Guide to living in East London

East London is one place may people dream to live. It features largest skyscraper in the UK and myriad converted warehouse stores that now house the swelling mass of London.

This downgraded and forgotten district of London has become the capital’s fastest-growing district, having dragged itself out of the fog of economic despair. While pockets remain old and decaying, the balance between the new and the old is tipped in favour of the former, and certain supercool regions have to boot.

How to get around in the East of London

East London has experienced substantial transport improvements over the last few years, focusing on developing new stations and renovating older stations in preparation for and after the 2012 Olympic Games.

The existing rail services include the Central, Jubilee, District, Hammersmith & City Lines London Underground, and Docklands, which connect the East of London to London City, Stratford & Lewisham Airport to the east, Bank and tower gateways in the city. Extensive services to the East are already available.

Eating, drinking and shopping in East London

Once it comes to shopping in east London, most people will gravitate toward the more well-known areas of the West End and Central London. By dismissing East London’s retail offer, these same people lack a great deal of shopping in the capital.

The East End of London contains everything from the comfort of familiar high street names to the extraordinary and exotic. Spitalfields is one of the most loved areas of the capital, north of Whitechapel. The infamous Old Spitalfields Market is at its heart.

Spitalfields, which was redeveloped in 2005, is the polar opposite of the usual high street shopping experience, with the latter’s lack of personality and – some could say – atmosphere. Spitalfields, on the other hand, possesses both of these characteristics in spades.

Many individual stores line the market, selling anything from design and interiors to fashion and food. On the other hand, Brick Lane is known for its dynamic and multi-cultural street market, which stretches from Spitalfields in the north to Aldgate in the south.

Hays Galleria and St. Katharine Docks are two significant shopping locations in the London Bridge area. They have a diverse assortment of designer boutiques and general stores, albeit their main focus is on dining and drinking, which isn’t always a negative thing and is well worth a visit.

But Canary Wharf has by far the best selection of all. The shops in its three malls – Cabot Place, Canada Place, and Jubilee Place – are underground, with over 200 designer, independent, and high street stores.

Residential area

East London is now undergoing regeneration and has a growing population. In the early 1980s, the renovation of the Estate Agents Docklands area was initiated. The project Themes Gateway is expanding further East and is being planned and delivered in East London by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

The successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics in London has sparked regeneration efforts in the area, which will undoubtedly impact housing prices. This was seen lately when East London was one of just three areas in England and Wales to see home prices rise.