Watford (Herts) vs Milton Keynes
Posted by LauKay35@reddit | miltonkeynes | View on Reddit | 33 comments
I currently live in Watford and looking to move. We have people moving in from London and crime rate is rising. We’ve been here for 25 years and now ready to move. However, we don’t want to make a mistake as we’re now in our 50s. We’ve always loved MK when we’ve driven around the area. Which ones are the best areas to live in MK. And if anyone moved from Watford how was it like for you?
sex-serven@reddit
MK in all it's glory
https://x.com/i/status/2040710481669661075
sex-serven@reddit
I am not sure where you live in Watford.
I am Knutsford/Tudor and have been here for 25 years.
My experience is not the same. I think Watford is an incredibly safe town. I havent noticed a sharp increase in crime and I have noticed people flooding in from London. And if peole are coming from London then so what. I was originally born and from London and many Watfordians are.
Watford is not perfect but it is a decent and safe town.
I am not actually sure what you are getting at. Are you equating more people moving in from London with crime rates.
You need to really unpack what you are saying or getting at (I am not actually sure what it is but can make a number of different assumptions).
I guess you are thinking about MK as you think you will get more for your money, and you want to try life outside Watford and checkout the lush green grass.
I am sorry to tell you that there is none and anyone thinking about MK is bonkers.
You would regret it after the initial excitement of moving and getting a bigger house has vanished.
Why not Northampton, or Coby, or North Bedfordshire, or even Luton ?
Good luck on your endeavours.
error_9873@reddit
No green grass? Eh? That's a very inaccurate statement.
Being a keen runner, I've never run anywhere as good as MK for running around with green areas (canal, river, parks, lakes, woods, tree lined redways....) without having to interact with main roads.
Everywhere has good a bad spots. Everywhere has green areas. Everywhere has its pros and cons. And everyone has different priorities.
If you're into walking or casual cycling, I'm not sure where is better than MK. Luton? Seriously?
sex-serven@reddit
You are literally not very clever. Reread what I said. I said the grass was not greener. It is a metaphor- you know a saying. I literally said nothing in relation to the green grass MK has.
The people in here have shown themselves to be poor readers, lack any emotional intelligence, and unable to digest a comment specifically aimed at the OP.
OP - Do you really, really want to move to MK
FlakySausageRoll@reddit
You are a fucking idiot
babbabeeboo@reddit
Imagine recommending Luton over Milton Keynes. Are you ok?
There’s no green grass? Eh? We are literally surrounded by it. I have two dogs and have no shortage of woods, forests and open fields to walk them in.
Maybe you shouldn’t comment on Milton Keynes as you don’t live here and clearly know nothing about it
sex-serven@reddit
You do know that I was taking the pee re Luton. MK is a concrete jungle. It's a new town with no vibe, no community, too many roundabouts and just odd people (oh but there are some nice concrete cows 😉)
You know nothing about me, so how do you possibly know my level of knowledge of MK.
I would not touch MK with a barge poll.
error_9873@reddit
Your descriptions of MK are so far from reality - this is why people are reacting. MK isn't for everyone, that's fine. Some prefer traditionally/historically built up towns and cities.
But what your saying is nothing short of inaccurate nonsense.
Too many roundabouts? This is just crazy - it's the exactly correct number of roundabouts for the grid to function, it's how it works. It's by design. I don't know if there's anywhere else you can travel with so few junctions/roundabouts/etc.
Odd people? This one is just insulting.
I can only recommend the OP spend some time here. Like I said, it isn't everyone's cup of tea.
Happy to hear you wouldn't touch MK with a barge pole though!
Timothane@reddit
Only the Shopping Centre in the middle of the city centre is concrete - there's an enormous amount of lakes, woods and parks in MK.
sex-serven@reddit
Don't forget to down vote me. I literally said nothing wrong in my first post, and the good old people of MK have turned ! So I decided to lay it out bare.
By the way Watford and surrounding areas has a ridiculous amount of woods and lakes. I don't think the OP is heading to MK for your woods and lakes.
They are heading to MK as they want more bang for their buck and are a bit bored now with their life in Watford. However it's the pesky old Londoners swarming in and crime rates hitting the roof that has lead them to want to move somewhere further north that they have 0 connection with 🤔
What will the OP do when Londoners and the crime wave reaches MK !
nooknooks76@reddit
Have you ever visited MK? I’ve lived in concrete cities and MK has loads of green space, it was one of the main things that attracted me to the city
Gadnitt@reddit
I like it here in MK. Born in London, lived elsewhere in the UK. I think this is my forever city. You do you, but the OP can know that they can find happiness here. (Now in my fifties too.)
bodytester@reddit
If you like community: newport pagnel or stony stratford
If you have money and want to be best positioned for the station: loughton
A little further but still good with nice park: 2 mile ash
If you want quiet ish, nice green: monkston, oakridge park, willen, old statford
not so nice places:
- conniburrow
- oldbrook
- fishermead
-
LauKay35@reddit (OP)
Thanks.
