Bristol

In 2017, after we named Bristol the overall winner of Best Places to Live, mysterious “Make Bristol Shit Again” stickers started popping up around the city. Five years on and “Brizzle” is still in the list because it really is that attractive, albeit rather less affordable.

The graffiti on show today is proof that the city retains its independent, creative spirit and an urban edge that’s yet to be completely gentrified. Kid Crayon is back with a show sponsored by Arts Council England, St Pauls carnival is back on the streets this summer and Grayson’s Art Club is midway through a nine-month residency at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. 

And of course there’s an anarchic edge, a point of pride for many residents. A history of rebellion stretching from the reform riots in 1831 to the dethroning of slaver trader Edward Colston from his plinth in 2020 demonstrate Bristolians’ continual determination to act on their beliefs. You are never far from a plant-based burger: Bristol was voted the most vegan-friendly UK city last year and it’s also the refill capital of the UK, with 200 water stations — more than anywhere outside of London. 

Ali Mitchell moved to Bristol from southeast England two years ago, living first near Whiteladies Road and now in Hotwells. “It’s beautiful and green with tree-lined avenues, views of the gorge and close to Clifton Downs. It also has some of the best restaurants and bars in the country,” she says. 

Mitchell, 34, works in analytics for the National Trust and her passion for environmentalism is perfectly mirrored in Bristol. “People live locally here, making it easy to be sustainable. There are extensive networks of small businesses collaborating to make life better and a number of Bristol-only chains such as Better Food supermarket.

I’ve changed so many habits, always using the local refill shop and being more thoughtful about what I buy. In Bristol I feel I can do things that make a difference as part of a community that cares.” That includes joining the Good Gym, a group of runners and walkers who also help out on community projects, picking up litter or visiting isolated older people. “It is a wholesome, fulfilling way to live,” Mitchell says. 

Two universities, good schooling, buoyant job opportunities spanning tech, media and finance industries, a passionate environmental drive, and a rolling events calendar to keep everyone entertained year-round keep Bristol’s buzz going. 

The big question is which community to join. Clifton, Redland and Cotham remain Bristol’s “golden triangle”. Bishopston and St Andrews (BS6 and BS7), both close to Gloucester Road have a cool, bohemian edge, a firm favourite with young families, with two and three-bedroom pastel-painted Victorian townhouses starting at about £400,000. Southville (BS3), close to Bedminster and south of the centre, also offers relative value and the benefits of city life with the possibility of a garden. Regeneration projects in Greenbank (BS5) are luring value-hunters to the east and also to gritty, arty and alternative Stokes Croft (BS1).

Sophie Inman, 29, moved from Buckinghamshire to Bristol to study for a degree in midwifery in 2016 and liked life in the city so much that she never left. “The majority of my friends stayed in Bristol after university,” she says. “It’s a city with so much character. Yes, there is real affluence mixed with deprivation, but the variation in wealth and ethnic backgrounds is what makes it better. Bristol certainly doesn’t have a monotone mindset or culture.”