lousid

Hi there,
My hubby and I are considering moving back to UK. Any thoughts on Luton? 2 teaching posts have come up there.
Don't know it but it is great because of its proximity to London. That's where my family is. What is it like as a place? any places to avoid living? all advice welcome.
Louise

scottandsel

hi louisid, interesting to read your post, i used to live prob bout 25 miles from luton, firstly have you visited luton yourself? luton has a large asian community ... very large, is known as little calcutta! depends on what you like but as for areas to avoid luton is one area to avoid as a whole and certainly wouldnt buy a house there!
there is a lot of racist tension there and not from the few white english that still live there, there has been racist riots i believe in the last couple of years.

you could work there and live in one of the towns within easy travelling distance ie; leighton buzzard / hemel hempstead / leverstock green / tring ... these are all nice towns and all have easy travelling train wise to london.

hope this helps .... tried not to sound too racist which i;m not but didnt know how else to write it!

Jan n Neil

When I was a kid I used to live in Luton and had fond memories of it. Before we emigrated I did a mini round-the-uk-goodbye trip of my favourite haunts and was shocked how much the look and feel of the place has changed. Nuff said

Jan

wheatsheaf

It's a "live and let live" kind of place nowadays. More prosperous than most towns its size. Homes seem to hold their value in Luton more than in other towns. There's the University, several colleges and some good schools, and they have all done a commendable job in walking the tightrope of competing tribalism with east europeans, nigerians, bangladeshi, pakistani etc. The old time lutonians have adapted to the speedy changes the place frequently goes through and it could be a real beneficial experience for a teacher from Canada because it isnt a 'conventional' place.

scottandsel

i'm sorry the "old time lutonians" you speak of havnt adapted to the "speedy changes the place frequently goes through" at all, they've all moved out!
the last time i was in luton was 18 months ago and sorry to tell you but its still the same s**thole it was 5 years before that and the 5 years before that ... and is this the tribalism and the "live and let live attitude" you speak of is it;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...lic-anger.html

oh and this;

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6984005.ece

wheatsheaf

you are right of course. Those incidents were reprehensible, and very unfortunately they were not confined to Luton alone. The overriding sentiment in Luton, I thought, was that the 'protesters' were not from Luton, and in general Lutonians get on well enough. Then again, scottandsel may well be better informed.

Jan n Neil

OK I bow out of this, cos when I lived there the "University" was called Putteridge Teacher's Training College


It was a VERY long time ago


Jan

lousid

Thanks guys for the info. You have given more than enough detail and I really appreciate it. Prob not the place for us, especially our kids.

scottandsel

probably wise .... if you want info of the surrounding areas though please dont hesitate to pm me, i'm originally from hertfordshire and know of loads of good schools and area's. good luck whatever you decide to do though

HumphreyC

Luton?; my impression was that it is a less glamorous Watford. I've only been there on the bus and on my way to the airport and it looked a bit depressing. I did meet this really friendly Asian bloke on the train once who told me he lives there and that it an absolute Shite-hole and I should never under any circumstances go there.

Stormer999

I've heard that Luton is so bad that at the Airport they only have a departure lounge.....no arrivals lounge....

lynnxa

I grew up in Dunstable - the next town to Luton & my dad still lives there

I was in Dunstable a few months ago & you'd drag me kicking & screaming if I had to go back!


Luton is, shall we say - multicultural?

in one part of Luton you'd be hard pressed to see anyone NOT wearing a sari

You could as other posters have suggested live in a small town outside Luton - look at the rail line towards Bedford - Flitwick & Harlington are both rather nice

Lothianlad

Luton is great if you like really good curries, or prefer halal meats, and enjoy the experience if spotting a white face in a crowd in some locations -it has some really good shops in the town centre. There are some really nice parts of the town, mostly where the Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire countryside starts to appear, and of course you have Whipsnade zoo not too far away and kite flying on the Dunstable downs, and most importantly - the famous weatherman Philip Eden lives in Luton and has a fantastic climatic observation station there. Very handy for London communting, and of course the M1 motorway is very close by.

britvic

Very much agree I last lived there in 07 to 08

britvic

perfect.