The Sunday Times annual list of the ‘Best Places To Live In The UK‘ is here, where every little corner of the UK gets examined. While we love all of Edinburgh and would hate playing favourites, Portobello is officially the best place to live within the Scottish capital.
In the past, Leith was crowned as one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, and Edinburgh kept on making it to the top of a magnitude of ‘best’ lists, such as the best city in the world. And most recently, Ould Reekie was named one of the best cities for work-life balance.
Why Portobello?
On top of having a sandy urban beach where no cars are allowed on the promenade, Portobello has lots to offers for locals and visitors alike. On top of a beautiful walk on the beach, there are a few noteworthy beachfront cafes, such as The Beach House Cafe that was also listed as one of the best cafes with a view in the UK last year.
And of course, we have, if I may say in my personal opinion, one of the best pizza spots in Edinburgh: Civerino’s Slice. The amazing Bross Bagels is also located on the High Street, as well as plenty of vintage shops, florists, bookshops and other independent businesses.
Our wee Porty is not only a neighbourhood, but also a welcoming community of mostly left-wing residents, with plenty of architects, social workers and artists of all kinds residing here. Not to mention there are just so many dogs!
How was the list created?
One might want to know: how does one decide on what are the best places to live? According to The Sunday Times, they have looked into the latest inspection reports from schools, the quality of transport links as well as cycling paths, wi-fi speeds and local house prices.
Also mentioned within the reports were the community spirit, attractive surroundings such as green spaces and a decent high street.
Now, it’s no surprise Portobello is the best place to live in Edinburgh: the average house price is £326,800, you can cycle to Edinburgh in around 20 minutes, the High Street is banging and the community spirit is off the charts.