hey Erica i don't live in London but have visited many friends who do! One of my favourite areas is Angel which is more on the expensive side but quite central. I would also reccommend living somewhere near Elephant and Castle as you can get rooms in shared houses for a decent price. One of my friends lives in a really nice house there and only pays £300 a month including bills. It is a nice area and there is a tubestop there but you can also walk in to the centre of London in half an hour so its quite a good location.
If you are willing to go out of the centre a bit it will obviously get cheaper the further you go out but some of these areas can be quite unsafe (Northwest London in my experience), but if you do go further out then you can always jump on the underground quite easily!

Hi Erica,
I've been living in London for nearly seven months now and since I moved here, I've been in East Dulwich, South East London. It's a very nice area, quiet, safe and you can find everything you need. To go to Central London it takes me sometimes an hour sometimes thirty minutes, it also depends on where you want to go, the centre of London is very big! Dulwich is a bit expensive but you have to accept the fact that London is a very expensive city and the rents are pretty much the same everywhere. However, the salaries are appropriate and the quality of life you can have here is really worth it. I've come to London with the idea to stay few years and then change again but now I can't see myself living somewhere else. The flat where I live is at the border between Dulwich and Peckham, which is considered the "Bronx" of London, because of its rough past, but just last night I was coming home by bus at 11.30 pm and I noticed how many people were walking in the streets of Peckham just relaxing and without any problems. It's really a matter of preferences but rest assured that an experience in London is very fulfilling and you will never be disappointed! If you'd like other info contact me directly, I'll be more than happy to help you out!
Angela

It's very difficult to answer for the simple reason that London is a very non-homogenous city but more like a bunch of villages fused into a big city, each with its individual character. Generally London is pretty safe, there are no real no-go areas, but even some of the less desirable districts can be expensive. Personally I would say where you should go depends very much what you're looking for. I.e. if you're looking for somewhere with an interesting vibe and nightlife you could do much worse than Camden. If you're looking for a multi-cultural melting pot you could do worse than Brixton in the south or Aldgate/White Chaple in the east. If cheap is your highest priority you should expect at least a 40 minute commute to the city). Don't forget that very few people actually live in the center of London and the city itself is surrounded by a dozen satellite towns from which people commute into the city daily, such as Guildford, Luton, Bedford, and Crawley. If I could pick a place without worrying about money: Blackheath south of the river to the east, surrounded by parks and commons, sorta like a little village in the countryside, but you can hop on the train and be in the city in 20 minutes, but unfortunately it's crapping expensive!!

WEST IS BEST !!!

I am a Londoner - born and bred and I have lived in most places in the capital. It really does depend on your budget but if you can afford to head west along the river then there's some fantastic spots. Ealing is quite a cosmopolitan place in terms of it's residents, Richmond or Putney are even better if you can afford it. Not as nice (as it's not on the river) but possibly more affordable and central links is Hammersmith.

If you want to be a bit closer to town then I would probably recommend Clapham. It's great for nightlife/bars/restaurants etc and it has fantastic transport links.

You best bet is to keep looking on www.gumtree.com it'll give you an idea of prices and areas. I have found places to stay through this before and I would definitely recommend it.

Let me know if I can help with anything else and good luck finding somewhere to stay
x

Sorry to sound like a smug north Londoner, but it's definitely all about the north! Central London is great for shops, galleries and nightlife but not many people can afford to live there.

South London has nice pockets, but they tend to be bordered by pretty grotty areas - some of which are the most deprived in Europe. Many of the places that newcomers flock to, like Clapham, are devoid of character and have lorries trundling down the busy main roads day and night. Also, down south you're reliant on the northern line, which is often out of service, or infrequent overground trains.

The East is edgy and up-and-coming, but is can also be industrial and grimy in places. West London feels detached from the rest of London and you'll have planes destined for Heathrow keeping you awake all night.

So that leaves the leafy, bohemian villages of the north. Hampstead, Highgate, Crouch End and Muswell Hill are all great places to live in as they have quirky boutiques, independent cafes, and beautiful Edwardian buildings. But, apart from Hampstead, it's still possible to find somewhere to rent even if you're not a millionnaire. There are quick commuting routes - 15 mins to the city, 30 mins to the west end - and if you avoid the prams, loads of green spaces. Easy decision then!

My relatives live in Croydon and I have visited them there a few times. Croydon is a nice, friendly, family-oriented/residential place, and what I like about it is it is not that expensive compared to living in central London, yet it is very easy to get to central London from Croydon. You can hop on a bus or take the London underground and most places are very accessible from there.

Here are some websites I found on Croydon:
http://www.croydonweb.com/
http://www.croydon.gov.uk/
http://www.allabout-croydon.co.uk/

Hope this helps and good luck with your search!

ok best areas (going by safety, accessibility on public transport, and nice place to live) notting hill, holland park, islington, angel, kensington, barrons court, earls court (and around there), knightsbridge, bayswater, queensway, fullham. wimbledon is good too but much further out, victoria is ok too.

Something else you might want to take into account re: expense

Many employers – in the private and public sector- will recognise the higher cost of living by including a ‘London weighting’ as part of their pay package. If you work in a service sector, you will likely be eligeable for the “higher cost of living rate” - a surplus payment for anyone living in Greater London. When I was working as a secretary, this came to an extra £1.88 an hour, purely because I was a Londoner.

I knew someone who lived in Putney, by Putney bridge station. i thought it was a nice area, gardens by the river, good transport into London (bus and train and not to bad to get to from the motorway by car either) and near Kings Rd for shopping and restuarant. parking is not easy there.

If you don't mind being at the end of a tube line then Richmond is gorgeous (but not cheap!).

If you know where you'll be working, best to look at the tube map and find somewhere on a direct tube route. Get an Oyster card as fares are cheaper that way and there is a flat fare for buses with an Oyster.

Hi Erica,

Good luck with the move. I would say that some of the well connected suburbs are your best bet.
For many years I lived in Enfield in north London. It's quiet, has some great parks and farms nearby. It also has plenty of great restaurants, historic sights, night clubs and pubs. And the best thing, if you want to be near central London, is that Oxford Circus, Covent Garden are only 35 minutes away by tube (that is, when they're running on time.) Depart from Oakwood station on the Piccadilly Line.

If you really want to be central, you might, if you're lucky, pick up a bargain in Bloomsbury or Russell Square. Both areas are next to each other. There are some terrific restaurants and pubs, you'll be round the corner from the British Museum, and Covent Garden is within walking distance. However, it does get to be a bit noisy from early Spring to late Summer, as it is a tourist hot-spot.

Best wishes

Well Erica I think a good all round introduction to London would be the following site
http://www.stuckinlondon.com

CLAPHAM JUNCTION is a great area where you can find some quiet streets not too far away from the action. Trains run to Waterloo every 3 or so minutes and only takes 10 minutes so you're central in next to no time. This is the busiest railway station in the UK and just about link you with the entire country. Night buses run from all over central London too so no matter where you are and at what hour, you can save yourself an expensive cab ride. Have fun.

Putney is a pretty good set up. Fairly easy going getting into London and importantly it is a nice, but affordable, area. There´s some decent shopping to be done nearby and a fair range of restaurants and food outlets.