how long have you lived in london - the poll

[pinkmonkey]

i live close to walthamstow/hackney marshes which leads on to tottenham marshes - it's one of london's hidden secrets

If it's late, or I'm coming home from Stanstead, I'll get a cab from Tottenham Hale to the marsh. The cabbies don't know it exists either - I have to direct them, despite it only being 5 mins away!

 

[LDR]

moved here about 1990.. i can see why leaving might be good for me, and i know Pie Face wants to before too very long, but dammit - i love it here.

I got here in 1995 and am in a similar position to you. My Good Lady Wife wants to return to New Zealand in the not too distant future. However, I feel that London is my home. In fact where I'm living now is the longest I've ever stayed in one place.

 

[squirmy the 2nd]

i voted for the wrong one!

i lived in london for 22 years and 3 months, before moving to brighton last year!

 

[suzee blue cheese]

Born in Harlesden, brought up in Wales mostly. Been to and fro in London since I was in my early 20s. Lived S.London for 14 years. Longer than I've lived anywhere. God knows why.

 

[oryx]

Lived here since 1983, & in the Vauxhall/Battersea area since the end of 1983.

I can't see myself growing old here, though. Antelope & I are already talking about retiring to Worthing.

 

[zenie]

First moved here properly in 99 but had been 'living' up here since about 97/98.

Cant imagine living anywhere else now - did the back in Surrey stint for about 2 and a half years and that was long enough!!

 

[kazza23]

I was born ere but I don't call anyone guvnor. Since being born, I have moved roughly 2 miles, from leyton to hackney. Exotic.

 

[Reno]

I was born in Munich and arrived here on Christmas Eve 1983.

Since then I've lived in Belsize Park, Earls Court, Ladbroke Grove, Elephant & Castle, Brixton, Kings Cross, Stoke Newington, Camden Town, Kensal Rise, Covent Garden and now Kilburn. (I also moved away a few times and additionally I lived in Bristol, Portland/Oregon, Sydney and San Francisco over the last 23 years)

I don't think I can afford to grow old in London and I'm thinking of moving to Berlin in a few years time.

 

[bluestreak]

born in newham in 1978. grew up in zone 4, but with an essex postcode. aside from dull old ilford, i lived in leyton, tottenham, and wood green. left london for a couple of years cos i thought i was sick of it when i wasn't actually doing anything. moved back, lived in leafy south woodford, mile end, snaresbrook, leytonstone and then leyton again, before cementing the move inwards to come down to brixton.

 

[Pieface]

Moved here 5 years ago in april and lived in Brentford for 6 months before realising my terrible error and a friend dragged me to Brixton - been at 4 addresses in this area now

But Dub is right, I will want to leave at some point - London ain't going anywhere and there is other stuff to see

 

[Belushi]

Been in South London since '94.

 

[etnea]

I've lived in London since August 1999. I'll be leaving at the end of this year, having lived here for longer than I've lived anywhere else!

 

[tarannau]

Fucking immigrants. Coming here with their airs and graces, nicking our London jobs and eating our swans. Get em out, put barriers up at Watford, reclaim London for Londoners.



I've been around Brixton all my 30 + years, bar periods away at unis. My dragging knuckles make it hard to get further than the Sarf London boundaries...

 

[corporate whore]

Been here 10 years this month and can't see myself living anywhere else for the foreseeable.

18 months in Forest Hill, a year on Brixton Hill, a year in Brixton proper, six and a half years in Herne Hill and I've just moved to SE5. Spot the geographical trend..

 

[Structaural]

1981/2 to 2004, started in SE5, then SW9, to SE24 then SW4 then Holland because the incessant violence was getting to us.

 

[sleaterkinney]

Lived in North London for about 11 years now.

 

[dolly's gal]

moved to mile end in '97 for three years. then spent a few years in brixton/streatham, then saw the light and moved to hackney, where i have been ever since (apart from a six month spell in bethnal green).

bristol calls in maybe a couple of years. won't do london forever, especially if i have a family (couldn't afford it).

 

[Griff]

Born in London, lived most of my life in London apart from on the outskirts for the past 6 years.

Looking forward to living in a villiage in a few weeks time, which has 2 pubs in short walking distance, a general store open till 10, a bakery, a garden centre and that's about it.

 

[Reg in slippers]

born
left
returned
exiled
glad

 

[Hollis]

16 years - I'm in no great rush to move anywhere else.. loads of stuff on here, easy to get to the countryside if you can be arsed.

 

[christonabike]

About fourteen years in Brixton

 

[cesare]

Born oop north and moved south when I was three. Lived in Purley/Croydon and surrounds before moving into SE London - Plumstead, Abbey Wood, Thamesmead. Moved out to Kent for 15 years then back to London in 98 where I've been since. So in aggregate 15 years or so. Quite happy living in London although I also loved living out in the Kentish sticks.

 

[art of fact]

previously living on the skirts of outer london ive put 1 to 3 years

 

[Yossarian]

I've been here nearly five years - it's been a laugh but it's getting a little stale now, planning a change of scenery early next year.

 

[Farmer Giles]

37 years

 

[Mapped]

Born oop north and moved south when I was three. Lived in Purley/Croydon and surrounds before moving .

Same as me: I was Born in Manchester and moved to Purley when I was 4. Then we moved to the Gloucestershire sticks when I was 11 and I came back to London for uni in '98.... and haven't left since

I have lived in South Woodford, Hackney Wick, Acton, Highgate, Mile End, Bow and now Islington.

 

[scifisam]

Only 8 years, but it seems like longer, because I grew up in Thurrock and spent a lot of time in London as a kid.

I'm bringing up a family in London - I think it's great for kids. Each to their own, of course, but I don't think having kids is an automatic reason to move out of London. I was exiled to Essex for a while when my daughter was tiny, and it was much harder there - if you didn't drive and have a fair bit of money, at least.

I could imagine myself living elsewhere, but i would have to another really big city. Small towns make me feel hemmed in and the countryside quite literally scares me!

 

[girasol]

I've been in London since '89, and all of those years I've lived in North London, apart from 1 month in Ealing and another 2 weeks in Fulham!

I love London because it doesn't really feel like a big city, but lots of little towns, it has much character and it has treated me well.

 

[sam/phallocrat]

Born in Woolwich in 84, spent 18 years growning up in Plumstead. Moved away to Sheffield 4 years ago, planning on heading back home in about 2.

 

[crustychick]

moved to London for 6 weeks in Oct 2004, got a job and stayed until now, almost exactly two years. Lived in Balham, Streatham and New Cross.

Am leaving this weekend to go to Oxford, although secretly my boy is hoping I'll hate it and move back (secretly I hope he'll miss me so much he'll discover a long lost desire to move away to Oxford )