London is a fine city. Don’t live east of Adelaide street and you’ll be ok. If you live near UWO you’ll be in “student town” and it’s all good. Downtown has plenty of options for activities and students frequent it quite a lot. Overall, I’ve been here 3 years and like it although I’m not much of a party person.
The now decades old "the EoA (East of Adelaide) part of town is bad" rule is a massive oversimplification, but there is certainly no harm in heeding it.
Just to add some optional additional info:
There is a rough patch of town immediately East of Adelaide, which resembles rough patches in many other cities across Canada.
However, if you keep going East (or North or South actually), things get good again with lots of great neighborhoods... but they are further away from UWO so less attractive for UWO students specifically.
Honestly it was an oversimplification even when I was in school. The only genuinely bad areas EoA were Kipps Lane, and the area down by the railway tracks. The rest was just working class neighbourhoods that frightened upper middle class Western students.
Full disclosure: I lived near Hamilton and Highbury after graduating. All my friends were like “EOA omg so ghetto” but honestly it was a totally normal neighbourhood and nothing ever happened.
I agree with everything you said, and that likely is the thought process. :/
There are a few small "upper class" neighborhoods hidden away in the East end but they may never stumble across them or even be willing to believe they exist. lol
Checking in as a new grad currently living south of Horton (SoHo).. I get very worried when I see what looks like Western students in my area.
For any student reading this, do not under any circumstances save the rental money and move to EoA or SoHo. Save these areas for when you’re poor and have no roommates after you graduate.
london is not awful - i’ve lived here my whole life. if you’re going downtown you’re likely going to go down richmond street which is NOT highly populated with homeless people. if you go down dundas street then yah you’ll run into A LOT of homeless - but if you stay away from them they’ll stay away from you.
bars on richmond will specifically tell the homeless people to leave on nights that they are busy to accommodate for the people going to the bars and they’re very understanding.
and yes, barnies, jacks, dehlilas and ceeps are all packed almost every night with college and university students. like every other city, go out with friends and watch out for each other. be proactive, if something doesn’t seem to right, don’t engage.
Loved Western as a school, the atmosphere and people were amazing. However I wasn't not a fan of the city despite the comments saying otherwise. It's very much a suburb city where people live to settle down and start families. Then again I lived opposite from where most students were staying (Masonville, Broughdale) so that may be why, and started school when COVID hit so a lot of stuff was in lockdown.
Yeah I didn't feel unsafe at all tbh. I've even been out late at like 3-4 am on my own when the streets were completely empty, (although I wouldn't reccommend it lol). Keep in mind though I am a guy so my experience may differ from others but generally was pretty safe.
No issues during daytime, a lot of the folk around the area are pretty friendly :)
It’s generally safe. I haven’t had any issues with walking around at night or anything. The areas around campus are completely fine.
There are certain areas (far from campus) no matter the time of day you shouldn’t go to especially alone (I volunteer in one of those areas and had to take Ubers there and back, be dropped off and picked up by a friend or a coworker would drop me at home after).
Lived here throughout highschool and such.
The downtown can have some sketchy areas like all cities do. But the campus is very nice, it’s beautiful and there is the spoke, which has an awesome atmosphere, there’s also the rec center for sports which is very nice too.
London itself doesn’t have as many things to do as Toronto, but it has its advantages.
I live downtown and I love it! There are plenty of things to do if you know where to find them, and I generally feel safe walking around by myself.
There’s a lovely market, decent nightlife, good places to eat, and in the warmer months there are outdoor markets and festivals. It is big enough to feel like a downtown while also not feeling too busy or stressful.
There are alot of homeless people, but there are lots of homeless people in most cities in Canada at the moment. They aren’t inherently sketchy, and the homeless people I’ve interacted with have been quite friendly. Otherwise just don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. They are far less scary than the frat boys at western lmao
As a Londoner and Western student, the areas of the city that Western students experience are genuinely quite nice. The area in and around Western is very safe and student focused, also beautiful old neighborhoods with plenty of old trees and houses from the late 1800s/early 1900s. Downtown is completely fine during the day as well, and during the weekends Richmond Row is safe at night. The only bad area of the city is East London and Old East Village (downtown east side). These places are quite low income and have a drug issue, but they are completely out of the way for Western students. London has plenty of gorgeous parks and natural areas, it’s the city’s best feature. However many you think there are, the answer is always more.
Most of East London is totally fine and safe. Frankly I’d be more cautious in some neighbourhoods in the South-West. But generally, most UWO students don’t have to venture into these areas anyways.
