Buying/Renting property in London: Where would you live?

I grew up in London, and TBH the whole place is so fucking gentrified compared to 20 years ago that you can settle down into a nice home pretty much anywhere these days - sure you still have the sink estates and no go areas which are pretty obvious, but generally speaking all the old cliches are dead and burried

+1 My mother trained in London as a Nurse in the 70's, went back to North London for the first time recently and was amazed at the Tottenham court road, Candem, Kentish town e.t.c. She said it was mainly squots when she was training and several of her mates lived in tehm including what is now the Govener Hotel.