Continuing our journey around London we stayed in this North London hotspot for a couple of days, read all about it in our Islington area guide.
About Islington
Welcome to Islington, where the vibrant energy of London comes to life in all its quirky, cultural, and culinary glory.
Nestled in the heart of the city, this lively area is a hub of creativity and excitement, offering an eclectic blend of artistic venues, mouthwatering dining experiences, and a rich history waiting to be explored.
From strolls along the serene Regent’s Canal to nights of revelry on Upper Street, Islington has something for everyone.
We put on our walking shoes and explored all there is to offer.
Below I tell you all that you need to know from crime levels to transport links.
If you’d like to jump to any section you can do via these links.
Table of Contents
- About Islington
- Islington Area Guide Transport Links
- Islington Area Guide – Crime
- Islington Area Guide – Property Prices
- Islington Area Guide – Demographics
- Summary – Is Islington a nice area?
Islington Area Guide Transport Links
Being essentially central London it will be no surprise that Islington is well served by public transport.
London underground
By our count Islington has nine Underground stations on the Victoria, Northern, Piccadilly, and Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines.
These provide direct access to central London and other key areas of the city, such as the West End, Canary Wharf, and the City of London.
London overground
Islington has five London Overground stations on the East London and North London lines.
These provide direct access to places like Stratford, Shoreditch, Highbury, and Dalston.
Car
The entire Borough falls within the congestion charge zone. This obviously means that visiting the area can be expensive by car.
What this does mean however is that the roads are quieter than you might imagine for such a central location.
Islington Area Guide – Crime
Despite generally being an upmarket neighbourhood, crime is a factor for the London Borough of Islington.
This is evidenced by the crime per 1,000 rate being 116.
This is noticeably higher than the London average of 95.
Whilst this is concerning it is worthy of note that Islington has a vibrant nighttime economy. This whilst being of benefit to some does bring an increase of overall offences.
This nighttime economy will likely contribute to the fact that violence against the person is the most common crime type in the Borough.
Anecdotally it certainly didn’t feel like an unsafe place to explore. The residents and business owners were friendly and there wasn’t any real evidence of crime on show.
As an example, I saw very little graffiti and no obvious street drunkenness.
The area ‘felt’ very safe even if the statistics don’t indicate that being the case.
Islington Area Guide – Property Prices
I nearly fell over when I looked in an estate agent window and saw some of the asking price.
An example was a flat in a high rise block was demanding a premium of £950 per week!
In terms of houses what looked to be a fairly standard looking terraced property was asking £1.2m.
With that said it is perhaps unfair to call any property standard looking in Islington. Even the terraces are lovely Victorian looking period properties, particularly justifying asking prices.
Putting all of that together, according to Rightmove the properties in Islington had an overall average price of £829,822 over the last year.
Flats were selling for an average price of £622,677 and Terraced properties sold for an average of £1,473,775,
Interestingly prices in Islington over the last year were 7% down on the 2023 suggesting a very real cooling of the market.
Islington Area Guide – Demographics
Islington is a very diverse borough, with people from all over the world calling it home.
The largest ethnic group is White British, making up 57.5% of the population.
Other significant ethnic groups include:
Black African (10%)
White Other (9.1%)
Indian (5.9%)
Pakistani (3.2%)
Bangladeshi (2.4%)
Around 33% of Islington residents were born outside of the UK, most commonly in Ireland, Turkey, and the United States.
As you might expect, Islington is a relatively affluent borough, with a higher median household income than England as a whole.
In 2021, the median household income in Islington was £52,400, compared to £31,600 for England.
With that said there is still a level of deprivation in Islington, with some pockets of the borough experiencing high levels of unemployment, poverty, and ill health.
Summary – Is Islington a nice area?
Firstly it is important to note that Islington is quite a big place so while there are affluent and beautiful areas, they do not stretch to the entire Borough.
In my experience however I found Islington to be a really charming and welcoming place.
I am not an architecture buff by any stretch but it has some of the nicest residential streets I have encountered.
There is that wonderful mix of the old and the new with trendy wine bars mixed with listed buildings.
The sheer number of transport links is another clear bonus and being a stones throw away from Kings Cross is also helpful.
This then leads me onto the extremes of Islington, namely the property prices and the crime.
When I looked into the crime rates I had to double take as I found it surprising to find that crime was comparable to somewhere like Forest Gate.
High crime and extortionate property prices don’t sound like a good mix for anyone, so how could I possibly recommend it?
Here’s how…
Islington has character and charm by the boatload. Just mooching around it just feels like a nice place to be.
Yes property prices are high but that’s mainly due to the fact it’s about the first place North of Central London where anything other than flats are available.
So if you have the funds and like culture and cuisine, Islington is well worth your consideration.
