Living in Camden

Camden covers an extraordinary range of London in a relatively small area. Its southern edge touches Holborn and Covent Garden; Bloomsbury and King's Cross hold universities, the British Museum and the British Library; Camden Town and Kentish Town are known for music and markets; and Hampstead, Highgate and Belsize Park are among the most expensive residential areas in the country.

That range creates sharp contrasts. The borough has some of the grandest period homes in London alongside large council estates, and its population includes students, academics, creative workers, families who have lived there for generations and very wealthy residents. Rents vary as widely as the housing, from rooms in shared flats near Kentish Town to large apartments beside the Heath.

Green space is one of Camden's great strengths. Hampstead Heath occupies much of the borough's north, Regent's Park and Primrose Hill lie on its western edge, and the Regent's Canal winds through Camden Town towards King's Cross. The borough is also home to major institutions, including University College London, the Francis Crick Institute, the Royal Free Hospital and several leading hospitals.

Transport is excellent. The Northern line runs through the borough's spine, King's Cross St Pancras and Euston are major rail hubs, and the Overground crosses the north of the borough. The long-running construction around Euston for new high-speed rail services has disrupted streets near the station. The borough rewards careful choosing more than most: a room near Kentish Town and a mansion flat in Belsize Park can be twenty minutes' walk apart and several hundred pounds a month different, while sharing the same Heath and the same Northern line.