In the Midlands, Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby etc we can get practically everything food wise you can get in London. All ingredients available and also plenty African/Caribbean takeaways etc. Also this myth about all jobs being in London is a myth. Many of us work in our local areas. We don’t have the London nightlife but we have plenty of bars etc where you can get your drinks. We have plenty castles, Nature reserves, country parks, Peak District on our doorsteps. Children have much more outdoor space to do stuff and can always visit other nearby towns cities for additional activities. We have our own barbers, hairdressers, food outlets etc. We have Birmingham carnival, Nottingham carnival, Derby carnival etc. Also there is tons of black people living in the Midlands 😅. Some of you need to wake up. All these pathetic excuses when our people are in crisis. We are the bottom of the pile and need to think out of the box or stay struggling in London. I have been in the East Midlands now for 3 years living mortgage and rent free. If I didn’t make the move I would be merely existing in London rather than LIVING a beautiful debt free stress free life. If I need to get to central London it is 90 minutes on the train. Plus I am too old to be worrying about night life, did all that crap in my 20’s 😅. I should also add that my London friends and family have an excuse to get out of London and visit me to see a different way of life. Whenever they come I love bringing them for a drive through the Peak District. They are always in awe of the beautiful countryside. I visit London maybe 3 or 4 times a year now to visit family but am always glad to return to my very peaceful part of the U.K.

You are correct about leaving family. I am a Cornish Man, my surname is Cornish and my lineage is Cornish. I was born there in 1953 (age 70 at present). I moved to Wiltshire in 2006 with my wife. The things that I found most difficult was looking for a good tradesman. In my previous village if I needed a tradesman, I pretty much knew who to use or I asked in my local pub who was good. Someone knew the good and not so good. The internet is a gret boon when trying to stay in touch. Thanks for the video, interesting topic.

I'm white but living in Japan so boy do I know how it feels to not see your own race, ever. But what I did find over here is that it becomes blended and so now even when I see someone that's black or anything but Asian I feel a bit of a connection there, along with a sense of familiarity and relief. I realized it's not about colour at all- it's about having the same cultural background.

I lived in London most of my life and two years ago, I decided to move to Suffolk due to house affordability. Everything you mentioned is exactly what I'm experiencing and I can't wait to move back when I remortgage. I'm not too fond of the slim job opportunity here. I like walking around and seeing a lot more people that look like me.

I know london is expensive. But London has better job opportunities, food, shopping ,entertainment and better connection to international flights. I live in Manchester and the jobs here are horrible

Bedfordshire is fantastic and I’d highly recommend it. There is a very strong thriving black community here (by that I mean homeowners and entrepreneurs) and within a 30mins drive on the M1. I get to work and social events in London way quicker than my friends who live in west London.

The job opportunities in london and the salaries are much better for black people in London. In other cities, they tend to keep black people out of certain jobs. This is my observation as someone from Birmingham who is now working in London. Up north they can't even stomach a black person who can speak the kings english well, which a lot of black londoners can do.

My pros of moving out from South East London 15 years ago: House prices are way cheaper if you moved out the M25. No expensive parking. No Congestion Charge. Safer for my kids. Quiet life..especially for when you get older. Cons: The locals aren't really my type of people I can click with. Lack of variety of certain shops. Shops close early so you gotta go to a petrol station if you want something late😂 Need a car to go most places. If I was a millionaire I don't think I would move back to London though, would live just on the edge it. The traffic is an absolute joke there these days

I live East Hertfordshire and I love living here, don't have to travel far to buy my much beloved yam in Enfield 😂 😂. I am lucky because my Aunt was brave first moved to Hertfordshire from London, and that was all we needed to make the jump, now my family members have homes around East Herts :).

You're spot on! I was born and raised in East London, bought a place and lived in Slough (alone) for 5 years. I experienced everything you mentioned including intense isolation during COVID. I'm now renting in London to be closer to my parents, work opportunities and the few friends I have around East London. I couldn't hack living alone and visiting London every fortnight. One thing I'd add to your list is infrequent busses/trains. Buses tend to come every 30 -45 minutes. You're better off driving, calling a cab, cycling or walking.