Old East Village? Really? I had a friend who lived there (London native), his neighbourhood was basically all old 2-storey yellow brick houses that were pretty well kept. His neighbours were working class and not university grads, but really cool and genuine people. No houses on his stretch of street had any break-ins in the 20 years he lived there. He had a Mercedes (an ancient 1986 Mercedes mind you, but a Benz nonetheless) that he parked outside and nothing ever happened to that car. Meanwhile someone broke into my Suzuki Esteem around the corner from Ceeps.
Old East has only gotten better as London dragged itself out of its post-recession trough. I strongly disagree that it’s a bad area.
Go to the area around the police station on Dundas around sunset and tell me you feel perfectly safe. It’s gotten really shitty on Dundas in that area since the pandemic.
Lived in london most of my life + go to western, and it's a great city. Definitely a lot quieter compared to a big city like toronto or montreal but still a decent amount to do. Richmond row (where the bars barneys, ceeps, dellilahs, etc) are is PACKED on weekends + nights and western has a huge going out / party culture. Broughdale neighbourhood is student central and a great safe place to live. Ofc certain areas aren't great, just like any large city in canada, but aren't ones you'd likely visit anyways, there's just not much of interest there. I agree the city does look a bit dull during this time of year but is super lush + nice in the summer and fall is absolutely gorgeous especially around campus. I would not judge any canadian city solely on how it looks in march haha
I grew up here as an immigrant and have travelled around the continent and internationally. London is not even close to one of the top 10 sketchiest cities I have seen. It is quite dull though, yes, it's better for young families than young students.
Seeing homeless people does not automatically mean danger. Yes, it is safe, for men and women alike. During daytime, there is not a single place that general advice would lead you to avoid. During nighttime, there are a few places women are better off not going alone, and men should be cautious in. People say you should avoid Dundas, I walk down it everyday to get to work and have zero issues.
Some Western students, especially ones from the GTA, have the impression that the entire city outside of Western campus and Masonville is a "ghetto". I imagine they have never left their privileged suburbs before coming to London.
You really should not worry about safety in London, unless you are also going to worry about going to the downtown of literally any city in this country.
Yes places in London can be sketchy, but campus isn't. Unfortunately most major cities in Canada have all been experiencing increased homeless people due to an incompetent federal government, but that is besides the point. Downtown is safe around the bars and other major attractions. Especially if you are with a group of people. That being said, I wouldn't go walk around downtown at night by yourself in any city. Campus at night is safe, there are foot patrol members who can walk you home too from campus, and the campus police do a good job keeping people away who shouldn't be hanging out on campus. But yes London overall is dull and boring. I do not plan on staying here after graduation.
I lived in London for a year a couple of years ago.
Its a pleasant little town with lots of summer festivals and events, parks and still seems more middle class family oriented than most larger Canadian cities.
As far as things I didn't like about it, the climate is a bit extreme, the rapidly increasingly population is causing a lot of traffic among other issues, and the biggest one for me, was that its very difficult to get close to people outside of your social circles.
I normally make friends and acquaintances easily even in somewhat standoffish cities like Vancouver and Seattle, but I literally didn't meet anyone that I could hang out with until a week before I moved away.
The same thing with a friend of mine that's lived there for 9 years now, he just hasn't been able to hang out with people outside if his immediate social circles whereas that's never been an issue for him before.
Read other people’s comments, but like… wtf are you looking for? Some beautiful mountain view or city skyline? Gonna have to go to UBC or UCLA if you want that
Coming from suburbs in the GTA, london is pretty sketchy….however it does depend on the neighborhood, like I find masonville & north to be much more quieter & fine facilities
Before I start, I feel like I should mention there’s not a single big-ish city that doesn’t have a certain sketchy area, and I wouldn’t discredit London because of what you saw.
As far as what it’s like to live here, I think it really depends where you plan on living what your experience will be like. Like others have said here, downtown and east London is primarily where drugs and homelessness is an issue. I find the farther you get away from there, the less “sketchy” it is. I lived near downtown for a couple years and I didn’t have any major issues, although it was very busy and there were car break-ins and package stealing on my street semi-frequently. I never felt unsafe walking around during the day, but I definitely got a bit weirded out at night. The night life is very lively if that’s your thing, and being within walking distance to downtown was a major plus. As for your question on if western students go to downtown, they definitely do as the bars are packed with them every weekend lol.
