Anyone hate living in London?

[Josh90]

I'm really starting to think living here contributes to my SA more than I think, not only is it overcrowded, people are rude, individualistic, and downright horrible to be around, you can't get away from people at all, there is also no sense of community like in other parts of the country. I really think I would prefer to live somewhere nice, quiet and suburban. The main thing I hate about London is that it's overcrowded and noisy, and it's only going to get worse due to immigration. It goes against my nature even being here as I value silence and being around as few people as possible. I seriously can't wait to get out of here or even this country.

[Sea]

Originally Posted by Josh90

I really think I would prefer to live in the countryside somewhere and only commute to an inner city to work if I have to.
It goes against my nature even being here as I value silence and being around as few people as possible.

I don't live in London and I never ever could. I can't think of anything worse.
I can totally relate to what you said above - I do live on the outskirts of a small city at the moment, but it is literally only minutes to be in the countryside and there are seals and deer within a few hundred metres of my flat. So its not a typical city. I really really need silence - I'm a quiet person and other people's noise really affects me negatively. I am house-hunting in the countryside at the moment, for most of the same reasons that you stated. It sounds like you need to consider relocating to somewhere else?

[Toxic]

im actually wishing i lived somewhere "bigger"

i dont know if i could go all the way to London in terms of bigger, but my town is pants...i went on meetup..one bloody meet! im on the outskirts so its quiet..which is nice but not being able to drive means i rely on public transport a hell of a lot and its all very tiresome..takes me like an hour to get to work!

[Mortigantoj]

Erm...no

[black_mamba]

There are mixed messages about London that I hear from SA people - some hate the crowds and the noise (me included) and some love the anonymity of it (especially if they've just moved from a tiny villiage).

I recently visited Belfast and the city was so small I loved it! I've lived in London all my life and only just realised that I hate it, it's too overwhelming. I want to move up north to a smaller city!

[Worried]

partly I do and partly I don't.

I like living in London because I just like London and having lived out of London both in the westcountry and in the midlands ... I just don't see why anyone would not want to live in london when you compare what else is on offer.

At the same time .... I am an ethnic minority where I live and that's me being a white English person. It gets pretty disheartening and that whole lack of community thing is because of the overpopulated foreigners. Bit too much. But I like to think that one day I can get a bit of $$$ and move into a nice area of London where not only am I not the ethnic minority anymore , but the quality of life is far greater also.

[black_mamba]

Originally Posted by Worried

partly I do and partly I don't.

I like living in London because I just like London and having lived out of London both in the westcountry and in the midlands ... I just don't see why anyone would not want to live in london when you compare what else is on offer.

Well for me I find the fact that I am overwhelmed with cultural activities very difficult, because I want to do everything! Reading Time Out London used to stress me out because I was faced with too much choice!

At least I know if I went to live in a smaller city that I wouldn't be tempted to go out all the time to exhibitions and gigs and cool events. Yes they are fun but I'd rather have a simpler, quieter life, and go out less often and have a better sense of community as well.

At the same time .... I am an ethnic minority where I live and that's me being a white English person. It gets pretty disheartening and that whole lack of community thing is because of the overpopulated foreigners. Bit too much. But I like to think that one day I can get a bit of $$$ and move into a nice area of London where not only am I not the ethnic minority anymore , but the quality of life is far greater also.

I think the lack of community is less to do with that and more to do with the fact a sprawling, enormous city like London is often not designed with community in mind. Plus it's hard to know everyone and care about your locals when there are bazillions of them.

[AnathemA]

Living somewhere "nice, quiet and suburban" is severely overrated, unless you literally have no plans to ever leave the house, or really like drab-looking pubs full of old men (the only places to go).

Also, there is no sense of community here, either, and people are often rude and unfriendly. People don't magically like each other just because they're white.

[kingandduck]

I loved it. Sure, there were a lot of negatives. I mean there were some pretty rude and nasty people and sometimes you could be walking down the street and you realised that nobody was speaking English. I'm not against immigrants or a racist or anything like that, but when you are rapidly becoming the minority in a city in our own country it makes you wonder.

However, when you move away, you notice all the good things about London. You might think Londoners are rude, but I've found people to be just as rude and judgmental, probably more so,, outside of London. London and city life is way more diverse. I found people were actually more easy going and open in London than where I live now which is a bit further south than London, kind of semi countryside ish.. There's a huge variety of people and culture in London. Where I live now, people can be very snobbish and snotty.