I moved from London to a Town in Wiltshire in 2016, upon arrival i discovered much of what i needed was already there, a small Caribbean community, not far from Bristol. No traffic, fresh air, peace, nature and all of the things you mentioned outside of transport is here too. Mamy of my people comment on how brave they think it was to up and move. Now i see the sky at night in all its beauty, i drive 10 minutes and im amongst nature. Ultimately i think its about timing in your own life. For me it was the time and with Bristol not too far, i can get the items i need. On the subject of being amongst our own.. Believe this, since a boy i noticed that Black people in Country are more friendly/polite. The 1st few times i experienced this i was taken aback, as I was used to having my guard up.

I moved from just outside london a year and a half ago. Best thing I've ever done, wished I had done it's sooner, Milton keynes has great places to eat lovely outdoors country walks and is safer by a mile. As for buying black products, that's not a problem. I think before you make that move, you really have to do your research you cant just look at house prices and miss everything else out. There is life outside London.

I'm just about to make the jump from London to the home counties & these points you raised are very much on my mind...

Born and raised in London and left to move to Bournemouth almost 2 years ago thanks to an internal mobility opportunity, and boy, it’s been tough! Depression, loneliness, insomnia, boredom etc got me hard as I was used to having lots to do and friends & family who were easily accessible and available. Going from London to Bournemouth is definitely a huge cultural shift and like you mentioned, food, good barbers etc are severely lacking 😅

I bet its hard as a man from scunthorpe when i was seeing a lass from south deptford (hope ive spelt that right), when visited london was such a change in pace and life style and it was wierd for me being the only white man around. I got some funny looks when i said morning to peolple of all cultures, realised londeners dont generally say hello in the street's as we do up here. But i still had a blast down there but totally different life style pace. Going to subscribe cheers for the video

I’m a northern at heart so i love the country side so i am use to that way of life. I moved to London in 2012 and after a year i realised how bad the people in the city lived. They live on top on each other flat share with different cultures of the world because they can’t afford a decent property. What you gonna when you want to start a family live and in flat share with two kids in two bed counsels flat or flat share with strangers. Make it make sense as average population is far from rich because of london night life which not all that. I moved out of London in 2019 met wife and bought a brand new 4 bedroom detached house in the south mids area i live good. The kids have the own room and garden to play in and enjoy. They go to mixed school where plenty of black children so they don’t lose there identity. There plenty of black people here in my area all house owners where we all on the same level which you don’t often see in London. London is for the single life.

This is very true. London gives folks a skewed view of what and how the UK is. I feel everyone should live outside London at least for a short while to fully understand this. I live in Cornwall and, all I can say is Ely is 💯 correct

Thanks mate I think I will stay in London

As a non Londoner, I lived there for 13 years. I used to work in West and live in East. Main things I miss about London are: the art, culture, museums and free things to do. I used to go out all the time to eat, cafes, bars etc and now there is a lot less of that since I moved back to MCR. I'm lucky MCR has improved a lot since I left in 2007 and returned. The food is not an issue nor diversity. MCR is also a lot more expensive now esp property and rents. Here's a BIG issue, for those not settled in a career, there is a less buoyant job market outside of London and even in MCR, you see less bp in so called good or even decent jobs. Lots of bp cleaning or in the care or service industries. There are also no creative industries here so the best jobs and most diverse careers are in London. However, a good salary in MCR will probably get you a better quality of life.

I moved from the midlands to the south east, which is the opposite of this video. However I say weigh up why you’re moving, and how you are going to utilise opportunities that best suit you. I wanted to get my money up, grow business, network. There is a tax for being in the south east, but I find the pros outweigh the con. I would say work out your long term goals, and THEN workout where is best suited. Sometimes you may not know anyone in the place you’re going to, but your goal could be bigger than that. Just another perspective. I came across your channel yesterday, and I really enjoy your content!

