population density in the United Kingdom - 38,000 people per square mile. In comparison, Houston, TX has a population density of about 3,800 per square mile.

1. Clapham
2. Chiswick
3. Hammersmith
4. Shepherd's Bush
5. Oval

I’m leaving Kensington off the list because who wouldn’t want to live there. OK I know there are die-hard north (yeah!), south and east Londoners out there but isn’t Kensington considered one of the most posh areas in the city?

And for what it’s worth, a totally biased opinon…

Everyone has their likes and dislikes but to put Kensington and Oval on the same list just seems wrong to me.

Before any ‘Ovalites’ take issue, let me say I like Oval/Kennington/Vauxhall and spend a lot of time there visiting friends but it is somewhat gritty, which is one of the things that appeals to me. To be honest though, it consists of a few nice streets here and there surrounded by rivers of traffic. It’s biggest plus is that it’s close-in to central London, if that’s your priority, and also a good thing because there’s no high street to speak of.

To me, the top ‘young, single, professionals’ type neighbourhood on your list is Clapham, down the road from Oval. It has the nice streets, shops, bars, restaurants and the common for a day out in the park with the other nice, young single 20-30-somethings, who abound. But it’s not cheap, at least not to me. You pay for these amenities with higher rents than other areas.

Chiswick is also lovely, close to the river with a busy high street, and where you move to after tiring of dodgy bits of Hammersmith.
   
I don’t really know Shepherd’s Bush other than it used to be the place where Australians and New Zealanders landed when they came to London. Now it’s where young professionals and families go because they can’t afford Notting Hill and Holland Park (and also the home of Westfield, London’s newest climate-controlled shopping experience)

If you’ve been to Ealing and you like the area I wouldn’t cross it off your list. It’s an ‘outer borough’ and not very hip, so maybe that’s why HR rep didn’t care for it and it’s a longer commute if you work central but I’ve been a few times and thought is was quite nice, normal, non-hyped area to live.

OK so I am narrowing my search as to where I will be looking to live in West London. I kind of had my heart set on Ealing since it seemed the most affordable housing was there, however the HR rep in the UK balked when I mentioned Ealing as possible place of residence saying "Ealing, uhm, ah, I don't know if I would recommend it, it's not that nice of a place".  I guess that's why Ealing is affordable. She did say that West Ealing wasn't that bad but still not a place she recommended.

To caveat what the HR rep said, there are lots of different parts of Ealing, some are very nice and some are not nice at all.  I agree with her views on West Ealing.

I lived in West Ealing for several years, and spent a lot of time wandering all over that part of town, including around West Ealing, Hanwell, the Ealing Broadway area, South Ealing, and Ealing Common.  I now live in Brentford, which is south of South Ealing and west of Chiswick, and I now spend a lot of time wandering around Chiswick, Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush (as well as in another direction - venturing around Kew and Richmond). 

I think Chiswick is great, and prefer its high street to the Ealing high street that covers the stretch of Uxbridge Road between West Ealing and Ealing Broadway.  There is a shopping centre at Ealing Broadway that is good.  But on the other hand, the new Westfield 12 Shopping Centre at Shepherds Bush is close to Chiswick (I walk there from Brentford via Chiswick most Sundays) and is a far superior shopping centre, and is easily accessible from the surrounding areas, including Hammersmith, Chiswick, Brentford and Ealing.

Courtney has recommended Ealing, and she lives in a very nice part of Ealing in a very nice Victorian conversion flat.  The part of West Ealing where my husband and I lived and thankfully only rented a few years ago was pretty cr*p by our standards, but was considered desirable by many other people.  When my husband and I were looking to buy a few years ago, we found information indicating that Ealing (all parts) was overvalued in terms of the property boom's effect on prices in the area.

I think it's important to focus your search on the commute aspect rather than just which neighbourhood is best, as you could enjoy living in any number of neighbourhoods (including all of the ones you listed) but they are not all equal in terms of the impact on your commute.  And your commute will have a large impact on your quality of life.  For example, if you are travelling by train to Marlow via Ealing Broadway, then living near Ealing Broadway station will mean you only have to take one train rather than having to change trains or having to travel to Ealing Broadway via other means (such as a bus journey), which adds hassle, potential delays, etc. to your journey.

Clapham.  No point in rating the others!!!


Vicky

Thanks for all your answers so far.

So I am guessing that Kensington will end up being a bit overpriced compared to the other areas.

jayvee, I am completely unfamiliar with all of these areas, I have never been to the UK, I was just listing areas that I have heard about that by description and rent prices seemed like areas that I would like to or could afford to live in.

LipBalmAddict, I'd actually be driving to Marlow as my commute so any neighborhood where I can access the M4 or A40 easily is what I was looking at. I would like to try and take the train, but from what I see I'd have to take 3 sometimes 4 trains depending on when I would leave for work.

Vicky, whys so adamant on Clapham? I have been somewhat focused on the other areas, I am just now hearing about Clapham so any more detail on the area would be greatly appreciated.

Clapham.  No point in rating the others!!!


Vicky

This was basically what I was going to say .

chad - it's hard to explain, but Clapham has a huge 'vibe' that's not really found in other parts of London.  It's eclectic, yet modern and happening - and affordable!!  Good for singletons AND families.

(1)Clapham
(2)Chiswick
(3)Shepherd's Bush
(4)Oval
(5)Hammersmith

Oval is nice enough, but not really a "neighborhood", if that makes sense.  Chiswick is lovely if you want something a bit further out of central London (i.e., green space).
(6)Kensington

On the topic of Kensington, does it matter if it is West Kensington or North Kensington? It seems as if the closer you are the Chelsea the more posh the neighborhood might be, maybe if you are further away it is almost as nice and not as wealthy?