Plus there's lots to do in London. Public transport is very good.

[Ajax Amsterdam]

Originally Posted by Josh90

I'm really starting to think living here contributes to my SA more than I think, not only is it overcrowded, people are rude, individualistic, and downright horrible to be around, you can't get away from people at all, there is also no sense of community like in other parts of the country. I really think I would prefer to live somewhere nice, quiet and suburban. The main thing I hate about London is that it's overcrowded and noisy, and it's only going to get worse due to immigration. It goes against my nature even being here as I value silence and being around as few people as possible. I seriously can't wait to get out of here or even this country.

I don't live in London, but have visited numerous times. I imagine London could take an SA sufferer one of two ways. One being that it is their worst nightmare. Or the other being that if they can cope there, they can pretty much cope anywhere.

Although I do like to visit, mainly because I like the seediness of the West End, like you, I find the place and the people are always 100 miles per hour. The people tend to be very insular and rude too. It was only when I started going to London that I realised why they tend not to even realise the rest of the UK exists. As an SA sufferer there is no way I could live there. Just too much sensory overload for my liking. As much as I do like to visit, I'm always glad to get back to Liverpool, which is a more warm, welcoming and easier paced kind of city. Even then, if I had the money I'd bail out and go to live in the Lake District or Portugal where the pace of life suits me far more.

[black_mamba]

Originally Posted by AnathemA

Living somewhere "nice, quiet and suburban" is severely overrated, unless you literally have no plans to ever leave the house, or really like drab-looking pubs full of old men (the only places to go).

It depends what sort of hobbies you have. A lot of mine involve staying at home and just getting on with it and not getting distracted (like writing, drawing, reading etc.) and my other hobbies need me to travel far away from London (mountain biking, hiking etc.) so being in a smaller city or a small town where I have less distractions and better access to countryside works well. I'm not a big drinker either so that helps.

Even living in London zone 6 (Surrey) worked well for me. It was just a few minutes bike ride to massive green fields, and sufficiently far away from Central London so I wasn't tempted to go out all the time (which I enjoy, but not as much as my other hobbies).

I think somewhere like Bristol or Manchester would be perfect for me - interesting music scene, close to decent mountain biking spots, and not as overwhelming as London.

[Bunnylove86]

I've never lived in London but have always imagined it would be nice to live somewhere there is so many people thats its impossible for everyone to know everyone.
I live in a small area where it feels like everyone knows everyone else, people have grown up here gone to school started families and then there kids know each other and i find that over whelming especially as i didn't move here until i was a teenager and went to a school a few miles from where i live.

Trust me people are just rude regardless of whether its a small town or big city. I think it can be worse in small towns as they have that small town we belong here you don't mentality.

[Labretkitty]

I definitely prefer the anonymity of London, it helps me feel less subconscious and like everyone is watching and (negatively) judging me. I come from rural countryside though, where there is a strong community feel and it is a little disheartening to lose that.
But then again, I can't exactly say the community spirit has completely gone. My street in Kingston regularly hosts sale days, they talk a lot to each other and there is a strong unity felt throughout the street. And I managed to borrow a lawn mower from a neighbour due to my incompetent landlord, who else in London can say that?! :D

[syncsolo]

I've only visited London, but not for a good few years. I've always thought I'd be better off there really, compared with living in this boring dead end town.

There is more to do and see there, more people, so better chances dating and more opportunities for work + better pay. SA wise I think it'd be more of a help, it's too easy to shut yourself away, avoid things and do nothing here, but you can be like that wherever you live.
Maybe it's changed and not all it's cracked up to be now in London, depends on what part you live in I suppose too. I'd move though given the chance, or try another city like Manchester.

[KarateGirl]

I love London. I can't imagine living in a smaller town now, because there's just so much to do here. Though actually next year I'm planning to move to Tokyo, as London is seeming a bit small lately...

I find most people friendly, and more open-minded than in smaller towns. I've lived in the West Midlands before, and whenever I go back there I feel embarrassed because everyone seems so intolerant of things that are just normal for me! I'm lucky to live in a nice area of London though, so I'm sure it's not the same everywhere.