I moved out of London to Birmingham.and regret it Birmingham is horrible very miserable dated run down city lots of open racism and segregation issues in areas, crime is bad not a lot going on people are very depressed and have anxiety issues Birmingham is a dump the people who live there are still living in the 1970s and not progressive.

I moved out of London it’s the best move ever and l get depressed when l travel into London

As a black man from peckham who is under 40 with a family, this hits home! Thankfully I'm one of a few who made it through with education and now home ownership with a very small circle of friends who never got caught up in the system so deeply that we got stuck in it. I still live in London though and really concerned my son's won't see ppl like them if I move.

You a Good Brudah, blessings... I Subscribed

I moved 30 miles into North Kent for 8 years before living in London my entire life. For the first few months, it was refreshing and liberating - more trees, green and fresh air in the 'garden of Kent'. It was like an extended holiday. Eventually though I began to feel cutoff and left out from all the things you mention. Expensive train tickets back to London, limited transport timetables, if any, or forced to run a car with all its costs in order to stay connected at some degree. As a black person, people felt they could take liberties based on your huge minority in the area. They were more brazen and would egg your windows or scratch your car with impunity. They feel no sense of threat from the odd black alien in their midst. I began to feel lonely and isolated and vulnerable to some extent. It lowered my sense of security and thus my quality of life. When I eventually returned to London, I had an overwhelming sense of returning back 'home'. Although I will always avoid overly saturated black areas, being around my people again gave me a new appreciation and I embraced my culture more. The convenience and connection with my family, culture, community, regular transport, products, things to do and centralisation to everything was something I missed profoundly. I would not live away from a city like London again, even if I did have children someday.

Good content but i think you should probably create a video (if you haven't already) on the benefits of living outside London. You referenced the link between black poverty and household expenses. From my experience living in London is far too expensive and doesn't encourage savings. The comfort in living in our own communities makes us lazy and less dearing.

I moved out of London in autumn last year. I'm a Londoner born & raised so I've had to adapt but I'm enjoying it.

I used to live in Bristol where rents are in par with London and other southern big cities. I'd pay £550 for a room in a house share, all inclusive. Then a friend in the North (county of Durham) invited me for a weekend visit where I discovered he rented a house (3 bedroom, living room, dining room, and ample storage areas) for £320 per month (private rent). I now live up here. Aside from highlighting this point of slashing cost of living to encourage others to think about moving out of London, what I really want to talk about is why it was easy for me to make this decision: 1. Obviously it was good to have someone I already know but having someone you don't know and the prospect of starting a life on your own should not deter you (see 3 below). You need to have reached a point where this is less important (not unimportant). 2. Readiness to give up comforts. Let's face it, there is something cool about living in the city or close to it. You have access to things other places don't such as ample transport including transport options (underground, buses, uber, etc) and you have many choices around how you could spend your time be it entertainment, clubs, etc. Restaurants, deliveroo, etc. These are the comforts that you need to give up. They are the money traps that keep you in a cycle of spending. 3. Without intending to sound rude or condescending, for lack of better words, assess whether you feel like you have reached a stage I your life where you can say you've grown up. If so, there are grown up thoughts that will come up, such as its time to settle down and have a family. If you have such ideas, the decision to move out of a place that is too expensive even for you alone, a place that you cannot with full confidence say is fully safe to have a family, this decision will come naturally to you and it will be easy. If you're grown up, giving up comforts for a bigger dream will be easy. Goodluck!

Moving from London to Birmingham black people are very few in between. Especially because there's not much to do

Moved to Kent. Everything g you said was spot on

People outside of London in other Uk cities and towns hate and tend to have a narrow minded view of London half have never visited London and listen to the negative Media , you will find other Uk cities and towns are very segregated and locals are not progressive, London is used to evolving and people move in and out and progressive other uk cities and towns don't change and everyone tends to know each other and be territorial and bigoted towards outsider's, i regret moving out of London because outside of London is very different .

