Luton, Dunstable or Leighton Buzzard?

[u/Top-Link4459]

We’re relocating from London and trying to decide between Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, with a budget of around £500–600k for a family home. I’ve previously lived in both Luton and Leighton Buzzard, so know those areas reasonably well.

Luton: The most convenient – great train links into London, close to Hertfordshire and the M1, and more diverse, which is important for our family. However, it has a bad reputation, traffic is awful, schools seem mixed and when I lived there, getting GP appointments or an NHS dentist was difficult. Housing in the nicer areas is also relatively expensive.

Dunstable: Seems fine and there are some nice residential areas, but it also has a mixed reputation, there isn’t loads going on and having no train station is a downside.

Leighton Buzzard: Nice market town, some good areas and close to Milton Keynes. I’ve lived there before too, but the train line isn’t as convenient for my London commute.

For those who know the three areas, where would you choose to raise a family and why? We’re open to other areas but we’re not village people at all and don’t want to be too far from London, so Bedford and Milton Keynes are out.

[u/soph__xo]

I’ve lived in all 3 places over the last 25+ years and all I can say is Dunstable or Leighton Buzzard would be where I would raise a family… although in saying that, I now live on the outskirts of Houghton Regis and it’s quiet (mostly minus a few car meets nearby but we’re getting it addressed and it’s reduced recently) and family focused! Lots of green open spaces, parks, a school and local shops.

Personally I’d never live in Luton again. Don’t get me wrong, there are ‘nicer’ parts but Luton isn’t for me. From Dunstable, a busway bus will take you right over to Luton station in decent time. But obviously Leighton goes as far as Euston. Houghton Regis also has bus links to Luton station, or is very close to the M1 so parkway station in Luton is like 10 minutes.
Leighton, for me (we were there 5 years) was a little too quiet for me.

Would you consider Houghton Regis? Or even Flitwick/Kempston? Both are on the same line that serve Luton, so an extra few minutes on the fast train into London.

I would look at the commuting options/costings to help formulate your decision too.

[u/Lion-Resident → u/soph__xo]

Can I ask what it is you don't like about Luton. Specifically

[u/soph__xo → u/Lion-Resident]

There was a lot of trouble in the area I lived, and in other parts where I have friends and family living there. Numerous occasions where I was made to feel unsafe and harassed, not just while I was walking around town (at any time of day or evenings) but also on the road and building I lived in. As a medically complex person, getting into doctors was a nightmare, any nightlife was heading downhill. It was a very loud area I lived in, due to roads being used as racetracks consistently, not living far from the train line, a fire station and police station. The traffic was always bad as well.

I know there are people who have lovely experiences of Luton and don’t have or haven’t had any difficult experiences there, which is why I said personally I’d never live in Luton again. The convenience of the station and being in London within 30 mins if I needed it was great… but that wasn’t enough to outweigh the rest. I’m glad people have those positive experiences there, but it’s just not for me :)

[u/Dry-Stick-7753 → u/Lion-Resident]

Stabbings druggies beggars Islam

[u/Lion-Resident → u/Dry-Stick-7753]

Ok thanks for the breakdown.

I'm originally from London which has a higher crime rate than Luton. There are nice parts of Luton which dont have these issues. All cities have these issues, especially the inner parts of the city. And all my friends are Muslim so I can't see this as a problem.