I also used to live in a small village in Cornwall and I loved it there - used to spend the whole day on the beach with no one there except me and my dog, perfect for an SA person! But another part of me loves the excitement of being in a city. I wish I could have both really.

[Phool]

No. Born and bred londoner and proud of my home town.

Not saying there aren't issues with large crowds and commuting. And I happen to work in quite a stressful environment and pace of life can be hectic. And in many ways the cost of living is expensive. But ...

I love its diversity, you can meet people from all over the world. Therefore the diversity of restaraunts is amazing. There is something for everyone from clubbing and bars to museums and galleries and theatre. The other advantage I have is living on the outskirts there is a lot of greenery and don't have to travel far to be in open countryside. The great thing is having options, if you want to go out you there is lots to do. If you don't it's fine too. My main problem is finding people to do stuff with as most people my age settled with kids. But I'm trying to work on that.

[diplodocus]

Love visiting and going out there (only 40 miles away) but I would hate to live there. Too many people, too noisy and no where to get away from it all although I do like the anonymity. However I like where I live on the edge of a big town (city next year) and I can be in the countryside in 10 minutes, walk my dog and not see a soul. So I'm happy that I live close enough to enjoy what London has to offer but far enough to get away from it.

I think if money was no object I'd love a penthouse flat right in the heart of London for the weekends and a house in the country in one of the counties surrounding London.

[Spectrelight]

Originally Posted by AnathemA

Living somewhere "nice, quiet and suburban" is severely overrated, unless you literally have no plans to ever leave the house, or really like drab-looking pubs full of old men (the only places to go).

Also, there is no sense of community here, either, and people are often rude and unfriendly. People don't magically like each other just because they're white.

What he said.

I love going into London at weekends but I wouldn't live there unless I won the lottery. Even coming from outside I'll take the mainline instead of the tube where I can because of the overcrowding and that's not even in rush hour.

The town where I live is nothing special but it has good transport links to London (trains run 24/7) and if I want to go to the countryside I can get there in minutes, although having a car helps there. I just prefer being able to go somewhere quiet when I want to which isn't much of an option in London.

[Mortigantoj]

There are loads of quiet places in London

[Optimistic]

There's so much to do here... I love it. if I lived in smaller places (outside commuting distance to London) I imagine my SA would be a lot worse as I'd find it tougher to socialise.

Also there's people from all different countries. It's great!

[Within Reason]

I think it depends where in London you live. You cant really generalise the whole of London. I live in the really crappy, inner city, deprived areas - home to the chav, robbers, stabbers, crappy housing - so yes, it sucks.

In the more affluent areas, it's a lot more nicer - pleasant to walk around, not that many rude people. In more central areas, you get people walking at 100km/hour.

I gotta admit though, the "there's people everywhere" can get a bit tiresome but in some areas, it's a lot more manageable.

I really hate the area I live in but not London itself - I like the anonymity, loads of things to do and explore, the universities, job opportunities. It's the type of place you could live there all your life and never even know a quarter of it.

[hint_of_amaretto]

I lived in London for 6 years until 2 years ago, when redundancy forced me to move back to where I am now, living with my parents in a completely different part of the country.

To be honest, I would absolutely move back to London tomorrow if I could. I miss the anonymity, the diversity, the range of things to do and the open-mindedness of most people I came across; Unlike the comparatively narrowminded and close knit communities in the small city (it has 'city' status but it feels more like a small town to me, after having lived in London) in which I currently live.

I felt I was able to blend in with the crowd when it suited me and go off and do things on my own, without people even so much as blinking at me for being a "loner" but conversely, it was easy enough.... well, not "easy" as I have never found it easy to make friends due to my nerves and extremely low self esteem and overall social anxiety... but much "easier" to find people (largely via meeting over the internet initially, then meeting up in person) with similar interests (due to the sheer numbers of people and very diverse groups) and I certainly did make some wonderful friends there who were accepting of my SA traits and who I keep in touch with on Facebook and still go and visit when I can...; whereas here, I have only made one friend in the 2 years I have been back here. A few acquaintences from work but no one I could really call a "friend", because everyone seems to know everyone else and my few school friends from here (who were never particularly close friends and I don't think knew about my SA) have all moved elsewhere. Also, people here in general (not everyone of course) seem very judgmental and closed towards getting to know "outsiders", even though I grew up here.

