It’s the question that we never ask, simply because we try to love all of Birmingham, and would never divide you by declaring one area top of the pile. The Sunday Times has no such qualms, however, as they’ve just compiled their annual list of the best places to live in the UK, featuring Birmingham in the Midlands category.
The Sunday newspaper wrote: “You’ll be seeing a lot of Britain’s second city this year — and not just Peaky Blinders on the small screen. HS2 is arriving, the Commonwealth Games will put the city on the global map in the summer, and new film studios will add a sprinkle of stardust to Digbeth, already the UK’s jolliest work and play zone.
“But it’s not gangs in flat caps building empires here — rather blue-chip businesses such as Lloyds, HSBC and Goldman Sachs. With low-rise suburbs stretching for miles in all directions, Birmingham is not short of houses.”
And this year, there were some special mentions to Brummie districts, Jewellery Quarter and Kings Heath, knocking previous winners Bournville and Stirchley off their thrones. The Sunday Times went on to say that “the Jewellery Quarter remains the shiniest diamond in a city where some areas would benefit from a little more polish.”
The list also revealed the average house price in Birmingham was £234,000, up from last year’s average of £209,950, however cheaper in contrast to the Midlands’ winner, Uppingham, with £377,000.
Here’s the full list for The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2022 in The Midlands:
- Winner: Uppingham, Rutland
- Birmingham
- Ellesmere, Shropshire
- Hathersage, Derbyshire
- Lincoln Cliff villages, Lincolnshire
- Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
- Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire
Helen Davies, The Times and Sunday Times Property Editor said: “The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list is necessarily subjective. Leave it just to statistics and you will never capture the spirit of a place. For that, you need to visit to take into account that ‘you have to be here’ feeling. Is the pub dog-friendly, for example? Can you live car-free? What are the schools and houses like? Is it multicultural and multigenerational, and can it offer a good way of life to lots of different sorts of people?
“Ten years ago, when we launched the inaugural list, London’s gravitational pull was strong, the WFH revolution had not yet reached our doorstep and high streets were stacked with chains. How times have changed — and how welcome that change is.
“This year we have discovered new best places to live, from resurgent city centres in the North, rejuvenated suburbs across the country, hidden villages in the Southwest, and a commutable Scottish island. We hope there is something to suit everyone.”