Best places to live in or near London and how I will be preceived.?

A bit about me: I am from the U.S. and just graduated from law school. Next year I will move to work in London, and need all the help I can get. I wouldn't want to spend more that about $3000/ £1500 a month on rent, unless I absolutely had to. Will that get me a relatively nice place to live? Any other advice about my move would be helpful too, i.e. things to expect, how I will be preceived, etc. Oh and I have been reading up on American accents and the preceptions that go along with it...haha...mine is pretty neutral (neither northern nor southern) and I speak rather mildly. I love sports, and have found a liking for football (soccer). :o) Thanks!

Public Comments

1. You lucky girl!!! e-mail me and I'll ask my beloved friend who lives south east of London. Ohhhhhhhhhh, you lucky baby! Best of luck. Hope you love tea, pets and rain. Paradise.
2. Lol, I'm English, so perhaps I can help a bit. That's a big budget on rent, so you should be okay living in London itself. If you don't mind a commute though, I live 40 minutes from London on the train, and I pay £650 for a flat (apartment) in Surrey. The train costs, I know, but you would still be saving money in the long run. People don't mind Americans too much over here. We're not that interested in the accents like Americans are about English accents (never understood that fascination myself, and once you get here, you'll see why!). Of course, you'll have a bit of interest; everyone's interested in a foreigner, but after a couple of weeks, you'll fit right in. People will of course test you on your Cockney accent abilities, and to perfect this; you must promise me you will watch EastEnders. Good luck, and I hope you enjoy London (my birthplace) Hurrah! NB Brixton has a bad reputation for crime. Never been there, but am told you don't go outside past dark
3. You budget is well, excellent, you will have no problem finding a one bed in a nice area. Now, I think North London is the best to live. Areas such as Hampstead, Primrose Hill, Highghate, are lovely, residential, quiet and close to the center. Now if you like posh areas you could live in West London, in Fulham, South Kensigton, Chiswick, but I think Portobello, Notthing hill areas are much nicer with more down to earth people and great houses. South London is less popular, but cheaper and very multi-cultural. I have lived in south London for a while and adored going to Brixton, one of the most vibrant place in the city. For South London I hence recommend Brixton, Lavender Hill, Clapham and Greenwich Village, a bit further, but adorable. East London is probably the best area for going out (Old Street..) but living there, I wouldn't really recommend yet, it's still a bit rough. Unless you very close to the city, like in Barbican. Also a place called 'De Beauvoir' in East London is nice. The rest is not very well linked with public transport and not great a night. So you have lots of choices, I am sure you will find what you are looking for and I am confident you will be well received in London. I have lived there 8 years, I am French and I loved it. English people are very open and there are tons of expats! It is a fun and vibrant city!
4. I'm a Yank who's spent a bit of time in the UK and hope to offer some advice. The most important thing is to avoid "Ugly American" syndrome, you know, the one where we Yanks compare everything to how well we do things in the USA. You'll be living in a very different culture and it's expected that you'll be respectful of that culture. I've found the people of the UK to be generally quite friendly and helpful. If there's something you don't understand, just ask and someone will explain. You'll find many things in the UK (gasoline, called "petrol" there is one) are more costly than in the USA but, some things that are extremely expensive in the USA are free in the UK (health care, for one). There is excellent public transportation throughout almost all of the UK. The scenery is amazing. Their educational system is far superior to ours and you'll meet well-spoken, intelligent and tolerant people everywhere. Football is, of course, outstanding and there are teams at all levels in all areas of the country to go and watch. The beer there is light years ahead of the swill that is foisted upon the public in the USA. May you love the UK as I've come to love it.