Quality of life

What makes Edinburgh an inspiring place to live and work? The city's credentials are detailed on the LIVE section of the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital website and include:

• The world's festival city, a World Heritage Site and the world's first City of Literature
• In 2007 Edinburgh was voted the best place to live in the UK by Channel 4's Location Location Location programe
• The UK’s strongest city economy outside London and winner of more than 12 UK Best City Awards in the last seven years
• A compact walkable city with a sophisticated transport mix, with ongoing investment in high quality public transport, cycling, pedestrian facilities and infrastructure
• There are more restaurants per head of population than any other UK city
• Six of Scotland’s top ten visitor attractions are in Edinburgh, while the wider city region offers a wealth of stunning scenery, beaches, golf courses and historical landmarks
• The vibrant retail mix includes boutiques, owner-managed independents, destination outlets and high street chains
• The city has a temperate climate, with the same annual rainfall as Rome, Frankfurt or New York
• In 2008 Edinburgh was named as of the world's top ten cities by travel magazine Wanderlust
• Edinburgh residents’ satisfaction with the city is 92%, the highest of any city surveyed by MORI.