It's my plan to move back to London if I'm ever able to find a job there again and save enough money for a deposit to cover me for a month or so, until I get paid... which, with my SA, the overwhelming nightmare of going to interviews and the lack of work nationwide in general at the moment, seems little more than a pipe dream right now.

[Johnni]

Originally Posted by Optimistic

There's so much to do here... I love it. if I lived in smaller places (outside commuting distance to London) I imagine my SA would be a lot worse as I'd find it tougher to socialise.

Also there's people from all different countries. It's great!

Did you know anyone from London before you moved down there recently?. I gather if you know a few ppl then there is so much to do yet i think if you are alone (it can also be great) but also quite lonely in a way.

[Mortigantoj]

Originally Posted by Optimistic

There's so much to do here... I love it

Still waiting for this house-warming rave!!

[Geminus]

London is an extrememly varied place and it depends on where abouts you are plus what sort of person you are and what you have been expose to so far in life, as to what sort of experiences you have here. I remember an article years ago where an Austrailian actress/ singer commented on London being one of the most unfriendly places she had ever come across (she had said hello to an elderly lady in an elevator, to have the lady look at her strangely and back away). A lot of it can be down to the dynamics of a big town and city living. Cities overal are more fractured than the outer counties. Crime levels are higher, life is faster and systems are quite poorly balanced due to the stressful expectations of the rat race.

A few of you have mentioned a problem with 'foreigners'. It might surprise you to hear that most foreigners have a tighter sense of community and closeness than many Londoners whose families have lived here for generations, so I feel this view is sorely prejudice and short sighted.

I remember being 13 and realising I had established a love hate relationship with London and it has been the same ever since. As a result, I have always since known it is not the place I choose to spend the rest of my years in. However I have travelled around the Uk quite a bit and as has been stated, there are a lot of positive aspects to London that you just will not find anywhere else within the Uk. For that reason, there is definitely a benefit to remaining here for a time (along with not quite deciding just yet where it is I would like to end up).

Is it everyones cup of tea? No definitely not. My ex lived out in Hampshire in the middle of the country and I fell in love with the place. However she travels the world on the regular basis, so having a home in the middle of the country is ideal for her as a break away from every thing else and a healthy balance to her lifestyle. If she had to be there all the time she would undoubtedly grow bored and feel the need to escape every now and again. An idea I have grown quite fond of is a 3-6 month split, alternating every 3 to 6 months between here and somewhere else, so it is something I keep in mind.

[LittleMissMouse]

I lived in London for a few years and loved it. I love the anonymity of it, you're just one of 6 million getting on about your business, and I love the fact that there is always stuff to do, places to go, you'll always know people in London, and people will always come to visit. I also really love the architecture of central London mainly and just the fact that you're always surrounded by amazing history in central London.

Having said that, I think now I tasted the amber nectar, I don't think I could go back to London and pay more rent for a smaller flat, spend an hour of so standing in someones armpit on the tube every morning and paying an outrageous amount of money for public transport that's actually quite gash.

[Defiance]

I lived in London all my life. I don't really know any different. I think I would find it hard living somewhere like the countryside...



my secondary school was like 8 miles away in some quiet area of surrey (lots of countryside etc..)

it was alright but i dont think i'd like to live there full time. i'd probably get bored and start to miss london as london does have quiet a lot to offer..

a few months ago i met someone who lived like 50 miles away from london. and she kept slagging london off saying she would hate to live there, and would never come up there ..etc, and tbh myself coming from london i did find what she was saying a bit offensive...

[kastra]

I am pretty much in love with Birmingham; but I would consider moving to London at some point if I was earning more than like £50k. It does boggle the mind somewhat visiting and seeing how much more everything is.

[Geminus]

lol ^ definitely a bonus but could quite easily float living in London on considerably less

[Worried]

Originally Posted by Defiance

I lived in London all my life. I don't really know any different. I think I would find it hard living somewhere like the countryside...



my secondary school was like 8 miles away in some quiet area of surrey (lots of countryside etc..)

it was alright but i dont think i'd like to live there full time. i'd probably get bored and start to miss london as london does have quiet a lot to offer..

a few months ago i met someone who lived like 50 miles away from london. and she kept slagging london off saying she would hate to live there, and would never come up there ..etc, and tbh myself coming from london i did find what she was saying a bit offensive...

how is it offensive lol just an opinion.