Living in Kentish Town

Kentish Town is where many people end up after deciding they like Camden but not living in it. It is one stop further up the Northern line, noticeably calmer, and has a different kind of high street: practical shops, supermarkets and a strong run of pubs and restaurants that serve locals rather than visitors.

Its greatest asset is being at the foot of Hampstead Heath. Walk north-west for fifteen minutes through Dartmouth Park or Gospel Oak and you reach Parliament Hill, with one of the most famous views over London, the lido, and the whole expanse of the Heath beyond. Regular swimmers, runners and dog walkers are a big part of local life.

The station is a real advantage. Kentish Town has both the Northern line's Edgware branch and Thameslink, which runs direct to St Pancras, Farringdon, Blackfriars and on to Gatwick and Brighton, and Kentish Town West adds the Overground towards Stratford and Richmond. The Forum, a large music venue by the station, brings crowds on gig nights but little disruption otherwise.

The housing is mostly Victorian terraces, a large share of them converted into flats, with pockets of grand early-Victorian houses and several substantial council estates. Streets towards Dartmouth Park and Tufnell Park are the quietest and most sought-after; the roads immediately around the station and the high street are busier and more mixed. Kentish Town does not have Camden's buzz or Hampstead's prettiness, but it combines good transport, a real local scene and the Heath at rents a step below either, which is why it holds on to residents for years.