Moving to London with Family

This is extremely difficult to answer without knowing what your budget is and if you would like to be IN London, or just outside of London (which is often more affordable)?

If money was no object, I had children, and I had to commute into Hammersmith/Kensington area, I would choose to live outside Central London in Richmond or Twickenham.

Maybe some more details about your situation and preferences would help.

Blog: beyondthequeen.blogspot.com

Thanks Lady Liberty,

Budget is around 2,500 pounds/month, and outside London would be ok as long as the commute isn't too brutual (around an hour).

thanks again and any additional thoughts would be great.

Then, yes, I stick with my original suggestions.  Richmond is absolutely lovely and is connected to London via Tube and train and is about a 45 min commute.   Although there are many many options within that budget that would be closer to Central London if you wanted. I am biased to Surrey  

You might want to try this website to get ideas of commute times from other places.

Hello!

I'd be happy to share what I know about neighborhoods with you. We moved here almost 2 years ago with 4 kids, and that was a big tough issue for me.

My hubby also works in Kensington, and we ended up in Ealing(Northfields), which was an easy commute, slightly larger homes with more green space and less expensive. I know a few other American families within a 1 mile radius. I think it is a great area for a variety of reasons. There are definitely areas with larger concentrations of Americans, but they are pricey (I think a lot come over on hefty corporate packages!)

However, a big issue will be schools. It isn't enough to say "near good schools", you have to find a school that has a place for your child. If your oldest is 5, chances are they are in kindergarten now (?) and will be in year 1 when you move (they start full time at age 4 here, and call it reception). Even if you live across the street from the school, if they don't have a place in that year group, you are out of luck. When will you be moving?

I'd be happy to help you with more information if you like. I have a American Families in London Meetup  for American Families  which is new but growing and also I started a resource site for American Families living in London called  Yankee Landing which has a little info on neighborhoods and a bit on schools ( still a lot to add....need more time!).

But you can email me here, I would be happy to give you as much information as I have!

Good luck!

Hi there,

(Moderated: No free advertising with your first post, Thanks)

For me, I thought finding the right school came first and then found a house nearby. Good luck!

Laura, HappyHomemakerUK.blogspot