THE best places to live in Scotland have been revealed, according to a new study, with a group of islands coming out on top.
Judges at The Sunday Times combined nine different data sets covering a range of varying categories for every local authority in Scotland to find where the best place is to live.
The data used included crime rates, measuring education through Ofsted reports, along with using three NHS measures including satisfaction with GPs, waiting times and treatment targets.
The number of listed buildings per area, the number of community-listed companies, and how many parks with the Green Flag Award, an international standard for publicly accessible green spaces, were also used to determine the results for each area.
The average house price was also taken into account.
It was good news for Scotland’s Island communities as they secured the top three positions in The Sunday Times list.
Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney, and Shetland topped the rankings with great public services, strong communities and on average lower house prices.
East Lothian and Stirling helped to round out the top five of the rankings with Edinburgh coming in seventh, Glasgow placing 20th and Aberdeen near the bottom at 30th.
Na h-Eileanan Siar, also known as the Western Isles, came out on top thanks to its average house price of £141,000 and its low crime rate.
Similarly, Orkney finished second thanks to its low crime rate and its percentage of people seen and treated quickly by a GP.
However, the judges did concede that the list based purely on data is not perfect and recognised that island life isn’t for everyone.
The top 10 best places to live in Scotland
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Orkney
- Shetland
- East Lothian
- Stirling
- Argyll and Bute
- Edinburgh
- The Scottish Borders
- Perth and Kinross
- Highlands