Just thinking out loud.

Given the commuting aspect, I would only really consider Shepherd's Bush from your list. Living south of the river will be a huge pain, and even Chiswick/Hammersmith would be difficult with traffic.

West Kensington/North Kensington will be significantly cheaper than South Kensington/Chelsea.

You might also want to consider areas north of the M40. Maida Vale is lovely, though expensive.

Edited to add---sorry, didn't see that the M4 would work for you. I remember you saying the M40 in a previous thread, so that stuck in my mind. If the M4 is just as easy, then Chiswick/Hammersmith are fine (and in that case Chiswick would be number one for me from your list), but if you ultimately need to get to the M40, I would not want to have to interchange between the two. Lots of traffic, and the only way I know how to do it would involve the M25. Also, the M4 is notorious for terrible traffic, whereas the M40 is generally not too bad, especially if you are reverse commuting.

LipBalmAddict, I'd actually be driving to Marlow as my commute so any neighborhood where I can access the M4 or A40 easily is what I was looking at. I would like to try and take the train, but from what I see I'd have to take 3 sometimes 4 trains depending on when I would leave for work.

I'm glad to hear you'll be driving - that will help enormously (I say, as someone dependent on public transport!).  It would really help if you can get input from people who have done a similar commute.  I'm not sure how easy it would be to get from Clapham to Marlow compared to Chiswick to Marlow by car, but it's worth taking advice.

I lived in Clapham for over a year and thought it was highly overrated - I much prefer Chiswick (from your list).  But I'm nearly 39 years old, so that may have something to do with my preferences.

As kate_mate said, Chiswick and Hammersmith will work for you from an M4 perspective, and so would Ealing (e.g., the lovely part where Courtney lives as opposed to West Ealing) and so would Brentford, but please do not even consider Brentford, it is dire!  The only thing that redeems Brentford is its proximity to Chiswick, Ealing, Kew and Richmond.

Ok, having looked at a map now, I see that Marlow is on the A404 between the M4 and the M40 (and appears to be closer to the M40).

I stand by Shepherd's Bush being your best bet here from what you have listed. I personally think this would be a much better driving commute than the others on your list, but I agree with LipBalmAddict that it would be great if you could get some advice from those who commute from that direction to Marlow. Maybe the HR officer could put you in touch with someone at your new office? Or maybe someone here will have more info about commuting on the M4. We use the M40 quite a bit (granted, we try to avoid rush hour), and as I said, we find it to be pretty good. There are definitely nicer and dodgier bits of Shepherd's Bush, so I would watch out there as well.

I am a North London girl, but I loved living in Clapham / Battersea.  

First, it is fantastic for transport...night buses go all over London or to Vauxhall which is a very central night bus hub.  Clapham Junction station is the busiest station in the country and there are trains to all over the south from there.  You are 5 minutes into Victoria or Waterloo, on a mainline route to Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Brighton, Portsmouth and everywhere in between.  

Second, there are great bars and restaurants.  You can go up the Northcote Road or further afield to Clapham Northside and find pretty much anything you want, from quite old-bloke pubs where you can quietly sip your pint to banging gay clubs.

Third...I agree about the vibe.  there is such a mix of people in the area that it creates a pretty unique place to live.  Lots of ex-pats, mainly Aussies/Kiwis/Saffas, which means that single ladies are always going to be popular, and guys can always find somewhere to drink during the Tri-Nations/rugby world cup/insert random excuse for drinking here.  But without being opressive...you don't HAVE to go into this mix, like you do in Shepherd's Bush, because there are still quite, civilised places and quiet streets.

Finally...if you don't like the party and the noise, there are the commons.  To the south, along the river, you have Battersea Park, and to the North you have Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common.  Great places for walks and picnics, and between the commons is a really lovely place to live, though pricey unless you are in a house share.

Vicky

Hi Chadwyck,

This topic of course pops up quite a bit from time to time! and there's lots of opinions and thumbs up from everyone who've lived in these areas etc.

The 'hoods' you mention are all easily liveable and some more than others depend on how deep and fat your wallet is. I say definitley find out more about each place - can't beleive the person you spoke to has not recommended Ealing! - yes there are 'some' dodgy areas like any other, but Ealing is still a very very desirable place to live overall.

I suggest you do expand your search to other areas as well, these are just a few, and there are alot of others which you can consider. Driving and commuting into these areas is certainly possible, but you will pretty much experience alot of delays and jams, and if something goes wrong (accident, roadworks etc) you'll really pull your hair out. Consider some of the areas around NW London as well, Pinner, Harrow, Rickmansworth, Watford, Hatch End, Stanmore, Ruislip etc etc. I understand these places are sort of 'out of London' as it were - but practically and financially do make good sense to consider. When I worked in Ealing (just off the Gyratory) people used to think I lived in outer Mongolia for commuting from Slough everyday - which always made me laugh, although not having to live on my own, the difference in monthly rents was nothing to be sniffed at for living 'so far away' - not saying you should come out this way (although it's still a possibility, especially when you see places in Gerrards Cross, the Chalfonts, Beaconsfield etc!)- but I do urge you to consider a little further out seeing as you've placed a substantial importance to commuting. As it's Marlow, then I definitley recommend doing the commute by driving, else you will (I think) need to change quite a few trains and simply would take you a good hour at least in increased times. Also, consider some areas of North London, Kingsbury, Hendon, Finchley, kinda areas.

I'd also put forward the idea of getting a decent Diesel engined car as it'll have plenty of time to warm to operating temperature on your commute and thus giving you the best MPG performance.

Any other questions or queries just let me know and I'll do me best to help!

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!