Manchester: The UK’s Best City to Live In!

It comes as no surprise to us at Julie Twist Properties, but Manchester has been voted the UK’s best city to live in once again.

Each year, the Economist Intelligence Unit conducts the Global Liveability Survey, ranking the world’s cities according to factors such as education, health care, culture and infrastructure.

Manchester, which also had the UK’s top score in 2015, gained a whopping 88.8 points out of 100 in the survey, the MEN reports.

Hearing of the results, the head of Manchester council, Sir Richard Leese, stated: ‘Manchester has seen huge growth in the last decade, which can only mean that the city has been somewhere people want to live, work and visit for some years.

‘Manchester is known to be a safe and friendly place for tourists and locals, with a huge amount to do and see, two of the world’s top football teams, along with top flight universities and ever growing employment opportunities. When you put all this together it’s easy to see why Manchester is somewhere people want to live’.

This is not Manchester’s first brush with success this year; the city has also recently been voted one of Lonely Planet’s top cities to visit in the ‘Best in Travel 2016’ awards. Recent investment in cultural establishments like the Whitworth Art Gallery, the HOME arts centre and the Central Library has helped the city to secure this title.

Some major world cities have suffered in the Global Liveability rankings this year, due in part to the various terror incidents that have plagued places like Paris, Belgium and various US cities.

Unsurprisingly, the cities ranked the “least liveable” are in countries marred by unrest, like Libya and Syria.

Despite Manchester’s huge achievement, it has got some way to go to become the world’s “most liveable” city. That accolade has gone to Melbourne, Australia, for the sixth year running. Manchester comes a respectable 43^rd in the list – ten places ahead of London. It is said that the lower terrorism risk, excellent cultural offer and recent property boom in Manchester have allowed it to surge ahead of the UK capital.

Indeed, the huge increase in residential property in recent years has led to more and more people flocking to Manchester to work, rest and play. This is a trend that shows no sign of stopping, and with job opportunities and local amenities also constantly improving, it is hoped that the ‘capital of the North’ will score even higher in next year’s survey.

If you’re looking to move to Manchester, then take a look at our property pages for some inspiration or get in touch with our offices directly.