Stevenage area

I'm pondering a job change, and if so, my new job would be based in Stevenage.

Anyone familiar with the area?  Any words of wisdom about it? 

DH and I are currently in London, and we wouldn't mind getting out.

I've thought about Stevenage. Being in Cambridge, the train into the City is an hour long and excruciatingly expensive. Adding on the trip to the station and the tube at the other end....it is just a bit more of a journey than I like. It's not just 'popping in to the City'.....and the train is jam packed. 

I always think when I go through Stevenage that it is a nice distance from Kings X....about 30 minutes (I think the express stops in Stevenage).

I do remember when I looked into it (and Letchworth or Welwyn) that the train was still not particularly cheap. And housing along the line still feels the London effect.

But the journey wouldn't be too onerous/tiring.

My husband used to work in Stevenage and we decided that living in a village fairly nearby suited us better than the actual town. There are other locations in Hertfordshire that are more picturesque IMHO, and also have train stations if you still want to travel to London. If you want the village experience there are very many to choose from.

I've never liked Stevenage. One main shopping area looks like it was built by order of Her Majesty's Royal Bureau of Concrete in 1974, and the other one looks like a US strip mall circa 1998, complete with a giant movie theater and a Frankie & Benny's.

But as Fruitgum says, there are nice towns and villages around there. Hitchin (one stop north on the train) is nice, and there's a village outside Hitchin called Great Wymondley that we used to live in and liked a lot.

I've been hearing similar things - Stevenage itself is not particularly nice or pretty, but the surrounding villages are.  If we're relocating, I'll have a look at Hitchin.

DH grew up in a relatively rural village and is definitely not liking living or working in London.

Hi Aquila,

Hope you are well and good !

Stevenage and other towns with a radius of around 30 miles or so outside of London are all fairly similar in terms of their physical make up i.e there's lots of concrete and buildings from past gone decades etc. Plonk yourself in the middle of all of these places and they're all the same. It's usually always the outskirts of each major town where all the 'nice' areas are etc.

I'm not overly familiar with the town, but I am there semi often due to a number of clients based there. Just up the road is Letchworth which I think overall, is nicer so do consider around there as well. I've no idea on property prices in case you are looking to buy or rent levels if you're not, but some quick looking around on rightmove etc will sort that. I'd say you'd want to have a car to get around in too, a quick blast along the A1 see's you at the M25 (with no traffic) in about 25-30 minutes and then on into London another 10-15 or so (all depending on how quick you go!)

Stevenage I do know has a decent level of blue chip companies there and from memory and your job, I'd guess that's what you'd be looking for/at.

Overall, definitely consider it and look around some of the nearby places and budget for a car

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I live not too far from Stevenage. Stevenage a new town, and it's probably not going to win any beauty contests, but there are villages and towns around it that are older and more traditional. For instance Hertford, Ware, and even smaller villages. Stevenage is going to be cheaper than the prettier towns and villages to live in, and then there is a sort of middle choice which is Welwyn Garden City, which is slightly less concrete slab looking and will give good commuter train ride into the city if either of you are planning to stick with a job there.

My husband, a native Londoner, loves it in Hertfordshire. I miss London, but I don't mind living here. Part of what has made it bearable is living in a traditional town and not a new town. But as I said, there are many options from tiny village to large market towns as well as a handful of concrete new towns in the  area.