Have London's Teens Gone to the Dogs? Yellow Pages Lifestages of London study tracks a lifetime in the capital - 28 April 2005
The legacy of boy-band East17 lives on as the voice of the capital’s youth. Walthamstow - home of greyhound racing and the 90s pop act – is the best place to be a teenager in London according to a new study released today by Yell, publisher of Yellow Pages directories.The Yellow Pages ‘Lifestages of London’ study ranked London postcodes on the number of listings within key Yellow Pages business classifications most relevant to five ‘life-stage’ profiles, from teenagers through to silver spenders. The result is a fascinating barometer of London’s residential hotspots which plots a potential ‘migration path’ for a lifetime in the capital.
E17 achieved top scores for the availability of services dedicated to teens, ranging from career guidance to computer games, sports to studying and discos to driving schools.
Trams, prams and babymobiles
The Yellow Pages study reveals that ‘Nappy Valley’ extends southwards from the traditional parenting enclave in Clapham, with Croydon (CR01), birthplace of Kate Moss and home to London’s tram network, featuring in the top five places to bring up a young family. Together with more obvious family-friendly locations, such as Wimbledon, Fulham and Hampstead, CRO1 scores well for the availability of childcare services, baby goods retailers and activities to keep the little ones entertained.
The singles file
Hordes of tourists, discount leather wear and the smell of incense might not make the most conventional setting for romance. However, the Yellow Pages study suggests Camden (NW1) could be a ripe hunting ground for the capital’s singletons. Ousting traditional favourites such as Clapham, Brixton and Notting Hill, NW1 emerged as the best place to live for young single males and females thanks to its mix of services dedicated to the disposable incomes of the time-pressed and footloose.
North is no turkey for empty nesters
When the children have grown up and flown the family nest, the best bet according to Yellow Pages researchers is to migrate north to Enfield. The study placed the leafy Middlesex suburb top of the pecking order for older London residents who find themselves child-free and with more disposable income for gadgets, cars, travel, socialising and dining out.
Silver spenders won’t get ‘Court’ out here…
It’s ‘new balls please’ for London’s pensioners – of the bowling, golf, bingo and tennis variety – with Wimbledon being identified as the best place to spend your twilight years.
The grass is greener…
Overall, Wimbledon emerged as the place that best catered for all the age profiles. And The Trotters would have been proud – Peckham (13th) has topped traditionally desirable locations such as Islington (14th), Notting Hill (15th) and Kensington (18th).
Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, publisher of Yellow Pages directories said: “From Pizza deliveries to Post Offices, from Walthamstow to Wimbledon, our study provides detailed know-how on the capital’s services and businesses and shows there really is something for every age group in London. So it seems that Dr Samuel Johnson’s saying has never been more true - ‘When a man is tired of London he is tired of Life; for there is in London all that life can afford’.”
