The best place to live in Birmingham revealed in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide 2026
This unique south Birmingham neighbourhood has been voted the best place in the city this year by the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times' expert judges assess everything from house prices, schools, air quality, transport, to broadband speeds to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street to compile a definitive list.
They look for improving towns, villages or city centres, as well as attractive, well-designed homes and locations bursting with community spirit. A detailed breakdown of house prices has been supplied by the sponsors of the guide Halifax.
The guide covers all of Britain with ten national and regional winners in these areas: North and Northeast, Midlands, Northern Ireland, Southeast, Wales, Southwest, East, London, Scotland and the Northwest.
Norwich was crowned the best place to live in the UK in 2026 - praised for its mix of historic character and modern lifestyle.
Birmingham
In Birmingham, the Times has named Bournville as the city’s best place to reside this year.
The chocolate-box neighbourhood in Birmingham is one of the UK’s few model villages.
The small and quaint south Birmingham village is cherished by those who live there. The picturesque area was born from Birmingham's iconic Cadbury brand and as a model village, is a largely self-contained community that was founded by the Quaker Cadbury family in 1876 for employees at its factory.
Bournville has been called the world‟s first planned and balanced community, and the relatively small number of residents who live in Bournville - around 25,000 - are still required to follow the rules of the Village Trust today.
The Cadbury name is of course synonymous with chocolate throughout the world. The business was developed further by his two sons and they went on to build the garden village of Bournville.
oday, the Birmingham village is one of the most desirable places to live in the city and with some nice independent shops, cafes, and of course Cadbury World
