Rivalry runs deep along the Thames

More affordable home prices have led to a recent boom in the south's popularity among yuppies, whose demand for cafes, bars and clubs is being eagerly catered to. So many young families have nested in Clapham, a charming neighborhood of Victorian-era terraced houses -- this counts as "new" in Britain -- that locals call the area "Nappy Valley," a reference to the high diaper count.

During my own search for a flat, it wasn't hard to find pros and cons to both north and south, just as there are on either side of the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles. Andrew Duncan, a local historian, thinks the Thames divide is overrated.

"The river is always going to be a practical physical division between the two," he said, "and it's going to have some symbolic significance because of that."

But, he added, "I've lived in London 25 years. I don't think it's ever been a really huge issue."

He clearly hasn't talked to my real estate agents and London friends who insist that their side of the Thames is the only game in town.

While I was deciding where to live, one friend signed off almost every e-mail with the reminder that "north of the river is best!" At the same time, a pal in the south warned only half-jokingly that if I chose to live on the opposite side, he probably would visit me less often than when I lived in India.

For a more studied opinion, I turned to Time Out magazine, which issued a verdict on the rivalry three years ago. The winner: south London by a whisker, though the magazine's categories of comparison, including which side was home to the most "pointless celebrity" and which owned the most interesting world record, weren't necessarily ones I found useful.

History and infrastructure are largely to blame for the bad rap the south has long received from the north.

The heart of the city traditionally beat in the north, where the royal court lived; the south was much later to develop. Until the mid-18th century, in all of London there was only one bridge across the Thames, Duncan said.

The city's subway system, the Underground, runs almost entirely beneath the north, further reinforcing the belief of some north Londoners that they inhabit the center of the universe.

"It's so far to where you are," one woman complained to an acquaintance in the south who wanted to get together. "Why don't you come here?"

The tug of war and the antagonism across the river won't end any time soon, and Londoners, an opinionated bunch, will no doubt continue to vote with their feet.

The U.S. Embassy is doing just that with its eventual move to Nine Elms, which lies close to Vauxhall, a well-known enclave fast becoming a gay hot spot. The present ambassador, Robert H. Tuttle, said that the U.S. was happy to contribute to the exciting regeneration of the south side.

But one of the best things about the new site, according to another U.S. official? The views of the north.

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henry.chu@latimes.com