OK – so I'm getting divorced and the marital home has almost sold. Taking into account the wife is wandering off with most of the proceeds I am stuck with moving somewhere slightly less expensive.

Stevenage is only a short drive from work so I'm viewing houses there on Saturday. I don't know the area well but I have a horrible feeling it'll be full of van driving, tracksuit wearing yobs who shop in Argos.

Is there any hope for the place or am I damned?

Damned, it's a hell hole

you are well and truly…

could be worse though, it could be (S)Hatfield, a truly dire town that I was glad to see the back of (even by moving 5 miles to St Albans)

Whats the issue with people who drive vans, and shop in argos? Where do you shop? Selfridges, and i guess you drive there in your bentley?

Oi DrRSwank, whats up with people who drive vans? Trakkies, you might have a point! 😆

I drive a Jag……

It's a pet hate. I lived on an estate of Execu-boxes once before and got fed up with transit vans littering the streets. It just turns a place where people live into a small industrial estate.

Hatfield – even I know not to live there.

And I can't afford St Albans (used to live there in a gorgeous detached house – but, as I said, the wife ran off with my money……..).

So it sounds like I need to get used to being damned again.

As for people who shop in Argos. Well, since Woolworths went bust, Argos has been the best place to go and see what people from a certain area smell like…..

"I drive a Jag……"

Nuff said!

sorry DR, but you sound like a right arsehat.

Lots of nice villages around Stevenage to look at.

Welwyn Garden city or Hertford

I have to agree with the OP, if you are not yourself a track-suit wearing, van-driving argos shopper yourself, you don't really want to have to live amoung them. There are unpleasant people in any population demographic you care to mention, but this one has more than it's fair share. Sounds snobby, but it's true. I'd guess the posters being offended by the above comments fit the description rather closer than they would like.

Oh, try somewhere other than stevenage, sounds like you'd hate it. Welwyn Garden or Hertford aren't bad suggestions to start.

Rotten place and some very unpleasant inhabitants (obviously not all)

Worked there last year for a couple of days and found it very depressing indeed
Saw a lot of very young women with filthy looking kids accompanied by mouthy track suited little yobbos

Look elsewhere if I were you, in fact almost anywhere

Ran my fastest half Marathon there and that's it 😐

Just get yourself an england shirt a bull terrier type breed of dog & some while lacoste trainers and you will blend in no problem, shame jag don't do vans though, although Mercedes do a nice line in vans. Also shave your head and a big chunky signant ring is a must to finish of the look along with a nice big black Robbie Williams tattoo starting from your shoulder going down your arm, also the name of a loved one down the middle of the back of your neck.

Old Stevenage isn't bad at all, in fact the high street is rather charming – It's just that 2 minutes down the road you have "new" Stevenage.

I'm assuming you know Herts, in which case why not look at Hitchin, Letchworth (both are more expensive than Stevenage) or even a bit further north where you'll get much more house for your money – once you start getting up to Biggleswade and the like, the prices really start dropping.

agree with HitchinBoro tbh – further out is cheaper – Roystons pretty ok, but the town centre is dead.

London Colney – cheaper than St Albans, but parts of it do contain transit vans (as do parts of ST Albans) – it was always a little bit of an odd little village.

Enfield – EN2 postcode is ok (betwixt Enfield town and the ridgeway/chase farm hospital) or around Chase Side – certainly nicer than east of the A10, and not as snobby or footballer as Winchmore Hill (nor as pricey) – but with easy access to M25 and A1(M) (takes me 5-10mins to reach M25 in the am from this area) – reckon you could do stevenage in 1/2hr/45mins in the morning easy – esp if you work close to the A1(M) for a rather large pharma company.

Try even a little south. It's pricey round there as it's commuter belt, but if you go past Knebworth to Oaklands it's not so bad (as no station), and lots of lanes and footpaths for some cross country exercise from your front door. Just don't expect any white knuckle DH…

One of the bosses here lives near enough to Stevenage that we rib him endlessly about it. He gets very VERY angry about it, which of course makes us stop 😉

The reality is that he lives in some massive barn conversion in the countryside. He knows we know this but the stigma of being thought to live there is still enough to get him going… "I DO NOT LIVE IN F****** STEVENAGE"

Live somewhere – anywhere – else.