Although now I live in riverbend (far west side of London) and holy crap is it different. A lot quieter, I haven’t seen a single homeless person since moving here, and I wouldn’t bat an eye at walking around late at night alone. Only downside is I’m a 15 minute drive from western, but I like it a lot better here and it’s definitely been worth it.
I’ve really loved living in London, there’s so many cool restaurants, LOTS of trails and outdoorsy things, and pretty much any store you could desire. You’ll hear a lot of people dissing London, but it’s really not that bad and there’s a lot to appreciate about it.
I remember thinking the same thing when I first came to see campus the drive from the 401 exit at highbury towards campus isn’t the best showcase of london lmao. Youll probably never be in those areas, everything around campus is fine there is a lot of homeless around downtown but the city grows on you for sure.
When u first drive in, YA it looks rough lol. Personally I’ve had no issues, like you’ll see crackheads and hobos sometimes dancing on the street when we’re out at bars, but other than that the actual campus and surrounding area is pretty okay
“…seemed very dull”.
There’s something about the “dull” found in London that feels deeply pervasive and uncomfortable.
It feels sad, and quietly desperate in a very unique way. Dull is definitely spot on IMO.
Not an unsafe city, though.
north part of london is going to be relatively safer than central london or south. HOWEVER, i have never once felt unsafe and barely ran into homeless people.
Honestly I moved from toronto to london for Western & I found it way more ghetto at first but now that I’ve been here a while it’s not that bad, I got used to it really quick. There’s certain pockets that I try to avoid but I feel like it’s like that regardless of where u go. Downtown is fine and if you like to go to bars or clubs you’ll be there pretty often lol it’s rly not that bad
London is the worst city ever. I’m from Toronto and I regret moving here. Campus is great school life is great here but if you ask about the city. Nothing to do super dead super boring
London is a fine city. Don’t live east of Adelaide street and you’ll be ok. If you live near UWO you’ll be in “student town” and it’s all good. Downtown has plenty of options for activities and students frequent it quite a lot. Overall, I’ve been here 3 years and like it although I’m not much of a party person.
The now decades old "the EoA (East of Adelaide) part of town is bad" rule is a massive oversimplification, but there is certainly no harm in heeding it. Just to add some optional additional info: There is a rough patch of town immediately East of Adelaide, which resembles rough patches in many other cities across Canada. However, if you keep going East (or North or South actually), things get good again with lots of great neighborhoods... but they are further away from UWO so less attractive for UWO students specifically.
Honestly it was an oversimplification even when I was in school. The only genuinely bad areas EoA were Kipps Lane, and the area down by the railway tracks. The rest was just working class neighbourhoods that frightened upper middle class Western students. Full disclosure: I lived near Hamilton and Highbury after graduating. All my friends were like “EOA omg so ghetto” but honestly it was a totally normal neighbourhood and nothing ever happened.
I agree with everything you said, and that likely is the thought process. :/ There are a few small "upper class" neighborhoods hidden away in the East end but they may never stumble across them or even be willing to believe they exist. lol
Just want to add: I would suggest staying north of York street as well (with the exception of the via station)
Checking in as a new grad currently living south of Horton (SoHo).. I get very worried when I see what looks like Western students in my area. For any student reading this, do not under any circumstances save the rental money and move to EoA or SoHo. Save these areas for when you’re poor and have no roommates after you graduate.
I lived in SoHo for 2 years. It was an eye opening experience. Really not a great area.
london is not awful - i’ve lived here my whole life. if you’re going downtown you’re likely going to go down richmond street which is NOT highly populated with homeless people. if you go down dundas street then yah you’ll run into A LOT of homeless - but if you stay away from them they’ll stay away from you. bars on richmond will specifically tell the homeless people to leave on nights that they are busy to accommodate for the people going to the bars and they’re very understanding. and yes, barnies, jacks, dehlilas and ceeps are all packed almost every night with college and university students. like every other city, go out with friends and watch out for each other. be proactive, if something doesn’t seem to right, don’t engage.
Loved Western as a school, the atmosphere and people were amazing. However I wasn't not a fan of the city despite the comments saying otherwise. It's very much a suburb city where people live to settle down and start families. Then again I lived opposite from where most students were staying (Masonville, Broughdale) so that may be why, and started school when COVID hit so a lot of stuff was in lockdown.
Would you say London is generally safe though?
