Ah London, city of immigrants (I mean this quite literally). Now to be fair, some of that is because when you colonize the world, it comes back to visit the metropole. But also, London has a history of attracting and indeed integrating immigrant populations, at least in Greater London (the square mile of the City is a bit small by now to be doing that). And one of my absolute favorite things about London is the sheer variety of foods, goods, and cultures that coexist within the British capitol.
Unfortunately, being in Britain does mean that it's not actually a practical place to immigrate to, given the absolutely rancid costs of paying for NHS coverage up front as part of your visa fees. But if you can swing it (or you're single--a thousand pounds per person per year adds up for families), it's got some major benefits to provide you.
1. A Transport of Delight
The London omnibus (thanks, Flanders and Swann) is, in my humble opinion, the greatest benefit for considering London as an immigrant's destination.
They go pretty much everywhere, pretty efficiently, for relatively little money (compared to any rail, Tube or mainline or what have you). They're easy to recognize, easy to find, and easy to use.
They get stuck in traffic like everyone else, but they stop you from having to own your own car and be that traffic.
And like this particularly unflattering shot I took demonstrates, they'll take you right to the shops (this bus is at a Tesco, I think, though I went to so many grocery stores around that location that I may be mistaken).
2. Actually, who even needs the bus?
As Evan Edinger will happily explain to you, London is also massively beefing up its cycling network, in ways that mean that you won't even necessarily need to take any transport at all.
You can see a gentleman taking advantage of this directly in front of the tram here in Croydon.
London is also extremely walkable, both within neighborhoods and if you're brave enough to just hare your way across the city.
(Mind the crowds in Camden though).
Why is this a benefit for the immigrant? It means both that you can get to know whatever pocket of the sprawling megalopolis you end up in more personally and that you can save some of their ridiculously highly valued currency at the same time. And heck, you might not even need to use that NHS surcharge you pre-spent for if you use the Gym of Life (ignore that that video is about the Netherlands; the same concept applies).
It also means that you really can choose wherever you most want or need (for job purposes, say) to live and still enjoy life in London. Yes, it has slums and less safe areas, but the emphasis on active transportation has Jane Jacobs related benefits in terms of putting eyes on the street (attached to moving bodies, no less).
3. The Cultural Amenities
Look, Paris is great, don't get me wrong. But what the British Museum lacks compared to the Louvre in terms of entertaining heists it makes up in being free to the public.
As are a lot London's best museums.
And, you know, its public spaces as well.
