Balham gives you the best of both worlds: plenty of good quality places to eat, drink, shop and so forth, but also a great area to live. It's served by the Northern Line and Southern Rail so you can be in central London in no time. A trio of terrific green spaces are within walking distance (Clapham Common, Tooting Bec and Wandsworth Common).
London SW17
A bustling town which has everything you want in it or a short distance away. There are shops, restaurants, bars, and a common to enjoy the outside world in.
Tooting
Friendly.
Tooting Bec
Multicultural, friendly with great restaurants!
Tooting Bec is an up and coming area, ideal for those who want good conections to Central, but don't want the hustle and bustle of Clapham.
Tooting Broadway
An unpretentious, easy access location for south and central London. Great for Indian food and food markets, quirky, safe and definitely up and coming.
Has everything you need on a regular basis, plus close to Wandsworth/Wimbledon/Clapham for other facilities. Great pubs, variety of Indian and other food. Good value for money to live here.
Fun, quirky and easy to get into central London.
Well connected to Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Victoria, London Bridge etc.
Tooting's a little way out of London but very well connected - served by the Northern line, a number of bus routes (even a night bus) and British Rail. It's incredibly multicultural, has dozens of curry houses as well as alternative grocers and two markets selling everything you could ever want. It's a busy place, almost like a town centre on it's own and although it gets a bad rep I've never felt threatened in the two years I've lived here. I recommend it to single people (there are probably better places for families) and the rents come quite cheap as well!