Great informative video,I moved just out of London to reading and honestly everything you said is spot on,I drive so can always get to London when I wish, but I grew up in the inner cities on London and I regret not moving out a lot earlier,I feel in London Black people tend to kind of copy and follow one another, how we dress the way we carry ourselves etc, once you go out of London and out of your comfort zone,I feel thats when you can truly can start being yourself a lot more and just be happy how u are, also people aren't as judgemental and rude outside londonjust my personal experience,obviously depends where in uk etc...,I find am a lot more focused on my career and my goals also for some odd reason not sure if its because of there being little distractions from peers friends and family etc the cons to me is just maybe ethnic foods, but since I can get to London any time its not that bad at all.

It’s not difficult when all your friends have moved out of London

You make excellent points. I’ve often batted the idea of moving out and even running off to the US. I don’t have any children and I’m single but still, moving away is a challenge. Especially when your family, friend circle and job is already set. I’m 31 now so unsure where my future will take me.

Why is it that if black people with British accent move out of London to relatively small parts in the U.K, they tend to be slow or kind of quiet about all the noise they used to make about racism when they were in London? I often wonder if it's because of how they've suddenly found out that what they called racism in London was just plain stupidity on there part?. This question even gets more points if black British move out of London to other parts in Europe or the e.u countries!

My challenge is living in London even after 20 years.

I left London 15 yrs ago coming up north it's cheaper and kids can play outside but you have to have a car here coz the public transport is frustrating.

A lot of our community have jobs now where they are remote working full time or only have to go into London 1-3 days a week

How about out of England ?

Where have most people moved too???..l live in Walthamstow and would like to move out of London..

Derby to London, St Pancras takes 1hr 30 mins. From Derby drive to Peak District in 20 mins

Food access .. That's the difficult part. These Man out here haven't got much in the ways of choice. I hope you like Chinese, Turkish or pub foods...

Outer London and Countryside have much more nature and many Social activities on offer. You can always commute to London as needed. You are projecting your fear more than seeking to enjoy your new life. Get London out of your system and life could be better than you think.

People will soon be ordering plantain on Amazon 😭 Great topic!!

I moved out of London 3 years ago with wife and 2 children to an area called Brampton up the A1 about 45 min from NW London. Best thing I ever did. I was living in a 2 bed flat in London in an area where kids were stabbing and killing each other, but came up here because of the affordability. I now have a 4 bed house with garage car port and garden. My son is now 16 and I say to my wife "we would be stressed now with him at this age" if we were still living where we was living. There are loads of black and brown people down here and more so since we have been here. And both my children have lots friends of all races . We also have a lot of people who have moved from London that live in my area. We were quite lucky with the area we choose as it is beautiful and we get on with all our neighbours and have regular house parties BBQs etc. We also have a product and food shop so you can get all those ingredients and products you are accustomed too. We do have to travel to get to the little hubs of life tho in terms of for example clothes shopping. Places like Rushden Lakes/Peterbourough/Cambridge etc all within 30 mins drive or 15 mins by train (Cheap tickets). Job wise Im an electrician and my partner works from home for the same company she was working in London for. I had my own electrical contractor business in London and have picked it up down here. So yes that could be tricky with regards to work when looking for a new job I guess but because of the nature of my work wether 9 -5 for a company or working for myself it is the type of job you can carry anywhere. Us personally have not had that feeling of isolation at all due to the overall setup of the area we came to. Through a stroke of good luck and Gods grace we found a hidden Gem. Brampton Park!!!

Working in London is a nightmare, too many people, to much traffic, must be a nightmare living in London. It’s far too expensive to live in London for us average joes. Also parts of London are unsafe now, full of gangs and degenerates.

