Edinburgh, Best Place to Live in the UK

Edinburgh was just rated the best place to live in the UK. Here are some of the reasons why:

* An amazing lifestyle, with by far the most shops, bars and restaurants
* There are more museums and galleries than any other Local Authority
* The highest concentration of listed (old buildings that have to remain the same on the outside...not the official definition, but mine) buildings in the UK

And here is a tid bit of interesting information about the place I now reside, all courtesy of Channel 4 News (BBC News, that is):

Edinburgh's beloved Old Town, with its medieval road plan and Reformation era buildings, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But a £20 million regeneration programme announced in June 2007 will see a series of rundown buildings between the Royal Mile and Market Street transformed into a brand new quarter, set to include 80 flats and a budget hotel. Locals aren't pleased, but if you're planning to move, you could snap up some brand new housing in the picturesque heart of the city.

Also a World Heritage Site, the New Town, built from 1765 onwards, and originally designed to be purely residential, followed a grid-like street layout like modern day New York when first built, much of which you'll still find intact today. These days, the New Town is known for its shops - the famous Princes Street being retail Mecca for visitors and locals alike.

The South side, Edinburgh's less famous and primarily residential district, can nevertheless boast famous residents: if you like the sound of having authors J. K. Rowling, Ian Rankin, and Alexander McCall Smith for neighbours, this is the place to be. To the east, the port of Leith was controversially merged with Edinburgh in 1920 and has enjoyed a growing profile since the 1980s as an excellent environment for white-collar workers.

A prosperous city, just over half of Edinburgh's residents work in professional occupations or as senior management, with just 1.9 per cent of the town's population claiming job seekers allowance. This is reflected in higher property prices than the national average. In fact, prices there have climbed steadily for the last five years, with the average Edinburgh home now over the £200,000 price barrier.

Think that’s too expensive? It’s still half the cost of a home in London, so if it’s capital city living for you, this is certainly one you can afford to buy in. And for that alone, Edinburgh deserves its place as the pick of the crop.

Now many of you will remember that it wasn't that long ago (5 years to be exact) that I resided in the worst place to live in the US - Modesto, CA! Here are some of the reasons why:

* High unemployment
* Expensive housing
* High crime rate...#1 city for auto theft in 2005 & 2006...down to #5 for 2007.

Think there are any similarities to the two cities? I doubt it! Well...there are Grimblebys in both cities! Coincidence? I think not!