I moved from the idyllic UK countryside to the biggest city in Scotland. Here’s why I’ll never go back to country living.

Like many people , I moved back in with my parents when the pandemic began in 2020. They live in a newly-built housing development in Robroyston , an area just outside the city of Glasgow with a population of around 5,555 , according to Understanding Glasgow. There isn’t much in the area besides farmland and country roads.

There is one supermarket and restaurant within walking distance, as well as a Wallace Monument in tribute to William Wallace. Wallace fought for Scottish independence from England in the 13th century, and the monument is said to stand on the site where he was captured by the English before his execution. My parents’ neighborhood turned out to be the ideal place to live during the UK’s lockdown in March 2020.

My parents and I spent a lot of time hanging out in their yard; we also went for long walks and fed the ponies in the nearby fields. But when lockdown restrictions began to ease in the UK and we were allowed to socialise again, the allure of country living began to wane. My boyfriend, Scott, and I had been talking about getting an apartment together for a couple of months.

And when deciding where we would live, Glasgow seemed like a no-brainer. We both attended university in the city, and although I hadn’t lived there before (I commuted in for classes), I got to know it well. As someone who works remotely , it was important for me to live somewhere that has social activities and a variety of things I could do during my downtime — and Glasgow has just that.

It’s Scotland’s largest city, with a population of 1,688,907 residents in 2022, according to World Population Review. It is known for its friendly residents, as well as its nightlife and restaurants. Glasgow was named the fourth coolest city in the world by Time Out in 2022, with Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh coming in first place.

We live in a one-bedroom apartment in Merchant City , a district in Glasgow’s city center that’s filled with pubs, restaurants, and beautiful old buildings. As you would expect, it’s more expensive than living at my parents’ house, not to mention less spacious. We don’t have a yard — but who needs one when you live next to the city’s public park Glasgow Green? I love both the apartment and the neighborhood.

It’s super cozy, and even though we live down the street from a pub we don’t hear any noise in the evenings. I visited the Merchant City area often before I lived here, as it has a variety of bars, pubs, and restaurants that Scott and I would frequent. Now that we live here, it’s much easier to have a social life and spontaneous date nights or evenings out with our friends.

Everything we could ever need is on our doorstep. The closest supermarket is a two-minute walk from the apartment, and the closest train station is a 10-minute walk away. One of Glasgow’s best free attractions is its mural trail.

Local artists have painted various murals on different buildings since 2008, and the artwork is visible across the city. It reminds me of the street art in Shoreditch, an area in London that I lived in briefly before the pandemic. I’ve found visiting the street art in Glasgow more enjoyable than in London, as there are far less tourists fighting over the best spot for their Instagram photo.

I previously struggled with working from home, as there were no coffee shops or coworking spaces in my parents’ neighborhood, and I didn’t have any friends in the area. In Glasgow, I can easily work out of coffee shops and pubs and I have friends who live and work in the city, so I’m able to meet them on my lunch break or after work. It’s made the work day so much more enjoyable.

Another reason I enjoy living in Glasgow is because of the vast range of social activities — especially those that embrace Scottish culture, such as ceilidhs. A ceilidh is a gathering in which those who attend take part in traditional Scottish barn dancing. Scottish people often have ceilidhs as part of their weddings, but you can also attend ceilidhs at community halls or at a pub, which is what we did.

We decided to go to one for my birthday, which was the week after we moved into the apartment. It was the first time attending one since I was in school, and it was so much fun. “People Make Glasgow” was unveiled as Glasgow’s slogan in 2013, and it’s not hard to understand why.

Glasgow was named the friendliest city in the world by Time Out in July 2022. I couldn’t agree more with Time Out’s ranking. Whether I’m meeting mutual friends at a party or speaking with strangers on the street, I’ve found the people here to be warm and welcoming.

I can’t imagine ever going back to country living. Glasgow is the ideal place to live if you’re someone who works from home, or if you’re a young professional who enjoys art, culture, and food. There’s still so much of the city that I have yet to explore, and I can’t wait.

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