Contact_Patch@reddit
"where is best" gets answered in here a lot.
Your budget will dictate a fair bit.
LauKay35@reddit (OP)
Yes. And it’s valid at the time of writing the post for more up to date responses. That’s why the question is often asked.
Contact_Patch@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/miltonkeynes/s/cg0yXcQRVg
If you can afford to, avoid the red bits...
MK hasn't changed in 3 months since this was posted.
Contact_Patch@reddit
Genuinely, the town won't have changed much in the last few months.
If you've got the cash, avoid the older grid squares with straight roads.
Accurate-Ad9790@reddit
We moved from Hemel to Great Brickhill, Jesus, what a change for the better!
tomkiddle2007@reddit
We moved from London to Shenley Lodge 4 years ago. Tbf the city has changed a lot as there are so many new houses going up it’s much busier both traffic and services wise than it was when we first moved. The Shenleys are great, not as much new build nonsense lots of space between houses and places to park! Handy for the station, furzton lake/teardrop lakes, and out to Buckinghamshire and Cotswolds easily at the weekends.
sb_ryan@reddit
Second vote for the Shenleys ;) I've lived in Lodge and Church End and both are quiet and very low crime from what I've seen in my day job in insurance!
FiveUperdan@reddit
In my opinion, woolstone is the nicest area of Milton Keynes. You are on the Oozle Valley Park that stretches through the East Area of Milton Keynes, giving you nice walks. Waitrose is about a mile away, so very walkable (and you go nowhere near any major roads to get there). The grid square containing woolstone is one of the largest in Milton Keynes, and if you combine that with the fact that the parkland and all the trees help block the road noise, some areas have very little audible background road noise.
error_9873@reddit
Agree with that. I regularly run down the oozle, so nice.
That is one downside to MK - you're never far from a grid road, so road noise is present nearly everywhere to some degree. I don't know if that's very much different to most places, but the grid roads are relatively fast roads compared to most towns. I did notice the relative lack of noise running through points in Woolstone and Woughton on the Green.
FiveUperdan@reddit
Yeah, but I'm not really sure if there's any city where road noise isn't going to affect most people's homes
sex-serven@reddit
Loving the downvotes ! Keep them coming. Why anyone would leave Watford for MK is beyond a mystery too me. The only people that will defend MK are the people that can't escape it.
error_9873@reddit
It's the inaccurate statements and insults people are reacting to.
Can't escape it? I could leave for any location I wanted to, any time, being primarily home office based. I don't know anyone trapped her. Sorry, but this is more nonsense with no evidence or facts behind it.
"Raging MK sympathisers"... In an MK Reddit..... Who'd have thought people would be pro-MK, and go against your views that don't make any sense! :D
And you end on another insult. Lovely.
sex-serven@reddit
Please read my first comment. Was there anything wrong with my first comment? It was a perfectly acceptable and sensible comment without once criticising MK either explicitly or implicitly. Instead people have taken it as they will.
I have to say MK have shown themselves in a poor light.
Small minded and chip on shoulder would be an understatement.
error_9873@reddit
Yes, this was wrong in your first comment: "anyone thinking about MK is bonkers". This both insults the OP and those already living here and that like MK.
MK is not everyone's cup of tea, that's cool, but it is absolutely worthy of consideration, as it is loved by many living here, and funnily enough we don't react well to being called small minded, poor readers, and odd people. Please, drop the insults.
I'd welcome any constructive criticism of MK. You could criticise the new build estates which no longer adhere to the original design, you could criticise the lack of a walkable town centre feel, maybe criticise the bus service, maybe criticise the shopping centre for being full of big brands. Nowhere is perfect. MK is different. Some people love it, some people hate it. It's definitely not wrong to consider it.
sex-serven@reddit
There was no insult against MK, just shows what a chip on shoulder people have. Completely taken out of context. I would have said the same if the OP said Corby, or Bedfordshire. I said MK as that's where the OP was saying.
Anyone who wants to move from Watford ( where literally everything is on one's door), to a town 50 miles away with the rationale the OP gave has to be bonkers.
Never once did I criticise, denigrade, or mock the town or people in the original post.
I am embarrassed for you and the people here who have jumped on this.
Never a better advert to avoid MK.
I literally will not be responding again and will leave you all to stew in your bile. A great person once said - Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience !
On for that reason Im out.
error_9873@reddit
Sigh. Oh dear. A final insult, it was expected. Interesting you're justifying the insults based purely on your first post. I doubt it's your first rodeo insulting others on Reddit, and I doubt it's your last. Well, bye then :)
sex-serven@reddit
Please keep the downvotes coming. Let's see how bitter the people of MK really are.
Shortbread_Shed@reddit
Great Linfold might be worth looking at, it's very leafy and quiet not as packed in and you get better value because it's not in good school catchment for secondary.
LauKay35@reddit (OP)
Thanks. I’ll have a look.