[MRM]

My son studied in Twickenham last year and I was able visit him for spring break. I was also in central London for work for about a week a few years earlier. I am happy to report that in my limited experience as a visitor and father of a college student, all of Greater London seems safe and any decent apartment or house should work well. We were out several times very late and never had any concern, both downtown and in the suburbs.

The western suburbs around Twickenham are quite nice. Supposedly they have the lowest crime rates in London. The train ride into downtown is about 45 minutes, though. It was all right for a visit but I wouldn't want to have a longer ride (plus walking to the station and then walking to work) as my everyday commute. I'd draw a circle on a map of central London with Twickenham being the farthest point and start looking anywhere inside that circle.

As with most big cities, the commute is what makes life hard and you pay to have a convenient commute, but I'd strongly recommend paying for a good commute even over a good neighborhood. Anything near a train station should cut their commute times to manageable and give them access to all the fun stuff on nights and weekends. From an outsider's brief glimpse into the city, I didn't see much to be concerned about any sections. FWIW, my limited experience matches the advice given by MFAFF and recycled sixtie.