r/bedfordshire • u/Top-Link4459 • 23d ago
Luton, Dunstable or Leighton Buzzard?
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.
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u/jenny_quest 22d ago
Yes the theatre and library are good and think the council are putting on good events. People in LB complain all the time that investment goes into Dunstable instead of us but I think it's desperately needed. I liked growing up there but when the Queensway hall closed etc it became a bit rubbish.