I remember being a student in south London in the early 1980's. I had fun but London was a dump back then with many derelict properties. Then in the late 90's came the property boom. What investment this country had, was funnelled into London. My dingy student bedsit was turned into a tidy £500k apartment. London took all the money and gained all the benefits. Ok not all, but you get the idea. The rest of the country was starved of investment to feed London. But Labour plan to change that. They intend to pull the civil service out of London and redistribute investment out to the regions. It's all explained in their policy document. I prefer life out in the Shires. Countryside hikes and coastal treks make up for any lack of fancy restaurants. And it's much cheaper for everything.

This is amazing, none of these comments are about moving back to their homeland, this is why African and Caribbean countries will remain at the Bottom and the British don’t want them their they shown that over and over again

Commenting for the algo cos I ain't moving outta London : )

I moved from the midlands to the south east, which is the opposite of this video. However I say weigh up why you’re moving, and how you are going to utilise opportunities that best suit you. I wanted to get my money up, grow business, network. There is a tax for being in the south east, but u find the pros outweigh the con. I would say work out your long term goals, and THEN workout where is best suited. Sometimes you may not know anyone in the place you’re going to, but your goal could be bigger than that. Just another perspective. I came across your channel yesterday, and I really enjoy your content!

In terms of entertaining oneself outside of cities, hosting becomes more important. You are likely to be living in a larger property, hopefully with a garden. So I would say it's about getting used to inviting people to your home and being a good host, and being invited to others. This can be tricky to get started if you've moved to a new place on your own or as a couple/family. And it gets harder the older you get, generally as people become more set in their friendship groups and less interested in meeting new people. Obviously this isn't a substitute for clubbing, and big nights out so it can also herald a lifestyle change. It's how many people operate in small towns

Outside of cities is a very different way of life, the most important is to integrate get to know your area and what it has to offer. Not everything is on your doorstep like in the cities, it takes time to adapt.

Was born outside of London but lived in London for a while; hated every last nano-second of it. Glad to had moved out of that hell hole. People there are unnecessarily so rude.

No way will I move out of london, if I want jar coffee say 2am in morning I can get it.

That's why it's such a shock for black Londers, to live further out and that's also why white Brit's, feel that black Londers, are not really British, because they're have not been raised around white Brit's, but people from the own countries, which means you don't learn the small details about being British, and you really see how Brit's, feel about that when you live in another country as a black brit, and you meet a white Brit, there...... They're not friendly towards you and don't really speak to you for more than a minute....

The last point is the most important. DO NOT bring up Black children in non-cosmopolitan areas. The racial isolation will have detrimental effects in ways one may not realise for their entire lifetime. When one is an adult, not much can touch one psychologically; but for children, the harm to their self-image can be devastating. DON'T DO IT!!!

I was in London and was told I can’t enter certain shops or pubs because they don’t allowed blacks or Irish in, I was scared😢

Indeed I go into London, i live about 1hr away from Kings cross, such a good city and top night life. i have got a bed in a hostel in London then go on a night out :)

Fortunately (or maybe not!) I was able to buy a 3bed flat around Wantstead/South Woodford with >£75k deposit (been saving for close to a decade). I certainly could've got something more grand outside of London, or a cheaper flat in a tower block in certain areas like Tower Hamlets. However safety, job opportunity, open space and schooling are crucial to me, and the other benefits of being in London are the cherries ontop. I feel this area ticks the checkboxes for me, and good place to bring up kids. However as a black man, it would be nice to have more black people in the immediate area, more so for my future kids... All in all, the decision isn't permanent, I can always outside of London whenever.

Amazon also work in areas other than London, no need for London anymore

The answers to most of the issues are in the the Wirral . Excellent city of Liverpool never far from ability to buy plantain or grab a fried dumpling UK's only slavery museum. plus!! Multiple beaches, good schools international airport, very cheap houses, excellent transport system, great night life .. what more could one want!!!!

