Where to live in or around London?

Hello everyone, I hope this is an ok place to post my question.  Please redirect me if there's a better place.

My husband has an opportunity to manage his company's office in London for 2 years and we're debating if we should make the move.  The office is in central London, the closest metro stop is Monument. 

We currently live in a Connecticut suburb, and have two small kids, ages 2 and 4.  I'm used to city living though, for 12 years we lived in NYC. So I could go either way.  For this move I'm not sure if we should look in the city or in a suburb. 

What areas of London would you recommend living in with 2 small kids?  I would love a reasonably sized apartment (at least 2 bedrooms but possibly 3) close to some parks, cafes, some things to do.  Stuff for adults and kids to do would be great.  It would be great to be around other young parents/kids.  I assume most neighborhoods have a decent preschool but is this true?   Something near some nice food stores, etc.  I've traveled to London a bunch but it's different when you're looking for a place to live. 

If we choose the suburbs I would want something like where we're living now.  Our town now is really beautiful, on the more upscale end (similar to Greenwich, CT but not as stuffy)  If I could replicate that in the London suburbs that would be great:  close to the city for husband's commute with nice culture, restaurants, cafes.  We have a great library with lots of kids programs, parks, kids museums, etc all close by.  I would err on the side of more upscale suburb than gritty, especially with kids. 

As you can see I'm a little overwhelmed thinking about all the possibilities!  Any advice, or at least areas I should focus on would be very helpful.  I think being able to visualize where we could live would help make the decision easier.  Thanks so much!

A lot depends on your budget. We're in a south London suburb with our toddler and I love it -- plenty of things to do with kids in fair weather or foul.

Thanks Gwen.  Can you send me the name of your town plus any others you recommend I look at?  Our budget is flexible, we're currently negotiating with his company on that.  But I estimate we can pay about $3500 USD per month, more if needed.

Do most suburbs like where you live have preschools that we can join pretty easily?

Well on that budget, you can easily afford to live someplace rather nicer than where we live -- which is Croydon, a much-reviled town with excellent bits (which we are in) and some not-so-excellent bits (which we avoid). I'd also check out Beckenham and Bromley as potential towns; both are well-connected (15-20 minutes into central London by train) with plenty of kid-friendly options and good schools.

I know our area has some excellent schools -- part of the reason for living nearby is that DH wants our son to go to the same moderately prestigious private school he went to -- and I've found an absolute treasure of a nanny through childcare.co.uk. I think most suburban-type areas are fairly similar when it comes to schools, but we're going private so I'm not too sure what the process will be when it comes to registering for nursery otherwise.

London is 659 square miles just to put things in perspective for you.  If you husband works near Monument, then a good place to start is along the District Line or Northern Line.  Planning a commute with a minimum of changes is something to think about. The farther away you get from Central London, the more you get for your money.  Your budget won't get you 2 bedrooms in Zone 1.  London rents are quoted weekly which puts you at about £520/week.  Try Clapham, Chiswick, Ealing if you want to stay in London.   Also, check train routes from London Bridge.  A lot also depends on what your definition of reasonable as far as size is, but you'll get bigger in the burbs.

Thank you all for the responses and ideas.  Gwen, I especially appreciate the childcare link!  I'm leaning towards trying to find a close, nice suburb rather than in London itself.  I love city living, but life with 2 kids is much easier in a house with a yard.

Bromley looks nice, and the rents look like we can afford them.  I'll start my search there and keep looking.  If there are any other towns that come to mind please let me know.  Thank you!

Bromley looks nice, and the rents look like we can afford them.  I'll start my search there and keep looking.  If there are any other towns that come to mind please let me know.  Thank you!

Come on down to the South East! It is lovely down here. There are a lot of options for commuters on the rail line which is MUCH nicer than the tube!

Thanks Olive! what are some names of towns in the South East?  
Another friend recommend either Richmond (if we want to stay in London) or further outside the city Blackheath.  Any feedback on those options?

