Tell Me About Hatfield

it's 2009 not 2008 and considering that would have made me 10, no, my memory doesn't serve me too well
 
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Hatfield is pretty awlful, lifeless concrete mess of council houses. Although there is a pretty awesome Chinese buffet and no shortage of takeaways! Shopping is dire, when I first moved here I tried walking into town, thought I was getting close to the centre based on there were a few shops independant shops, the next thing I know Im back on the main road.

Its only redeeming feature is perhaps its proximety to London.

St Albans on the other hand is awesome, we go there most weekends and whenever we fancy a walk round the shops. There are more pubs than you can shake a stick at. If you do move there, drop me an email and I'll send you a map for a 24 pub, pub crawl :D
 
I'll give a real reply to your question, get ready!

I was raised in Hatfield and have lived here for 19 years

The Good

-Lots of retail shops - Tesco and Asda, then you have things like boots, blockbuster, fish and chip shops, (applebys) Hairdressers, post office and that's about it.

- Very close to London, takes 20 mins if you take the fast train to get to KX

- St.Albans (best for pubs, has a club called Batchwood), Watford (Best for clubs, but does have a nice strip), Hartford (pubs) and Stevenage (100% clubs, Liquid, Envy, Chicagos, Jumpin Jacks) are all close and provide decent night life.

- Every takeaway you can imagine, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, Mcdonalds, Burger King. Also a kebab van called Hatfield's best kebabs :P

-The University here is better than average, yes I study there.

-Old Hatfield is beautiful

-Great Odeon Cinema that show's films in Digital

-New business park built with a very nice Gym

Bad Points

-No good clothing / technological shops (games, camera's, tv's) in the town centre, it was meant to be getting knocked down and completely revamped but that's not happening now with the recession..

-Too many yobs around the town center at night, there was a stabbing 4/5 years ago in which someone died.

- No nightlife, there is a place called the Kandi bar but it's awful

-Way too many immigrants, Polish here, Polish there. So many we have a frozen section in tesco dedicated to them

- Lot's of council houses

All in all, there's no place like home. However when i do have a stable job and a good income i will move out from Hatfield. My Dad would move now if he could but my mum's parents live here and my mum like's to be close

To all those saying Welwyn is so much better.....It really isn't.

Hope that helps
 
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Takes about 30 minutes to drive up to hatfield from North West London
If you drive, live around where there are more population
 

Good reply, however, as you haven't lived anywhere else bar Hatfield your view is very narrow. Hatfield still is, however, a dump. The Galleria is the only thing going for it and even that is tiny with a few 'outlet' stores. No one has said Welwyn is particularly better, but it's a much nicer place to live, less chavs and it certainly feels safer. Also, Tesco is on the outskirts of Hatfield, so it's more in between. Hatfield has the galleria, Welwyn has the howard Centre, which is pretty poor in itself but it does however have a mammoth John Lewis, a reasonable sized Debenhams, a Marks & Spencers, a Waitrose, a Sainsburys and much more to name.


edit - I'm not wanting to come across negative, not towards you gustov, just my general opinion regarding Hatfield relative to the surrounding areas and relative to places I've lived around the country.
 
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Hello,

I've been offered a new job in Hatfield, and I'm considering it. However, I'd like to find out more about the area first.

Who here lives there? What's it like, nightlife, things to do during the day etc?

Many thanks :)

Been in Hatfield for 5 years. No nightlife, but st Albans is good. Hatfield does have cheap rentals though.
 
Been in Hatfield for 5 years. No nightlife, but st Albans is good. Hatfield does have cheap rentals though.

From my research its just as cheap to rent in St Albans, it would have to be pretty cheap to make me want to live here over St Albs.

To the OP, what's the job?
 
Good reply, however, as you haven't lived anywhere else bar Hatfield your view is very narrow. Hatfield still is, however, a dump. The Galleria is the only thing going for it and even that is tiny with a few 'outlet' stores. No one has said Welwyn is particularly better, but it's a much nicer place to live, less chavs and it certainly feels safer. Also, Tesco is on the outskirts of Hatfield, so it's more in between. Hatfield has the galleria, Welwyn has the howard Centre, which is pretty poor in itself but it does however have a mammoth John Lewis, a reasonable sized Debenhams, a Marks & Spencers, a Waitrose, a Sainsburys and much more to name.


edit - I'm not wanting to come across negative, not towards you gustov, just my general opinion regarding Hatfield relative to the surrounding areas and relative to places I've lived around the country.

Haha come across as negative as you want mate! Hatfields not the nicest of places as we both know ;)

Tell you something welwyn has going for it though, Gosling. Pretty much professional tennis courts, far superior to the ones at Hatfield next generation gym imo, it's expensive though :(
 
From my research its just as cheap to rent in St Albans, it would have to be pretty cheap to make me want to live here over St Albs.

I am renting an almost new flat, the equivilant in St Albans was quite a bit more :(

As to whether it is worth it, I would have to say no. Only got three months left on the contract though, so it is all good :)
 
Im intrigued by the other people who live in Hatfield, or go to Uni here, maybe we should have an OcUK meet up! :p
 
It's about as good as it gets the M1 side of Herts (apart from Harpenden that is :D)

HAHAHA, Harop is an upperclass dump! (yeah i said it...) i had a month there last summer and i was so unimpressed (wish i persuaded my mum n sister to stay near to mk). Its so bad there moving to st. albans on principal theres more there :cool:

Still i dont really like hertfordshire in general, didnt like my trip to the surrounding towns much either...
 
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