13 February 2024 , 22:59
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The best places to live in Scotland have been revealed in a new list and one town near Glasgow has taken the top spot.
The historic town of Kirkintilloch nestled at the foot of the Campsie Fells has been crowned as 2024's best place to live in a ranking of more than 160 communities in Scotland. Dubbed the 'Canal Capital of Scotland, Kirkintilloch is surrounded by rolling hills and straddles the Forth and Clyde Canal.
The town scored highly in three of the four categories that determine the overall ranking in the annual league table compiled by independent buying agents Garrington Property Finders, reports GlasgowLive. It ranks Scotland's best cities, towns and villages according to four main criteria - natural beauty, well-being, employment and connectivity plus value for money.
Linlithgow in West Lothian also made the top 20 best places to live in Scotland list (Stuart Vance/ReachPlc)With a past dating back two millennia to Roman times, Kirkintilloch is just nine miles from central Glasgow – yet its air quality helped it secure 10th place in the wellbeing category. Meanwhile, the competitiveness of its typical house price (£276,000) compared to the regional average propelled it to sixth place in the value-for-money category.
Competing with towns from Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Borders, spots near Glasgow on the list included the likes of Neilston and Barrhead in East Ren who come in 5th and 14th respectively, Linwood (17) and Paisley (18) in Renfrewshire, and Milngavie (7) and Bishopbriggs (20), which are also in East Dunbartonshire. Further out, Clydebank, Girvan and Ayr also made the top 20 shortlist (which you can see below).
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Garrington’s analysts examined property price movements for each of Scotland’s local authorities, comparing them with the regional average and against last year’s figures to create a ‘best value’ ranking that was overlaid with the other three categories to produce the overall league table.
The list will hopefully help those looking to buy or settle somewhere in Scotland (Stuart Vance/ReachPlc)The top spot in the value category was shared between the village of Neilston and the nearby commuter town Barrhead, which sits in East Renfrewshire just a mile outside greater Glasgow. Together they saw average prices dip by 0.7 per cent to £291,000 in the 12 months to October.
Barrhead’s strong performance in the employment and connectivity category, which measures proximity to high-paying jobs, transport and broadband connections, powered it to 14th place overall.
CEO Garrington Property Finders Jonathan Hopper, said: “2023’s reset of prices redrew large swathes of Scotland’s property map. Prices rose across the nation as a whole, but some highly desirable areas became better value as prices fell.
“It’s early days, but 2024 so far has seen the cost of borrowing – which led many would-be buyers to hold off in 2023 – start to come down. Suddenly the market finds itself at an inflection point, with house prices stabilising just as mortgages become more affordable.
Linlithgow, West Lothian came ninth overall in the ranking (Stuart Vance/ReachPlc)“This combination is already translating into a surge in interest from buyers who’ve decided to restart their previously paused moving plans. If this is you, our 2024 Best Places to Live guide can help you pinpoint locations with the optimum blend of natural beauty, quality of life and value for money.
“All of the 161 Scottish cities, towns and villages selected for our ranking score well in at least one category, and you can use our fun, interactive tool to find places that offer more of the things that matter most to you.”