Anyone who has not had the opportunity of visiting Scotland’s capital city and who has tried to find out more about daily life in Edinburgh would be forgiven for concluding that the city’s population experiences wildly fluctuating activity dependent on the city’s cultural calendar.
It would be churlish to suggest that the annual festivals which have made Edinburgh internationally famous to many do not play a huge part in the life of the city.
But it’s also true to say that there are other, perhaps more important factors which persuade people that the city is a great place to live which are not constantly referred to in glossy brochures.
All the brochures for tourists and programmes for festival shows may provide a window for the world, but they certainly don’t serve as any sort of mirror to reflect on the luck of those who choose to live in Edinburgh all year round.
Let’s start with the overall picture: Edinburgh is rated among the top cities in the world for the quality of life of the population.
According to Deutsche Bank’s report on global cities, which rates Edinburgh as the second best city to live in among those they surveyed: “Edinburgh tops the list in terms of commuting time, 2nd on healthcare satisfaction, scores 3rd on pollution...It is, therefore, a consistent all-rounder. Decent opportunities, average costs but less stressful living/working conditions.”
Deutsche Bank highlight one of the strengths of the city many of Edinburgh’s population will mention to you when you visit. Despite having a seemingly endless supply of buses and a new tram system anyway, many in Edinburgh choose to walk to work or study because it is so easy to do so quickly. It’s a simple advantage of a smaller city, but one which makes a big difference to everyday life.
Another strength the Deutsche Bank report highlights is the amount of green space within the city, and according to Esri and The Guardian nearly half of the city is green space (49.2%). It’s, therefore, the greenest city in the UK. It’s not a stretch to come to the conclusion that this has a positive impact on the quality of life of those who live in Edinburgh.
Finally, Deutsche Bank’s report also refers to opportunity. The Daily Telegraph, one of the UK’s most prestigious newspapers, rates Edinburgh as the best city in the UK for jobs growth. The capital is one of the largest financial centres in Europe and is home to many multinational companies such as Standard Life, The Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyd’s Banking Group. Most multinational investment banks and accountancy firms also have a presence there, too.
In terms of cutting-edge tech innovation and the companies which drive it, the city is also home to Skyscanner, FanDuel and Amazon’s largest development centre outside North America. If you plan to build a career in the gaming industry, well giant Rockstar North has its headquarters located here next to the Scottish Parliament.
The picture so far is pretty rosy – easy walking to work or study, plenty of green space to get away from the bustle and opportunities for well-paid jobs and internships at multinational companies and promising tech startups. But there are several other strands which jump out when thinking about the strengths of Edinburgh for those who would like to experience a high quality of life and study there.
Two of the big strengths of Edinburgh are its coffee and food scenes. Now, while it might seem that many of Edinburgh’s most famous restaurants are extremely expensive, there’s actually a much larger choice available.
From the Mexican food on offer at El Cartel Mexicana to Tokyo’s finest from Maki and Ramen, there’s a wide choice available. If you really don’t have much time to spare, we’d also recommend Dough Pizza on Rose Street which serves easily some of the best pizza in the city, without a doubt.
There’s also lots of quality cafes spread across the city, and new ones opening all year round. Brew Lab is perhaps the most unusual, with its obsessive approach to quality coffee making it look initially like a part cafe, part laboratory. But there’s plenty more too – have a look at this short guide to working out where to get your next caffeine fix.
If you want to go shopping, there’s more than enough in the centre of town around Edinburgh’s Princes Street including Multrees Walk near the city’s recently redeveloped St Andrew’s Square. The city also boasts two larger shopping centres at opposite sides of the city – The Gyle and Ocean Terminal can be reached easily using the city’s buses.
Whichever way you look at it, living in Edinburgh would prove a great choice – from surveys to personal anecdotes the city is rarely given a bad review, and the population is growing every year as more and more people, including students, begin to see the huge advantages the city offers.
This editorial was sponsored by the Edinburgh Napier University, to find out more about their courses take a look at their profile.
