Stratford & West Ham

Stratford is already one of the most important transport hubs in London, certainly the biggest in East London. With the development being undertaken for the capital's 2012 Olympic bid the whole of the Lea Valley is benefiting. On top of this it will be connected to the Eurostar, making travel to and from mainland Europe possible directly.

The area itself has an ethnically diverse community with good Asian shops, supermarkets and places to grab a bite to eat. Its not quite suburbia and, while it still retains a slightly down at heel feel, it is definitely on the up. Like much of the East End it suffered at the hands of the Nazi's bombing and much of the area is marked by large estates alongside the few surviving Victorian terraces and the high-rise blocks of flats that thrust out of the landscape.

There is a library, a cinema and alongside the new shopping centre there is also an arts centre. It is becoming more popular with the upwardly mobile, particularly those working in the City and Docklands, nearby where it has been historically linked with. West Ham is most famous for its Premiership football club of the same name, which has a ground at Upton Park. Forest Gate is the most pleasant part with greenery, an open feel to it and village charm.