We may be biased but we think the West Midlands is an amazing region to live in and has plenty to offer, from thriving city suburbs to idyllic villages. If you've ever wondered which area in and around Birmingham is the best, lifestyle website Muddy Stilettos has recently named the region's ten best places to live in for 2024.
City areas, such as Harborne and Edgbaston, made the cut alongside villages in rural Solihull, such as Dorridge and Hampton-in-Arden. The areas were chosen for a variety of reasons, including having stunning properties, pretty green spaces, a buzzing high street and an impressive food scene.
Describing the West Midlands, Muddy Stilettos said: "It may have been the beating heart of the industrial revolution but there’s more to the West Mids than just factories and manufacturing. Think idyllic rolling countryside alongside bustling cities with some of the UK’s top bars and restaurants."
READ MORE: Celebrity village near Birmingham named one of best places to live in 2024
Below are each of the ten top places picked in the region - along with the reasons they were chosen.
Moseley
There's plenty to love about Moseley - great pubs, an excellent food scene, regular festivals and its idyllic park. It's not a surprise the suburb is often named as one of the best places to live in Birmingham.
In fact, Muddy Stilettos described it as "one of the most desirable locations in the country, let alone West Midlands". It continued: "You have Michelin-starred dining on your doorstep, yearly music festivals in the park, and an award-winning monthly farmers’ market – what more could you want?"
Four Oaks
Leafy and affluent Four Oaks is a popular neighbourhood for Premier League footballers and it's easy to see why. The area is near the enormous and idyllic Sutton Park as well as restaurants such as Silver Tree Bakery and Pizza by Goli.
Muddy Stilettos said: "Fun fact: the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield is one of the leafiest places to live in the UK, with more than half of the town’s total land area being green – the other half including pretty Four Oaks is littered with Premiership footballers’ swanky cars! The town also has one of the largest urban parks in Europe (that’d be Sutton Park, with its 2,000 acres and wild deer herds) but it’s far from being out in the sticks – you have all the amenities you could want, as well as fantastic commuter links and plenty for the family to do."
Kings Heath
One of the most popular suburbs in Birmingham, Kings Heath is becoming increasingly known for its thriving high street, independent shops and vibrant atmosphere. There's also plenty of green spaces nearby, with Muddy Stiletto writing: "Go for a walk around Highbury Park, which stands in the shadow of Highbury Hall, the former residence of politician Joseph Chamberlain.
"There’s also Kings Heath Park which has a lovely tearoom for coffee and cake. Other outdoor gems include Moseley Bog, which was the childhood playground of JRR Tolkien, who lived nearby and used it as inspiration for the ancient forests in The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, while Sarehole Mill museum was said to be in the inspiration for The Shire."
Edgbaston
Just a short drive away from Birmingham city centre, Edgbaston has plenty of things to do - from Edgbaston Cricket Club and Edgbaston Priory Club to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. When it comes to art and culture, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Midlands Art Centre are also based nearby.
According to Muddy Stilettos: "It might be home to international sporting venues Edgbaston Cricket Club and the historic Edgbaston Priory Club but there’s more to this part of Brum than its sporting heritage. It’s also home to some beautiful botanical gardens, multiple top-rated schools, Michelin-starred restaurants aplenty, two universities and is just a stone’s throw from the city centre."
Harborne
Harborne is the place to go if you want a surprisingly varied selection of restaurants and pubs. Muddy Stilettos wrote: "Next to green Bourneville with its Quaker roots and prim and proper Edgbaston sits Harborne.
"It’s a bit more of the cool sister, and while it might not be as pretty as its gentrified neighbours, it's up and coming and there’s no shortage of things to do here – particularly if you’re a foodie. Some of Brum’s best restaurants sit in this neighbourhood."
It added: "In Harborne there’s Woodgate Valley Country Park – 250 acres of lush green grassland complete with riding stables and a community run farm. If you fancy really stretching your legs head to the nearby Lickey Hills Country Park which is around 20 minutes away and is perfect for dog walking, picnics and there’s a café onsite too."
Dorridge
Dubbed a rural haven, this small village in Solihull is the perfect place for families to settle down. Muddy Stilettos said: "If you’re looking for a base where the kids can grow up knowing the neighbours, the community spirit is strong here.
"There’s a great selection of primary schools for littlies, as well as plenty of indie shops, pubs and eateries to while away the hours in. You’ll find walks aplenty, most along the pretty canal path to Solihull town centre."
Meriden
There's an ancient, listed monument dating back more than 500 years that proudly stands on the green in the village of Meriden. It actually marks the the "central point of England" - and there's plenty more the village offers as well as its historical significance.
Muddy Stilettos said: "Known as the historic centre of England (the true centre is actually 13 miles up the road, but we won’t dwell on that) nestled between Coventry and Birmingham, and protected by the greenbelt of the Meriden Gap, this bucolic village is all country pubs and honey pot cottages with the added bonus of great links to local towns and cities."
Bournville
Quiet, leafy and compared by residents to a "holiday village", Bournville is regularly regarded as one of the best places to live in Birmingham. Created as a model village to house workers at the nearby Cadbury chocolate factory, the Bournville Estate now has 25,000 residents living in 8,000 homes.
Years later, the village still boasts independent shops, green space and charming houses. Muddy Stilettos says: "Renowned for its unspoilt Quaker architecture and beautiful green spaces, it has also buzzy vibe which is bringing a lot of first buyers and young families to the area."
Hampton-in-Arden
Hampton-in-Arden offers the best of both worlds, providing plenty of rural character as well as easy rail links to Birmingham. However, it's the restaurants based at Hampton Manor that really make the village stand out.
Muddy Stilettos said: "The village’s destination hotel, Hampton Manor, is home to two outstanding restaurants, all of which pull in tourists for miles around. Michelin-starred Grace & Savour, overlooking the Walled Garden, serves up sustainable home-grown dinners on Thursdays to Saturdays, as well as a fifteen-course tasting menu; laidback Smoke specialises in soulfood four-course menus courtesy of MasterChef The Professionals 2019 Champion, Stuart Deeley."
Earlsdon
The only suburb of Coventry to make the list, Earlsdon benefits from an ideal location close to the city centre and its vibrant nightlife. Muddy Stilettos said: "This vibrant, multicultural and youthful city is home to two top UK universities – Coventry and the University of Warwick – and is famous for its 1950s brutalist architecture and 2-Tone ska bands, including The Specials and The Selecter.
"Sir Basil Spence’s post-war cathedral – a modernist masterpiece – stands aside the ruins of St Michael’s Cathedral, destroyed during The Blitz and opposite Coventry University. There’s often dining clubs which take place there and are always a hit."
Got a story in Birmingham or elsewhere in the West Midlands? Get in touch by emailing alexander.brock@reachplc.com.