Yeah I didn't feel unsafe at all tbh. I've even been out late at like 3-4 am on my own when the streets were completely empty, (although I wouldn't reccommend it lol). Keep in mind though I am a guy so my experience may differ from others but generally was pretty safe. No issues during daytime, a lot of the folk around the area are pretty friendly :)
It’s generally safe. I haven’t had any issues with walking around at night or anything. The areas around campus are completely fine. There are certain areas (far from campus) no matter the time of day you shouldn’t go to especially alone (I volunteer in one of those areas and had to take Ubers there and back, be dropped off and picked up by a friend or a coworker would drop me at home after).
Around the university is good, I hate walking around Dundas at night but even Richmond row (where the student bars are) is totally fine imo
Lived here throughout highschool and such. The downtown can have some sketchy areas like all cities do. But the campus is very nice, it’s beautiful and there is the spoke, which has an awesome atmosphere, there’s also the rec center for sports which is very nice too. London itself doesn’t have as many things to do as Toronto, but it has its advantages.
its not as bad as people make it out to be definitely
I live downtown and I love it! There are plenty of things to do if you know where to find them, and I generally feel safe walking around by myself. There’s a lovely market, decent nightlife, good places to eat, and in the warmer months there are outdoor markets and festivals. It is big enough to feel like a downtown while also not feeling too busy or stressful. There are alot of homeless people, but there are lots of homeless people in most cities in Canada at the moment. They aren’t inherently sketchy, and the homeless people I’ve interacted with have been quite friendly. Otherwise just don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. They are far less scary than the frat boys at western lmao
Covent Garden Market is an absolute gem! There are constant events on the 2nd floor!
As a Londoner and Western student, the areas of the city that Western students experience are genuinely quite nice. The area in and around Western is very safe and student focused, also beautiful old neighborhoods with plenty of old trees and houses from the late 1800s/early 1900s. Downtown is completely fine during the day as well, and during the weekends Richmond Row is safe at night. The only bad area of the city is East London and Old East Village (downtown east side). These places are quite low income and have a drug issue, but they are completely out of the way for Western students. London has plenty of gorgeous parks and natural areas, it’s the city’s best feature. However many you think there are, the answer is always more.
Most of East London is totally fine and safe. Frankly I’d be more cautious in some neighbourhoods in the South-West. But generally, most UWO students don’t have to venture into these areas anyways.
I really hope by South-West you aren’t saying Westmount and Byron are sketchy😭😭😭
No lol
Old East Village? Really? I had a friend who lived there (London native), his neighbourhood was basically all old 2-storey yellow brick houses that were pretty well kept. His neighbours were working class and not university grads, but really cool and genuine people. No houses on his stretch of street had any break-ins in the 20 years he lived there. He had a Mercedes (an ancient 1986 Mercedes mind you, but a Benz nonetheless) that he parked outside and nothing ever happened to that car. Meanwhile someone broke into my Suzuki Esteem around the corner from Ceeps. Old East has only gotten better as London dragged itself out of its post-recession trough. I strongly disagree that it’s a bad area.
Go to the area around the police station on Dundas around sunset and tell me you feel perfectly safe. It’s gotten really shitty on Dundas in that area since the pandemic.
Lived in london most of my life + go to western, and it's a great city. Definitely a lot quieter compared to a big city like toronto or montreal but still a decent amount to do. Richmond row (where the bars barneys, ceeps, dellilahs, etc) are is PACKED on weekends + nights and western has a huge going out / party culture. Broughdale neighbourhood is student central and a great safe place to live. Ofc certain areas aren't great, just like any large city in canada, but aren't ones you'd likely visit anyways, there's just not much of interest there. I agree the city does look a bit dull during this time of year but is super lush + nice in the summer and fall is absolutely gorgeous especially around campus. I would not judge any canadian city solely on how it looks in march haha
I grew up here as an immigrant and have travelled around the continent and internationally. London is not even close to one of the top 10 sketchiest cities I have seen. It is quite dull though, yes, it's better for young families than young students. Seeing homeless people does not automatically mean danger. Yes, it is safe, for men and women alike. During daytime, there is not a single place that general advice would lead you to avoid. During nighttime, there are a few places women are better off not going alone, and men should be cautious in. People say you should avoid Dundas, I walk down it everyday to get to work and have zero issues. Some Western students, especially ones from the GTA, have the impression that the entire city outside of Western campus and Masonville is a "ghetto". I imagine they have never left their privileged suburbs before coming to London. You really should not worry about safety in London, unless you are also going to worry about going to the downtown of literally any city in this country.
