There’s no denying that Liverpool is an up-and-coming city, and two neighbourhoods, in particular, have been named among the best places to live in 2023. Eurovision is not the only big thing happening in the city this year. There’s a new football stadium under construction a huge shipping container shopping centre and plenty more.
However, it’s not the city centre itself that features on the list of best places to live in 2023. The two neighbourhoods that this report has chosen to highlight might actually surprise you a little. In the North West category, these lovely Liverpool spots were the top picks.
Waterloo
The seaside suburb of Waterloo is, quite literally, a breath of fresh air. There’s plenty to do, and the report refers in particular to the brownie kebabs at Waterloo Sunset Cafe, which are well worth trying! On top of that, there are gorgeous views of Crosby and Blundellsands. Anyone who grew up on the coast will know how beautiful the sunsets are.
Of course, Waterloo is filled with places to browse and shop, with tons of independent businesses. There are some fantastic restaurants there, and the article recommends La Parrilla Mexican Bar and The Workshop in particular.
Waterloo also has fantastic transport links, too. It’s only 20 minutes to the city centre on the train, so perfect for anybody who needs to commute to the centre for work but wants a bit of sea air.
Toxteth
The change in Toxteth is tangible, and Natalie Denny a writer, sums it up best, referring to the Toxeth Uprisings in 1981: ‘A lot of people will have really outdated views of Toxteth. We call what happened uprisings, not riots.’
Dominique Walker also speaks about the area in the article. She runs the Goddess Projects which brings together and empowers black women in Liverpool. It’s a fantastic project, and Dominique describes Toxteth as ‘vibrant’.
It’s a mixture of people who were born in Toxteth and those who have moved from different parts of the UK or further afield. This gives the place a kind of buzz, which you can feel if you head to Granby Street Market.
There you’ll find the most delicious street food and you can also pick up some incredible vintage clothes. Apparently, Toxteth also has the last VHS rental shop in the UK. Ahh, the memories. Whatever you want and from wherever you want it, you can find it in Toxteth.
It’s so close to the centre. Places like the Baltic Triangle, gorgeous Sefton Park, Princes Park and the Georgian Quarter are all nearby.
It’s certainly not cheap to live in either area, but then again, Liverpool can be quite an expensive city to rent or buy. Rightmove puts the average house price in Toxteth at £157,614 and at £260,003 in Waterloo. The article in The Times put the average house price overall in Liverpool at £225,400 and several reputable websites also land on a similar figure.
So, unless you’re looking for a fancy beachside spot on Beach Lawn where the houses can go for more than a million quid, you can find something fairly cheap in these neighbourhoods. Cheap for Liverpool, that is. They are both some of the best places to live in the UK, there’s no denying that. Each has its own, distinct character that will appeal to people in different ways.