Is Wood Green underrated or does it deserve it’s negative reputation? We explore all in the below Wood Green area guide.
About Wood Green
Having visited the area I have a lot to say about Wood Green, some positive and some negatives.
What I will say early on however is that the poor reputation I understood it to have seems a little unjustified.
I have travelled round to all corners of London and frankly experienced some rough areas.
I wouldn’t necessarily add Wood Green to such a list.
But without further delay, here is my breakdown of Wood Green as an area.
Wood Green Area Guide – Transport Links
The obvious main transport hub in Wood Green is Wood Green Underground Station, which is on the Piccadilly line.
This line runs from Cockfosters in the north to Heathrow Airport in the west, and serves many popular tourist destinations in Central London, such as Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square
Whilst I don’t think anyone would claim for the Piccadilly Line to be quite as convenient as say the central line, it still offers great access to the city.
As an example it is an 18 minute ride from Wood Green to Holborn.
Wood Green is in zone 3 of the TFL network.
In addition to the Underground, there are also a number of bus routes that serve Wood Green.
These buses connect the area to other parts of London, as well as to surrounding towns and suburbs.
In terms of the road network, I did find there to be noticeably heavier traffic than say Edmonton. You should account for this when travelling during peak periods.
Crime – Is Wood Green a safe place?
This is where Wood Green’s reputation let’s it down. For as long as I can remember Wood Green has been associated with crime and particularly gang activity.
But is that still fair?
Brace yourself for some high crime statistics.
According to figures provided by the Metropolitan Police and comparing that to available census data, the crime rate per 1,000 residents is 401.6.
That is the highest I can recall and swamps the London average of 95 crimes per 1,000.
On the face of it then you could draw the conclusion that no, Wood Green is not a safe place.
In it’s defence, similarly to place like Stratford, the main ward which Wood Green falls under (again according to the Met) has a large retail/commercial area.
Pubs, clubs and businesses have relatively high crime compared to relatively low numbers of residents.
Ultimately however there is no getting away from the fact that Harringey has high crime rates and Wood Green is one of the highest in the Borough.
The most common offences in the area are violence, antisocial behaviour and vehicle crime.
What is of note however is that the overall crime rate in Wood Green has decreased 18.6% between 2011 and 2021. This highlights that although there are still challenges, the Met’s efforts in the area are showing results.
Wood Green Area Guide – Demographics
Like almost every area in London, Wood Green is a diverse area with people from all walks of life calling it home.
In terms of race the breakdown in Wood Green as per the most recent census is;
White: 48.0%
Asian: 17.5%
Black: 13.0%
Mixed/other: 21.5%
Wood Green remains a well-educated community, with 55.6% of residents holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher in 2021, up from 52% in 2011.
The unemployment rate in Wood Green in 2021 was 6.1%, down from 7.2% in 2011.
As well as unemployment being down, individual wealth is also increasing in Wood Green.
The average household income in Wood Green in 2021 was £37,000, up from £32,000 in 2011. This represents a 15.6% increase over the decade.
Wood Green Area Guide – House Prices
Properties in Wood Green are much more reasonably priced than other areas of the capital.
The average value in 2023 is £553,000. Terraced properties sold for an average of just over £650,000.
Although this isn’t cheap by any stretch, considering Wood Green is in zone 3 and can get you into Central London within 15 minutes it is impressive.
Verdict – Is Wood Green A Nice Place To Live?
I may be a little controversial here but in my opinion yes it is. Having spent two days in the area and explored throughout I found locals to be friendly and the streets clean.
There has been a clear regeneration effort made by the local authority and it shows.
Undoubtedly the crime rate is of concern but as mentioned above, high rates are common in commercial areas.
There are three causes for optimism in Wood Green, firstly the falling crime rate and then increases in individual wealth and level of education.
These all point to the area improving.
Wood Green town centre has a lot to do
If you add that to a zone three tube station and reasonable property prices then Wood Green is an area worth considering for investors and families.
