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York named best place in Britain to live in

Editor: Zhang Jianfeng 丨Xinhua

03-19-2018 10:25 BJT

LONDON, March 18 (Xinhua) -- York, famed for its city walls and Viking heritage, was named Sunday as the best place to live in Britain.

It won the coveted crown in the annual survey by the Sunday Times (ST) newspaper of Britain's top towns, cities and villages.

"You can't deny the romantic beauty of York," said the ST, adding: "the period buildings, the meandering river and the iconic York Minster have ensured this city a billing in ever Best Place List. But it has been denied the top spot because it has always been a bit old."

The report adds that label no longer applies to York, describing the city as a mini-metropolis, with cool cafes, destination restaurants and ambitions to be one of the best-connected hubs in Europe.

With a population of less than 200,000, York is less than two hours by train from London.

"It is the UK's first Gigabit City, offering speeds up to one gigabit or 1,000 megabits a second," adds the citation.

With its history as a Roman center going back 2,000 years, modern York's 21st century industrial revolution is attracting talent from software designers to researchers, gaming companies and film-makers.

Its famous Shambles area has been given a massive facelift, its cultural scene has exploded, and there are two universities added to the city's vibrancy. The average house price in the city is just over 420,000 U.S. dollars.

The Best Places to Live survey measures life expectancy, school performance, green space, culture, food quality, transport, community links and what is described as "that hard-to define little bit extra".

Bermondsey, crowned as the best place to live in London, epitomises the modern urban good life, said the ST survey.

Many of its young, affluent and arty residents live in photogenic lofts in converted warehouses. Railway arches which carry trains above street level, are fast being turned into galleries, bars and restaurants.

Clapton and Fulham emerged respectively as the second and third best places in London to live in.

Melrose topped the list of the best places to Scotland to live in, while the best place in Wales is Mumbles, a former fishing village near Swansea. Ballyhackamore, described as the "brunch capital of Belfast" was judged as the best place in Northern Ireland to live in.

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