I'm leaning towards trying to find a close, nice suburb rather than in London itself.  I love city living, but life with 2 kids is much easier in a house with a yard.

The thing is that London itself is full of suburbs with houses and yards - so there should plenty of places to look at within London that should meet your criteria.

As Anonymiss said, London is 659 square miles, with a population of 8.1 million people...  in comparison, New York City is only 320 square miles, with about the same population (8.2 million). As a result, only a small area of London is crowded and busy (the central parts of the city, including the 1-square-mile area called the City of London) - the rest of the city is basically green, leafy suburbs with houses and yards .

Bromley looks nice, and the rents look like we can afford them.  I'll start my search there and keep looking.  If there are any other towns that come to mind please let me know.

Bromley is actually a town within the borough of Bromley, which is part of the city of London - the borough of Bromley contains over 40 districts/towns (including Beckenham as well as the town of Bromley).

Clapham, Chiswick and Ealing are also part of London - although  they are in the middle of the city, they are actually suburban areas with family houses, backyards and open space/parks.

Ealing (the town) is a suburb in the west London borough of Ealing, Chiswick is a suburb in the eest London borough of Hounslow and Clapham is a suburb in the Central London borough of Lambeth. Lambeth is in Inner London (Central London) and Ealing and Hounslow are in Outer London.

Edited to correct NYC stats .

Blackheath is absolutely, stunningly beautiful. I was just there this afternoon, in fact -- my DH's family owned a pub there and we had a nice walk around before the torrential downpour happened. On your budget it'd be a lovely place to live -- plenty of houses with yards on idyllic, tree-lined streets to be had there. Richmond is very much in the same vein.

We'll be moving to Blackheath when my son gets a bit older as that's where my DH wants the baby to go to school (it's where he went as a child).

Thanks Olive! what are some names of towns in the South East?  
Another friend recommend either Richmond (if we want to stay in London) or further outside the city Blackheath.  Any feedback on those options?

Download the Network Map to see where the stations are located and begin your search for homes based on that. Of course some are a bit more desirable than others.
http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/your-journey/network-map/

Richmond is West London. I think that train goes to Waterloo so not a horrible commute but SE is lovely.

The Local Authorities are Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley plus other neighbouring ones. Usually the name of the station gives an indicator to the name of the area/neighbourhood or what the town used to be called before it became incorporated.

There are many nice Bromley ones including the ones on the Hayes and Orpington lines. The further out you go the more green space you will find.

Blackheath is Greenwich Borough and expensive. Hither Green is Greenwich and more affordable but more housing dense. The stations around Bromley South and North are nice such as Bickley, Petts Wood, Beckenham Junct, Hayes, West Wickham, Chislehurst. Bromley has a good bus network and access to shops and green spaces.

 London is 659 square miles, with a population of 8 million people...  in comparison, New York City is only 55 square miles, but with a population of 19 million.  

Yikes!  Actually, the population of the whole of the State of New York is about 19 million.  New York City, which is comprised of Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island has a population of about 8.2 million and covers about 320 square miles.  Manhattan alone is about 23 square miles.

Yikes!  Actually, the population of the whole of State of New York is about 19 million.  New York City, which is comprised of Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island has a population of about 8.2 million and covers about 320 square miles.  Manhattan alone is about 23 square miles.

Crap - I looked at the wrong Wiki page. Sorry  .

I thought those figures were a bit off... it should have been 55,000 sq. miles (not 55) and 19 million for the state, not the city .

Yeah, your figures look better... I'll go and correct mine .

Clapham is aka as "nappy valley" due to the high number of families with small children. Also has the benefit of being a straight shot to Monument on the tube.

Clapham is aka as "nappy valley" due to the high number of families with small children. Also has the benefit of being a straight shot to Monument on the tube.

Clapham doesn't do anything for me! Probably one of those places you have to live to appreciate. Lots of people live there too.