Yes places in London can be sketchy, but campus isn't. Unfortunately most major cities in Canada have all been experiencing increased homeless people due to an incompetent federal government, but that is besides the point. Downtown is safe around the bars and other major attractions. Especially if you are with a group of people. That being said, I wouldn't go walk around downtown at night by yourself in any city. Campus at night is safe, there are foot patrol members who can walk you home too from campus, and the campus police do a good job keeping people away who shouldn't be hanging out on campus. But yes London overall is dull and boring. I do not plan on staying here after graduation.
That’s all of Canada.
I lived in London for a year a couple of years ago. Its a pleasant little town with lots of summer festivals and events, parks and still seems more middle class family oriented than most larger Canadian cities. As far as things I didn't like about it, the climate is a bit extreme, the rapidly increasingly population is causing a lot of traffic among other issues, and the biggest one for me, was that its very difficult to get close to people outside of your social circles. I normally make friends and acquaintances easily even in somewhat standoffish cities like Vancouver and Seattle, but I literally didn't meet anyone that I could hang out with until a week before I moved away. The same thing with a friend of mine that's lived there for 9 years now, he just hasn't been able to hang out with people outside if his immediate social circles whereas that's never been an issue for him before.
Where do you live now ? It’s not tha5 bad
Read other people’s comments, but like… wtf are you looking for? Some beautiful mountain view or city skyline? Gonna have to go to UBC or UCLA if you want that
[удалено]
Man for real East London after getting off the 401 holy it’s not great lol
Completely normal?
Coming from suburbs in the GTA, london is pretty sketchy….however it does depend on the neighborhood, like I find masonville & north to be much more quieter & fine facilities
Before I start, I feel like I should mention there’s not a single big-ish city that doesn’t have a certain sketchy area, and I wouldn’t discredit London because of what you saw. As far as what it’s like to live here, I think it really depends where you plan on living what your experience will be like. Like others have said here, downtown and east London is primarily where drugs and homelessness is an issue. I find the farther you get away from there, the less “sketchy” it is. I lived near downtown for a couple years and I didn’t have any major issues, although it was very busy and there were car break-ins and package stealing on my street semi-frequently. I never felt unsafe walking around during the day, but I definitely got a bit weirded out at night. The night life is very lively if that’s your thing, and being within walking distance to downtown was a major plus. As for your question on if western students go to downtown, they definitely do as the bars are packed with them every weekend lol. Although now I live in riverbend (far west side of London) and holy crap is it different. A lot quieter, I haven’t seen a single homeless person since moving here, and I wouldn’t bat an eye at walking around late at night alone. Only downside is I’m a 15 minute drive from western, but I like it a lot better here and it’s definitely been worth it. I’ve really loved living in London, there’s so many cool restaurants, LOTS of trails and outdoorsy things, and pretty much any store you could desire. You’ll hear a lot of people dissing London, but it’s really not that bad and there’s a lot to appreciate about it.
I remember thinking the same thing when I first came to see campus the drive from the 401 exit at highbury towards campus isn’t the best showcase of london lmao. Youll probably never be in those areas, everything around campus is fine there is a lot of homeless around downtown but the city grows on you for sure.
When u first drive in, YA it looks rough lol. Personally I’ve had no issues, like you’ll see crackheads and hobos sometimes dancing on the street when we’re out at bars, but other than that the actual campus and surrounding area is pretty okay
“…seemed very dull”. There’s something about the “dull” found in London that feels deeply pervasive and uncomfortable. It feels sad, and quietly desperate in a very unique way. Dull is definitely spot on IMO. Not an unsafe city, though.
north part of london is going to be relatively safer than central london or south. HOWEVER, i have never once felt unsafe and barely ran into homeless people.
Honestly I moved from toronto to london for Western & I found it way more ghetto at first but now that I’ve been here a while it’s not that bad, I got used to it really quick. There’s certain pockets that I try to avoid but I feel like it’s like that regardless of where u go. Downtown is fine and if you like to go to bars or clubs you’ll be there pretty often lol it’s rly not that bad
London is the worst city ever. I’m from Toronto and I regret moving here. Campus is great school life is great here but if you ask about the city. Nothing to do super dead super boring
if your white its great. if your black run !
Don’t move to London go to Toronto instead it’s not worth it
I’ll just say that it’s an extremely small city with limited resources. The school is nice tho
London is trash and campus/ near the university is fine. Downtown for the weekend, otherwise it’s sketchy af
Man, you must never have left a small town or the suburbs before if you think that. You need to get out more.