Quality of life in Edinburgh City Region

What makes Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city, such 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 foremost Festival City, a World Heritage Site and the world's first City of Literature
• A breathtaking natural landscape and award-winning built environment incorporating protected green spaces
• The UK’s strongest city economy outside London and winner of more than 12 UK Best City Awards in the last eight years
• 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
• There are more restaurants per head of population than any other UK city
• The vibrant retail mix includes boutiques, owner-managed independents, destination outlets and high street chains
• A compact walkable city with a sophisticated transport mix and ongoing investment in high quality public transport, cycling, pedestrian facilities and infrastructure
• The city has a temperate climate, with the same annual rainfall as Rome, Frankfurt or New York
• Edinburgh residents’ satisfaction with the city is 92%, the highest of any city surveyed by MORI, satisfaction levels have consistently exceeded 90% since 2004.
• It was also voted the best place to live in the UK by callers to Channel 4's Location Location Location programe (2007)
• The Inspiring Capital is one the world's top ten cities, according to travel magazine Wanderlust (2008)