Kent areas

gerdad

Hello all. But I am moving from the Netherlands as my wife will be a school teacher in Dartford, however I hear a lot of bad press about that town. Is it true or should I look at avoiding to live there? If so suggestion very appreciated.

What other areas that are not so expensive but also not bad for families would you suggest?

cattie

Like the majority of places with good links to London, Dartford is no worse than any other place. Obviously there might possibly be a particular part or estate that you'd be best to avoid & a good way to get opinions of a certain area/street is to ask neighbours living there.

I personally have never heard anything very negative about Dartford or it's surrounding areas, which include Swanley, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Greenhithe etc. These areas will always be popular because of the good rail & road links into central London.

Cornucopia

gerdad wrote: »

Hello all. But I am moving from the Netherlands as my wife will be a school teacher in Dartford, however I hear a lot of bad press about that town. Is it true or should I look at avoiding to live there? If so suggestion very appreciated.

Is it true? In a word, no. In fact, Dartford is pretty average on most measures amongst other small towns in the SE of the country.

What other areas that are not so expensive but also not bad for families would you suggest?

Dartford is fine. For preference, I would suggest looking around Princes Road/Dartford Heath/South Crayford areas. Also down towards Bexley.

Other options: Longfield (out in the country, a few miles South from Dartford), Greenhithe (some quite up-market new build parts + Bluewater shopping centre), Eynsford and the other twee villages, if you like country/village living.

blues

Dartford and Swanley are not very nice places to live. Try Farningham, Eynsford, Shoreham, Otford, Sevenoaks. Much better for bringing up a family.

Browntoa

New housing now being built at Ebsfleet , just by the Ebsfleet turnoff of the A2 and adjacent to Bluewater . Likely to be nicer areas than the man n part of dartford or gravesend

bouicca21

What do you want out of an area? Shops, nightclubs, or quiet family neighbourhood? Will either of you need to commute by public transport or will you drive? What is your price bracket?

Dartford is reasonably cheap by London standards. It has some grotty bits but if quick access to a station doesn't matter then look at Dartford Heath.

gerdad

So I would like to find a family area, clubbing days are over price range I guess is around 300-350k.

csgohan4

Ashford, Kent is also an option, 40 mins train to London St Pancras, shopping outlet here and all amenities you need

[Deleted User]

Why not rent for a while and get to know the different areas?

MistyZ

As a kid I was traumatised by spending every school holiday with the world's most depressing and miserable relatives in Dartford. I can't remember what the town was like, but if you do go there you'd do well to avoid any surviving members of my family.

Having successfully avoided the entire county of Kent for 4 decades due to that early bad experience, I'm somewhat surprised to find myself living in Margate now (it's a long story). If you check out Margate online you will find a whole load of contradictory views. The key ones currently are 'on the up'/ 'a hipster paradise' v. 'run down dive'. I can see all of this but the main vibe that I discern is of a bustling, very down to earth and friendly area.

Conclusion: I'd definitely suggest renting and looking around. Kent is far more varied and interesting than I thought it was.

bouicca21

If you don't know Dartford and the surrounding areas, then you also need to be aware that commuting by car is likely to include a trip along the A2, which is so busy at rush hour that you'd be lucky to get out of 2nd gear.