Your child might actually go through their whole school life without being stabbed too!

my advice would be to research the area you thinking of moving too as black person. I am so happy where I move too my kids don’t feel out of place at all

Luton (fugly af) houses are now North London prices. Ridiculous. I don't see why someone living in Leyton would move outside of London. There's not much point moving outside of London, unless you currently reside in Zone 1-2 and rent is hindering your chance of saving for a deposit. I lived in Birmingham (grew up there and moved out as soon as it was humanly possible for me), Glasgow (Studied), Leicester and Manchester. None of those cities come anywhere near London if you are young and single. BTW I think I recognise you.. Didn't you have a youtube channel called 'Africa Arising' or have I mistaken for someone else.

I am from East London I lived in Walton on Thames I loved Walton but Walton, Slough both can be horrible if you don't drive Birmingham since living here is okay once you drive

London is not the city that doesn't sleep lol, come 23:00 things are shutting down.

Is this any point in making these rather obvious observations?

“ London is the City that does not Sleep” That is not True! London shuts down by 10pm. You haven’t been to the New York Chicago Rio Tokyo Shanghai … shops are opened 24hrs 😅😂 I guarantee you hospitals are the only place that are 24hrs in the UK… By the way I ive in Hertfordshire … London is in quick access. Learn to do your own hair and most things can be ordered online. Racial isolation was a thing but Hertfordshire has become more diverse. 😊

Am Attracted to many nice homes outside London but after living here for 14 years I fear moving out of what am used to.

Iv just been places in Birmingham for temporary accommodation, the hardest part by far has been work tbh, especially for someone who don’t drive, it’s ok to get around but travel ease and work was hardest for me

I get bored if I'm not in london

All of this is also available in other cities too...

Isn't the commute likely to be shorter outside of London? Esp. as you are more likely to have a car.

Dropping gems 💎.. 1+ sub 💯💪🏽

I live in a small town in East Anglia, definitely way less people and way less jobs, more and more people keep coming here, more and more houses being built and less and less jobs, I used to live in London with family but I have plenty of family here too, my uncle has to wake up early every day travel to London by train almost 3 hours to get to his jobs and almost 3 hours back... basically no time for his family

Ely, My great advise is that if you wish to see mostly black people outside of London, have your barber shops and native foods, then come with me to Africa.

Can you do a video recommending African novels you enjoyed?

I moved to Rochester in Kent 10 years ago, and there were no black people. But as the years have gone on, many more moved there.

Its very raciest ouside London and transport infrastructure is nil.

If you're thinking of moving out of London, just do it. Live and let live

Hhmmm... Would love a follow up video with stats and places where Black people from London can start to investigate as options on where they can live. Cost of living, travel, schools etc.. Also be dope if we all moved to a coastal city and straight took it over ❤

Generational wealth will not happen for black Londoners happy to stay in rented or council property. Time to think beyond the now. If you can afford to buy in London then great. If not, don't spend your working years making other rich through renting and pass nothing to your children. Please don't make excuses to stay poor as a people forever.

To be an institutionalised black person living in London, unless your family are well endowed to support your high and bright lights city life, real success will be out of reach.

The whole idea of shipping black people out of London by the government was simply to break up the community, your social network, the families and friends. Take away everything that make your life comfortable. The country side shuts down at 7pm...🇯🇲🇯🇲

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do” - St Ambrose. Why is it that immigrants to another country want to keep their homeland cultural values? I don’t get it. If I emigrated anywhere; from Italy to India, I would expect to adopt my host country’s culture out of respect for them allowing me in.

Don’t move to Manchester

Kaikai kan

Why you deleting comments?

I’m a northern at heart so i love the country side so i am use to that way of life. I moved to London in 2012 and after a year i realised how bad the people in the city lived. They live on top on each other flat share with different cultures of the world because they can’t afford a decent property. What you gonna when you want to start a family live and in flat share with two kids in two bed counsels flat or flat share with strangers. Make it make sense as average population is far from rich because of london night life which not all that. I moved out of London in 2019 met wife and bought a brand new 4 bedroom detached house in the south mids area i live good. The kids have the own room and garden to play in and enjoy. They go to mixed school where plenty of black children so they don’t lose there identity. There plenty of black people here in my area all house owners where we all on the same level which you don’t often see in London. London is for the single life.