What's it like to live in Islington?

The London Borough of Islington

The borough of Islington is one of the 33 boroughs that make up Greater London, it is located just north of the river Thames and is a pretty central location. Islington is often thought of an affluent area of London that is popular with young people. It is quickly building on it's reputation of having great theatres with the Almeida, The King's Head Theatre, The Tower Theatre, Sadler's Wells and Union Chapel.

The different areas of Islington are:

• Angel - This is an area that is in central London and is named after the Angel Inn which existed from the 17th century. Today it is a busy retail area and a great night life spot with it being home to the 02 Academy Islington.
• Archway - Despite it's central location Archway contains seven small parks and two large ones. It also has its own high street as well as pubs, shops and restaurants.
• Barnsbury - was once a rural area until the early 19th century. These days it is rather more built up and contains Pentonville Prison. Situated within Barnsbury is a large housing estate which is both social and privately owned. However due to recent developments in nearby King's Cross this is quickly becoming a very desirable place to live.
• Canonbury - Canonbury is an area steeped in history and was once home to the famous writer George Orwell. 
• Clerkenwell - Clerkenwell is home to some great restaurants and is really popular for a night out. It also has a rich culture and contains many museums such the Charles Dickens Musuem, Islington Museum, British Postal Museum and Archive and the Museum of the Order of St John.
• Farringdon - This is a trendy area of London that is popular with young people and is home to nightclubs pubs and many great restaurants
• Finsbury - Situated just north of the City of London, Finsbury is a pretty central location. It is a largely residential area and is home to quite a few pubs
• Finsbury Park - Like Finsbury this is a mainly residential area but is home to Finsbury Park which is massive and contains many recreational facilites such as tennis courts, running tracks and both an outdoor and indoor gym.
• Highbury  - Home to Arsenal Stadium which means that any properties near the stadium are well sought after and expensive
• Highgate - Located very close to Hampstead Heath is it one of the most expensive London suburbs. It is an area famous for its victorian cemetery, Highgate Cemetery in which many notable people are buried.
• Holloway - Holloway has a very multicultural population and has been largely gentrified with many luxury housing projects under construction. 
• Islington - Home to Islington High street this area now feature a great many pubs, restaurants and theatres.
• King's Cross - Kings Cross used to be infamous for being a red light district but has undergone some major redevelopments. 
• Lower Holloway -  This is an area that is now considered to be a part of Holloway, see above.
• Mildmay - This is an area located in Newington Green
• Nag's Head - An area named after the Nag's Head public house and is now a popular area for shopping and entertainment.
• Newington Green is an open green space in Islington and is considered to be an up and coming are of London
• Old Street - This is an area of central London that is in very close proximity to Shoreditch. It is mainly an business area due to its close location to the city
• Pentonville - home to HMP Prison Pentonville it is on the fringe of central London and close to Charing Cross.
• St Luke's - Home to Whitecross street market which is very popular with foodies. 
• Tufnell Park - This is an area that is situated very close to the London borough of Camden. 
• Upper Holloway - This is an area that is now regarded as being part of Holloway or Archway.

Quirky facts about Islington

• Islington was named by the Saxons in 1,005
• If you're a thrill seeker and love rides a visit to Angel tube station is an absolute must. They have the longest escalators in Western Europe.
• There's not one but two prisons in Islington. They are HMP Holloway and HMP Pentonville.

Here's the statistical bit

Islington is a highly sought after area of London to live in and the property prices reflect that. House prices are well above even the London average and if you wanted to buy a semi detached home in Islington it could cost up to a staggering £2.1m, a terraced house could set you back as much as £1.2m and a flat could cost up to £586,000.

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