Angeldust, with comments like that, no wonder people throw eggs at you. 🙄

Try living in Hitchin but coming from up north, so when you speak to people back home they never know where it is.

You then have to describe it as "between Luton and Hitchin"!!

I grew up in (S)hatfield and later lived in St.Evenage for a few years and yes they're both grim, though as with most towns theres good bits and bad bits.

I now live in St.Albans and it's nicer (though far from perfect)

I'd echo WGC and Hertford or any of the surrounding villages. I'm not a fan of Hitchin though it's years since I've been there.

LOL – well a days viewing (8 properties) and clearly I am damned!

I've seen some truly awful houses today, really shoddily built, and overlooked from almost every direction.

The highlight of the day was finding a floater in the ensuite of a house on the Chells. Classy 😉

near herts shore, chicky, woburn loads of cool singletrack…..

Dr – I probably over reacted to some of the things ytou said, but they were quite offensive and very ill informed (I'm a sensitive soul). Truth be told, being an electrician I drive a van, have pair of tracksuit trousers I wear around the house – they are so comfy, and I have shopped in argos a few times. And I'm very happy to tell you that.

I dont get the argos reference either, surely poundland would be more appropiate? Oh, ive shopped there before as well.

Andy

one thing in St Evenages favour ….

VERY close to KNEBWORTH PARK, in case they ever get some decent bands lined up again ….

Pain in the ars* getting back on the motorway after so it would be great to be able to walk home …..

Master Jedi – I have ridden the Ewok Village many moons ago so yes, being close to Chav Central is a good point.

Andy – I never mean to be offensive – I'm just, er, blunt…… What's poundland? I am an utter (s)nob so shopping in Argos still seems a bit, well, er, cheap….. It's not that I'm Hyacinth Bucket but I'd rather wait a year and save up for nice furniture (as a for instance) than buy cheapo stuff from Argos etc. It lasts longer and looks better and makes me happy 🙂

I did see some VERY nice houses in St Evenage as well – just not on the more modern estates.

As for the Van comments. I lived in Bracknell for years. My neighbour was a van driver (lwb Transit) and insisted on leaving it languishing outside our house instead of his. He was a **** of the highest order and it put my off people bring their work vehicles home with them forever….

There's nowt wrong with tracky bottoms – but not for going out in – which is where the masses are distinguised 😉

Oh and Lister – yes. Iron Maiden are playing Knebworth later in the year.

ROCK!!!!

do i know you then?

Yes – LOL!!!!

Haven't seen you for years though mate! 2005 maybe?

Ok, it was a misundestanding then and we'll leave it at that. I may not be a snob but i think there's a few people who may call me a (s)nob.

Oh, and I now know about neighbours who are *8"!s as my new one is… yesterday he threatened to 'kick the sh1t out of' a guy i know who rides bmx localy, he only came round to borrow a chain tool. Reason – he put a foot on his drive, and to make it worse the guy he threatened is only 14!

We'll be having words when i see him next.

ps – If you want a not too chavish electrican to do any work at your new house, give me a shout and i'll be more than happy to come and give you a quote…

Andy

For God's sake don't move anywhere near me (village about 14 miles from Stevenage)you sanctimonious tw*t! Can see why your wife left!

then remove the location!!

Now now bullet, you bit just like me…

Cheers Andy – I may well need a sparky.

Bullet – LOL. Another admirer 😉 Thanks for your support in this difficult time…..

Dr, feel free to send an email to amb-electrical@hotmail.co.uk if you need anything, I'll be happy to come out and give you my honest opinion on whatever you buy as well for nowt.

Cheers Andy – email stored. The place I'm looking at could use some outdoors power run up the garden.

just don't park your van outside his house..

Cool, thats a fairly easy job normally, but depending on other influences can turn into a slightly bigger job, if you want send me an email, and I'll let you know my number, so you can call if you have any questions…

Nought wrong with Biggleswade……..only 5 miles from Chicky 😀

A mate of mine is a roofer,his neighbour complained about him parking his van on his own drive!!! My mate was thinking of leaving his van in his builders yard and walking home….
I hate snobs.