St James's Park & Hoopern
Exeter 004 · 5 sub-areas · 9,307 residents
Exeter 004 is a densely populated pocket of central Exeter, home to around 9,300 people and one of the most emphatically student-shaped neighbourhoods in the city. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,125 a month — slightly below the UK median for a two-bed, and noticeably affordable given how close you are to the city centre and Exeter's mainline rail station.
St James's Park & Hoopern is a mid-density neighbourhood of Exeter in the South West region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services. The population skews young, with a high concentration of 18- to 34-year-olds; the rental market is active and turnover is high — people move through rather than stay.
Overview
What's it like to live in St James's Park & Hoopern?
The area is unusually green for its density — 5 parks and 3 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 30 restaurants and 6 pubs in five minutes; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,312 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
St James's Park & Hoopern in Exeter
Living in St James's Park & Hoopern
What sets Exeter 004 apart from most Exeter neighbourhoods is its age profile. Around 62% of residents are aged 18 to 34 — one of the highest concentrations of young adults you'll find in any UK neighbourhood outside a purpose-built student village. That shapes everything: the type of housing stock, the tenure mix, the feel of the streets, and the pace of daily life. If you're looking for a quiet, settled residential enclave, this isn't it. If you want central, well-connected and cheap-ish, it absolutely is.
Rents here are moderate by Exeter standards. A one-bed runs around £910 a month, a two-bed closer to £1,125 — roughly in line with the UK median for a two-bed, which makes it a genuine deal for somewhere this central. Rents rose around 2% last year, which is a slower pace than much of the South West has seen recently. That said, nearly 60% of residents are private renters, so demand stays robust and supply turns over quickly.
Owner-occupation is low — only around 30% of households own their home, compared with the national average of over 60%. Social housing accounts for under 10%. This is overwhelmingly a private-rented neighbourhood, which means flexibility but also the usual trade-offs: shorter tenancies, less stability, and landlords who know students will keep coming.
About 39% of residents work from home, which is a high share and reflects both the self-employed and graduate-professional contingent living alongside the student population. For practical purposes, the mainline rail station is less than 500 metres away — roughly a four-minute walk — which makes this one of the most transit-accessible locations in Exeter. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on specific pockets within the neighbourhood.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Exeter 004 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're after. If you want central, walkable and well-connected to the rail station, it delivers. The energy is young and rental turnover is fast. It's not a quiet residential neighbourhood — around 62% of residents are aged 18 to 34 — but for students and young professionals who want to be close to the action, it works well.
- What is the rent in Exeter 004?
- A one-bed runs around £910 a month, a two-bed around £1,125, and a three-bed around £1,353. The two-bed figure is roughly in line with the UK median, which is solid value for a neighbourhood this close to Exeter's mainline station. Rents rose about 2.2% over the past year.
- Is Exeter 004 safe?
- Crime runs at around 112 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, which is above the UK national average of roughly 80. Dense, student-heavy city-centre areas tend to see elevated theft and anti-social behaviour. The area's deprivation score is moderate, so the elevated rate reflects footfall and density more than deep disadvantage — but it's worth factoring in.
- What's the commute from Exeter 004 to Exeter city centre?
- You're already in the heart of it. The mainline rail station is less than 400 metres away — about a four-minute walk. Around 40% of residents work from home, which is unusually high and reflects the graduate and self-employed population living alongside the student community.
- Who lives in Exeter 004?
- Overwhelmingly young adults — nearly 62% of residents are aged 18 to 34, the highest-concentration age band by far. A third of households are single-person. Most people rent privately; owner-occupation is low at around 30%. It's a neighbourhood shaped almost entirely by students and young renters.
- What schools are near Exeter 004?
- There are 63 schools within 2km, but only around 7% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of around 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 7km away. Families with children should research specific catchments carefully before choosing this neighbourhood.
- How long does the train to London take from Exeter 004?
- The rail journey to London takes around 140 minutes. The mainline station is practically on the doorstep — under 400 metres away. Birmingham is about 149 minutes by public transport. There's no metro or tram service in Exeter.