The Student Room Group

Do you find London to be a depressing city?

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Reply 60
Original post by 0xygen
Living costs cheaper, houses more spacious, its more modern, has nice weather. But too many gang related crimes happen in LA. (Need to be prepared)


Silicon Valley is one of the most expensive places to live. It is hardly cheaper.


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Having to go London every so often to see my GF, the city looks nice but the people, oh man..
The tube is so depressing, full of people who seem so moody with their life/job or whatever

Eventhough this can relate to anywhere in the UK, but especially London, people are just work work work, sure you *may* be getting a lot of money from it, but live a little
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 62
Original post by thad33
Silicon Valley is one of the most expensive places to live. It is hardly cheaper.


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That's California, not L.A.

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Original post by redferry
Most other cities in the Uk offer the majority of London does rwcreationally but in a smaller area so it's way easier to get around.

OP yes I find London depressing but not for the reasons you've said.

My reasons:
1. It's expensive. Buying a house is basically impossible.
2. The city is so big that it takes forever to get anywhere. If your journey time is under half an hour it's basically a miracle. Which means going home before going out is impossible. Not that you can afford to go out anyway.
3. Everyone goes home really early to get the last tube
4. There are too many people. Going into central at weekends is hell so you just end up sitting in your house/going to friends but your friends are like an hour away in whatever godforsaken corner of London they can afford. When you do go and do cool stuff it's always rammed and totally stressful
5. It is impossible to get to any decent countryside without travelling upwards of 1.5 hours.


That's the deal breaker for me. I flat out refuser to live anywhere near London for this reason.

The countryside further North is far superior. If you like outdoor hobbies the south just doesn't compare. In North of England you have access to Peak District (rock climbers come from all over the place to climb here), Lake District, North Whales, Yorkshire Dales. Then throw in Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, York, Leeds and so on for your city life. You have easy access to amazing countryside and city life if you want it. I do like cities but being able to easily get out on my bike into somewhere like the Peak District is far more important. Where I live I have the Peaks on my doorstep and Manchester city centre is a 25min train journey away.

Living in London would really badly effect my mental health.
(edited 8 years ago)
How is the NHS just a London-issue? I think it's very national :tongue:
Original post by Rins
C'mon, at least we have an NHS.


I know, and I'm grateful for that. Hence I wrote 'slightly', not completely.
Original post by ivy.98
go to central.

i live in a shithole so i feel ya gurl


no u dnt bby come to my house

Spoiler

I am only a student but London is the babe of all cities. I love it no matter how depressing it might be.
Reply 68
if you are young London is Great !!
Issues like weather, NHS etc are national issues however there are some problems that are specific to London.

It is a much more stressful place to live and pound for pound the quality of life is lower than in other cities in the UK. The problem you find as a graduate living in London is its very much a two tier society depending on who has parental advantage and who doesn't.

There will be some people who have families from round London so they live at home for a bit as a graduate and save on rent or their parents own more than one London property and so are able to assist them getting on to the property ladder. These will get a house in their mid 20s and have probably reasonable mortgage payments (especially like now when interest payments are low) and they will be OK and be able to enjoy the city a bit.

The other group are people with no links to London who moved down for a job and they basically live like students in house shares but they are likely to be paying 50% to 75% of their salary in rent and when you add on travel costs etc they don't have much disposable income. They might try saving a few hundred pounds a month but in terms of putting down a deposit for a property in London really you're looking at 15 to 20 years of saving so they are stuck renting. The big problem with renting in London is the quality is often poor and landlords don't care, they hike up the rent every year and people live in crappy properties like they did as students. It's bearable in your first couple of years after graduation but it gets a bit depressing when you have professionals with decent qualifications and jobs on £50k to £60k a year who are still living in houseshares with damp and so on.

What is also irritating is the ones who were helped by their parents to get on the property ladder often like to moralise about how important it is to get on the property ladder and get your priorities in order because you're just paying dead money and so on and underestimate the fact that they wouldn't have been able to do it if it wasn't for certain advantages they have enjoyed.

Ultimately what you have to accept with London is many people work long hours and have to scrimp and save and limit holidays/socialising/doing anything fun just to try and keep open the prospect of being able to get their own place and not be at the mercy of landlords any more, and in the end you have to decide if it is worth it.

If you can get a job in another city in the UK, life is very different as a graduate. Even on £30k to £35k you can have a good lifestyle when you can rent apartments for £450 a month and be living in relative comfort whilst saving for a deposit and of course you can get on the housing ladder much cheaper there.

Still I think a lot of graduates are drawn to London as they think its the "place to be" and if you look at it kind of like people look at going on a gap year travelling and working in Sydney/New York for a year etc then it is great: not worrying about saving money or thinking about the long term future you can have a great time. But it's easy to just get trapped there and become a prisoner of the rental market and watch your salary go to landlords.
It is depressing. It's a depressing place with depressed workers. To anyone who says all major cities are like it, they're not. Look abroad, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona.. Much higher levels of overall quality of life than in the UK.
Original post by ivy.98
At least there's always something to do. I cant imagine living outside London in the UK, must be so boring tbh


I swear its all farmlands, Sheep and countrysides outside london?
Original post by endgametheory
I swear its all farmlands, Sheep and countrysides outside london?


Lol
It's so depressing. It's a good city with good things to do and events etc., but I just feel so trapped. It's full of moody, rude people and the pollution is so high. The parks and so-called nature is hardly nature (unless you go to like Zone 4 or smth) and the crime rate is awfully high, I just don't feel safe at all. I'd rather live in a rural place or a small village with a kind people where I feel safe, and regardless of if there's hardly anything to do, I'd be able to at least go hiking or something. Plus, the majority of people in a few years time won't be able to afford homes in London, unless you're super rich, or if you commute for like an hour.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 74
Original post by SAhm95
no u dnt bby come to my house

Spoiler



ite link me up with ur yard :wink:
Original post by shawtyb
yes it is boring outside haha



i second this!!




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That's not true. In all fairness, I do live in the second city for uni but I've lived in London most my life and Birmingham is far better. You get the beautiful period architecture in the business district and jewelry quarter, in fact there's whole areas of central Birmingham with beautiful architecture and history. The town house, where the council is based, is just spectacular and right next to a great museum and art gallery. Then a 5 minute walk away you've got the largest library in Europe, another 10 minutes in the opposite direction you have the largest train station in Europe and is, technically, the first grand central station. From there walk to the bull ring which is the largest shopping center in Europe. Birmingham is on par with London in terms of industrial development. From the bull another 20 mins walk and you've got the custard factory on digbeth... the center music happening of the UK, where recently in the past 3 years have had several Indie bands playing at Glastonbury and all the many other top notch festivals. There's so much **** to do up in Birmingham, plus housing is far cheaper than London. I've had friend who have rented and entire house for themselves with 4 bedrooms for 500pm with water and council tax bills included and fully furnished. Just saying. Bargain
Original post by Eternalflames
Lol


can I ask you a question flamey? What does 'PRSOM' mean? :s
Original post by endgametheory
can I ask you a question flamey? What does 'PRSOM' mean? :s


Please Rate Some Other Members = PRSOM
And hello there Mr Jawline! :biggrin:
Original post by ivy.98
ite link me up with ur yard :wink:


where u from I'll pick u up in my lambo :smile:
Reply 79
Original post by SAhm95
where u from I'll pick u up in my lambo :smile:


nw ldn

im waiting for u b :wink:

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